About this role

Join the Search Platform Team, the engine driving product and content discovery for Zalando. We build and operate the core search engine that connects over 51 million active customers across 26 markets with the products and content they love. Our Search Engine powers ~20 million searchable content stored in ~100 indices distributed among ~900 nodes, every content has ~2-4 embeddings that power our semantic understanding. Our mission is to deliver a world‑class, intelligent, scalable, and reliable Search Platform.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

As a Senior Search Engineer, you will be at the heart of our mission. You will architect the Future of Search: Lead the design and implementation of our next‑generation, AI‑driven search engine, integrating Neural Search on top of our Elasticsearch platform.
Build for Hyperscale: Modernize and scale our real‑time data ingestion systems using technologies like Kafka and Flink to handle millions of updates.
Drive Platform Innovation: Develop core platform capabilities that enable teams across Zalando to build rich, personalized discovery experiences for our customers.

WE’D LOVE TO MEET YOU IF:

You have in‑depth experience building large‑scale e‑commerce Search Engines using Lucene, Elasticsearch, or Solr.
Experience with building real‑time data pipelines using Kafka and/or Flink.
Strong proficiency in a JVM language (Java, Kotlin, or Scala) and distributed systems.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills; able to work closely with engineers, applied scientists, and product partners; able to translate requirements into reusable, reliable platform capabilities.

INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN

At Zalando, our vision is to be inclusive by design. And this vision starts with our hiring – we do not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, sexual orientation, personal expression, ethnicity, religious belief, or disability status. You are welcome to leave out your picture, age, or marital status from your application. We only assess candidates on their qualifications and merit.

We want to provide you with a great candidate experience. Feel free to inform us of any accommodations you may need, so we can best support you throughout the hiring process.

OUR OFFER

Zalando provides a range of benefits, here’s an overview of what you can expect. Ask your Talent Acquisition Partner to learn more about what we offer.
Employee shares program
40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando, 30% off Zalando Lounge, discounts from external partners
2 paid volunteering days a year
Hybrid working model with 60% (or more) remote per week, actual practice is up to each team to best support their collaboration
Work from abroad for up to 30 working days a year
27 days of vacation a year (for Zalando SE)
Relocation assistance available (subject to prior agreement)
Family services, including counseling and support
Health and wellbeing options (including Gympass)
Mental health support and coaching available