Staff / Senior Software Engineer (Agentic Search) - Runtime at Nebius

About the role

What will you do at Nebius?

About Nebius

Nebius is leading a new era in cloud infrastructure for the global AI economy. We are building a full-stack AI cloud platform that supports developers and enterprises from data and model training through to production deployment, without the cost and complexity of building large in-house AI/ML infrastructure.Built by engineers, for engineers.

From large-scale GPU orchestration to inference optimization, we own the hard problems across compute, storage, networking and applied AI.Listed on Nasdaq (NBIS) and headquartered in Amsterdam, we have a global footprint with R&D hubs across Europe, the UK, North America and Israel.

Our team of 1,500+ includes hundreds of engineers with deep expertise across hardware, software and AI R&D.</div>The ProductIn a rapidly evolving world, trust in AI depends on AI agents being grounded in fresh, verified real-world data.

Search is the foundation that makes this possible.We are building an agent-native search platform designed specifically for AI systems rather than human users.

Our product provides programmatic, low-latency, and observable search APIs that AI agents use to retrieve, filter, and reason over real-world information at scale.The RoleWe are looking for a Senior Software Engineer to work on the runtime systems of a novel search engine tailored for agentic AI consumption.In this role, you will focus on building low-latency, high-throughput systems that serve search queries in real time.

You will work on the critical path of user-facing requests, where performance, predictability, and efficiency directly impact product quality.

You will design and operate systems that handle thousands of requests per second under strict latency budgets, optimising every layer from request handling to data access and response assembly.In this position, your responsibility will be to<ul class="[li_&]:mb-0 [li_&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3"><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Design, implement, and operate core runtime services for serving search queries at scale</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Build and optimise request flows, including query processing, retrieval orchestration, and response assembly under strict latency budgets</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Develop systems that maintain performance and predictability under high load</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Optimise CPU, memory, and data access patterns in performance-critical paths</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Ensure reliability, observability, and predictability across production services</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Build well-tested systems with clear responsibilities and interaction contracts, while remaining flexible as architecture evolves</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Define and implement observability primitives, including structured logs, metrics, traces, and latency breakdowns</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Monitor throughput, latency, and resource usage, and drive improvements in performance and cost efficiency</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Collaborate with indexing and ML teams to integrate retrieval and ranking components, keeping ML logic decoupled from core system internals</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Support experimentation and iteration through controlled rollouts and rigorous benchmarking</li></ul>You may be a good fit if you:<ul class="[li&]:mb-0 [li&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3"><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Have 5+ years of experience as a software engineer working on production backend systems</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Have strong hands-on expertise in C++ or Rust in real-world, high-load services</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Have built and operated high-load, low-latency user-facing systems handling thousands of RPS under strict latency constraints</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Understand performance at a systems level — CPU, memory, networking, and data access</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Have operated your own code in production: deployed it, debugged incidents, and rolled back changes when necessary</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Think end-to-end about request flows rather than staying within isolated components</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Can balance correctness, latency, and development velocity, making pragmatic tradeoffs when scope or time requires</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Collaborate effectively across engineering, ML, and product teams, communicating clearly in cross-functional settings</li></ul>Strong candidates may also have experience with:<ul class="[li&]:mb-0 [li&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3"><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">DBMS internals (open source or SaaS) and cloud infrastructure</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">High-load web applications or large-scale APIs</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Performance-critical systems such as trading platforms or real-time data pipelines</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Low-level performance tuning and hardware-level optimisation</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Open-source contributions or active involvement in the engineering community</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Competitive programming or CTF participation</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">SHAD or similar advanced technical programmes</li><li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Conference talks or technical publications</li></ul>We conduct coding interviews as part of the process.<div class="content-conclusion">Benefits & Perks:<ul><li>Competitive compensation</li><li>Career growth and learning opportunities</li><li>Flexibility and ownership</li><li>Collaborative and innovative culture</li><li>Opportunity to work on impactful AI projects</li><li>International environment and talented teams</li></ul>What's it like to work at Nebius:Fast moving - Bold thinking - Constant growth - Meaningful impact - Trust and real ownership - Opportunity to shape the future of AI Equal Opportunity Statement:Nebius is an equal opportunity employer.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace and to providing equal employment opportunities in all aspects of employment.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.Applicants must be authorized to work in the country in which they apply and will be required to provide proof of employment eligibility as a condition of hire. If you need accommodations during the application process, please let us know.</div>

Which skills does this role require?

Machine LearningA/B Testing

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