Senior Search Engineer

YOU.com · San Francisco

OtherRemote

About Us

At You.com, we are building the AI Search Infrastructure that powers modern AI systems. Our goal is to create the trusted knowledge layer that agents, applications, and enterprises rely on to retrieve real-time, accurate, and citation-backed information.

Our platform combines proprietary vertical indexes with LLM-optimized retrieval systems to power AI agents, applications, and enterprise workflows. We are solving hard problems across search, large language models, and large-scale infrastructure to make AI systems more reliable, transparent, and useful.

Our team includes engineers, researchers, product builders, and operators who care about solving meaningful problems and delivering real-world impact. Whether you are improving core infrastructure, shaping product experiences, or helping bring new AI capabilities to market, your work will help define how modern AI finds and uses knowledge.

You.com is an AI Infrastructure company and designed to empower customers with the highest quality search and AI tools. At You.com, we are on a mission to create the most helpful search engine in the world—one that prioritizes transparency, privacy, and user control.

We’re building a team of innovators, problem-solvers, and visionaries who are passionate about shaping the future of AI and technology. At You.com, you’ll have the opportunity to work on impactful projects, collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the industry, and grow your career in an environment that values creativity, diversity, and curiosity. If you’re ready to make a difference and help us revolutionize the way people search and work, we’d love to have you join us!

About the Role

As a Search Engineer at You.com, you will blend deep analytical thinking with practical engineering skills to investigate, develop, and implement novel solutions for our search indexing systems. Your work will focus on advancing the core technology that powers our search engine, ensuring that our index is comprehensive, up-to-date, and optimized for speed and relevance. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to translate complex research into practical, scalable applications.

This is a remote position open to candidates based in the United States. We also have co-working spaces in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York.

Responsibilities

Design and Implement Scalable Indexing Systems: Architect, prototype, and maintain efficient, robust, and distributed indexing pipelines for web-scale data.
Advance Search Retrieval/Ranking: Research and apply state-of-the-art methods (NLP, ranking, ML) to improve index quality, freshness, and retrieval performance.
Collaborate Across Teams: Work closely with data engineers, ML engineers, and product teams to integrate novel features and user signals into the search systems.
Profound love for Speed and Efficiency: Profile and optimize indexing workflows for low latency and high throughput.
Evaluate and Benchmark: Define success metrics, run experiments, and analyze results to guide development and measure impact.
Stay Current: Keep up with the latest research in information retrieval, large language models, and distributed systems—bringing fresh ideas to You.com’s search stack.

Qualifications

Proven experience in search indexing, information retrieval, or large-scale data systems.
Strong programming skills in Rust/ C++ (for high performance) and Python
Solid understanding of algorithms, data structures, and distributed systems.
Experience with experimental design, prototyping, and translating research into production.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Practical experience equivalent or equal to a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

Our salary bands are structured based on a combination of geographic tiers and internal leveling. Compensation is determined by multiple factors assessed during the interview process, with the final offer reflecting these considerations.

Salary Band

$190,000—$260,000 USD

Company Perks:

Hubs in San Francisco and New York City offering regular in-person gatherings and co-working sessions
Flexible PTO with U.S. holidays observed and a week shutdown in December to rest and recharge*
A competitive health insurance plan covers 100% of the policyholder and 75% for dependents*
12 weeks of paid parental leave in the US*
401k program, 3% match - vested immediately!*
$500 work-from-home stipend to be used up to a year of your start date*
$600 technology stipend to support a portion of our hybrid/remote team's cell phone and internet expenses*
$1,200 per year Health & Wellness Allowance to support your personal goals*
The chance to collaborate with a team at the forefront of AI research

*Certain perks and benefits are limited to full-time employees only

You.com participates in E-Verify. We will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. (English/Spanish: E-Verify Participation/Right to Work) We are also an inclusive, equitable, and accessible workplace. Please let us know if you require accommodation for any portion of the recruitment and hiring process.

Beware of Recruiting Scams:

You.com will only contact you through official @You.com email addresses and will never ask for payment or sensitive personal information during the hiring process.

Use of AI Tools During Our Hiring Process:

At You.com, we're thoughtful about how we use AI throughout our business — including our hiring process.

During certain stages of the interview process, we may use AI-powered tools to assist with administrative tasks such as scheduling, note-taking, transcription, or summarizing interview discussions. These tools are intended to support our interviewers by improving accuracy and efficiency — they do not make hiring decisions or replace human judgment.

All employment decisions are made by our recruiting team and hiring managers based on a holistic review of each candidate and applicable evaluation criteria.

If AI-assisted note-taking or transcription may be used during your interview, we will notify you in advance. If you prefer not to participate in an interview that uses these tools, you may opt out by informing your recruiter before your scheduled interview. We will work with you to provide an alternative interview experience where reasonably practicable.

Information collected during the hiring process is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable law. By continuing with the application process, you acknowledge that you have read this notice. If AI-assisted tools are used during your interview and you have not opted out after receiving notice, you consent to their use as described above, where permitted by applicable law.