staff software engineer

As a Staff Software Engineer on the Discover Team, you will lead the design, development, and evolution of Sense’s core Search and Match services — the engine that powers how jobs connect with candidates and vice versa. This team is at the forefront of integrating semantic search, machine learning, and LLM-powered matching to deliver intelligent, high-precision recommendations.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams, Product, Design, and Data Science, to solve complex sourcing and talent engagement problems at scale. As a senior technical leader, you’ll shape the architecture, mentor engineers, and ensure our systems meet the highest standards of reliability, scalability, and innovation.

Sense is a recognised leader in the Intelligent Automation space, and this role offers the opportunity to push the boundaries of what’s possible in search and personalisation for the talent ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• System Architecture & Design
• Architect and implement scalable, high-performance, and fault-tolerant services for Search and Match.
• Partner with Product and Data Science teams to design systems that translate business goals into elegant technical solutions.
• Drive architectural decisions that balance innovation, velocity, and long-term maintainability.
• Software Development & Innovation
• Write high-quality, maintainable, and well-tested code in Python and related technologies.
• Design and optimize semantic search pipelines and matching algorithms using vector databases and embeddings.
• Experiment with and integrate LLM APIs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, or internal models) to enhance candidate–job matching and ranking.
• Continuously evaluate and adopt emerging technologies to improve relevance, performance, and developer productivity.
• Technical Leadership & Mentorship
• Mentor and coach engineers across the team, fostering a culture of learning and technical excellence.
• Lead design reviews, establish best practices, and guide teams through complex technical decisions.
• Influence technical strategy and roadmap planning to align with company objectives.
• Collaboration & Execution
• Work closely with Product, Design, and QA to define clear requirements and deliver robust, user-centric solutions.
• Communicate complex ideas effectively across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Balance hands-on contribution with cross-team collaboration to ensure timely, high-quality delivery.
• Infrastructure & Cloud Operations
• Leverage AWS services to design, deploy, and manage cloud infrastructure supporting large-scale search and recommendation systems.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize production environments for performance, cost, and reliability.
• Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven experience (8-16 years) in System Design and Analytical skills to be able to take a problem statement and conceptualize solutions for the same
• Proven track record of building scalable and distributed systems.
• Leadership experience, including mentoring and guiding development teams.
• In-depth understanding of microservices architecture, cloud-based solutions, and industry best practices.
• Ability to “do what it takes to get the job done”
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to contribute innovative ideas.
• Effective communication skills and the ability to collaborate in a dynamic team environment.
  
  

Additional Information

Perks & Benefits

• Equity
• Medical insurance for employees and dependents
• Quarterly Professional Development allowance
• Company Wellness Days (On months without holidays, you are still given a 3-day weekend)
  
  

Sense is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that diversity, inclusion, and belonging are integral to our success and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, age, or any other basis protected by law.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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