Sr. Manager, Engineering - Search

RDQ426R193

At Databricks, we are passionate about enabling data teams to solve the world's toughest problems - from making the next mode of transportation a reality to accelerating the development of medical breakthroughs. We do this by building and running the world's best data and AI infrastructure platform so our customers can use deep data insights to improve their business.

Search plays a foundational role in this mission. Whether through keyword-based retrieval, semantic similarity via vector embeddings, or hybrid approaches that combine both, our Search technologies help customers find, discover, and understand information across massive, complex datasets. These capabilities power everything from Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), AI assistants, and recommendation systems to enterprise knowledge management, in-product search, and data exploration.

As a Senior Staff Engineer for Search, you'll play a critical role in building and scaling our next-generation Search product - spanning Vector Search, Keyword Search, and Search Quality. You'll drive the design and evolution of a highly-performant, cost-efficient, and developer-friendly Search stack that enables customers to build AI applications with accuracy, speed, and scale. Beyond hands-on contributions, you'll help define the long-term vision, mentor senior engineers, collaborate across teams, and lead strategic efforts that expand the technical and business impact of Search at Databricks.

The impact you will have:

• Lead a team of talented software engineers to design, build, and operate the next-generation cloud-native Search services.
• Drive innovation across Vector Search, Keyword Search, and Hybrid Search capabilities to improve relevance, latency, and cost efficiency.
• Build a strong partnership with product and research teams to define the roadmap for Search Quality, including ranking models and evaluation frameworks.
• Manage and operate large-scale, highly-available services in the cloud.
• Grow and mentor engineers and emerging leaders through coaching, feedback, and development opportunities.
• Shape and execute the long-term product and engineering strategy for Search.
• Partner cross-functionally with teams across Databricks to ensure the Search platform serves as a core enabler for AI and data applications.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and empathy.

What we look for:

• 5+ years of experience in search, database systems, or AI/ML infrastructure.
• Proven track record of building and scaling highly-available cloud services.
• Strong leadership experience - building, growing, and managing high-performing engineering teams.
• Experience defining and meeting SLOs for distributed, production-grade systems.
• Solid understanding of search and indexing systems (e.g., Elasticsearch, Lucene, or vector databases).
• Familiarity with database internals or large-scale data processing systems.
• BS in Computer Science (Masters or PhD Preferred).