The Search Query team at MongoDB builds the core infrastructure behind MongoDB Search and Vector Search. Our mission is to make advanced search capabilities feel native to the database, so developers can build powerful, scalable applications without standing up separate systems or compromising transactional performance.
We are the team behind mongot, the indexing and query execution engine that powers Search and Vector Search across MongoDB Atlas and self-managed deployments. Our work sits at the intersection of distributed systems, databases, and search infrastructure. We integrate Apache Lucene with MongoDB using native query operators like $search and $vectorSearch, build asynchronous change-stream-driven indexing pipelines that scale independently from transactional workloads, and support deployments across cloud, on-prem, and hybrid environments. Engineers on this team own meaningful subsystems, influence architectural decisions, and work on core database technology used by developers globally.
We are looking to speak to candidates who are based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for our hybrid working model.
What You'll Do:This is a rare opportunity to set the technical direction for one of MongoDB's most strategic investments. You will harden our infrastructure by implementing advanced resource management, admission control, and system safeguards to ensure high availability. You’ll serve as a force multiplier for the Search and Vector teams, building the foundational tooling, observability, and safeguards needed to ship high performance systems at scale.
In this role, you will:- Own the cross-system data infrastructure layer for MongoDB's next-generation Search and Vector Search capabilities, carrying outcomes that span 6-18 months
- Define the technical roadmap for Atlas Search, identifying gaps, proposing solutions, and driving alignment across engineering teams globally
- Lead the architecture and evolution of the core mongot and MongoDB infrastructure, making durability, consistency, and scale decisions with conviction
- Drive complex, multi-team initiatives by building technical consensus, navigating ambiguity, and setting direction when there is no clean playbook
- Serve as a trusted technical partner to leadership on roadmap, architecture, and engineering process, advising rather than just informing
- Raise the technical ceiling of the team through mentoring, rigorous code review, and knowledge-sharing that creates leverage beyond your own output
- Standardize how engineering teams across the globe contract with one another, reducing coordination costs and increasing execution velocity at scale
- 8+ years of experience in data management systems or related distributed infrastructure
- Deep proficiency in modern programming languages and techniques, e.g., Java, Rust
- Demonstrable experience designing and operating distributed systems, cloud services, or SaaS products at scale
- The ability to reason about systems at the physical layer: data consistency, durability guarantees, concurrency, and failure modes in distributed environments
- A track record of operating at Staff or Principal scope: defining technical direction, resolving cross-team ambiguity, and personally championing initiatives from conception to delivery
- Experience designing or maintaining search platforms or distributed databases
- Experience building query engines or information retrieval systems
- Contributor to Lucene or other similar projects
Operational Architects. You understand the physical limits of the stack. You can articulate why a system breaks at 100x load, reason about the risks of a dual-write migration strategy, and make data consistency and durability decisions with conviction.
Scale-First Thinkers. You identify risks before they surface. You think in migration paths, failure modes, and second-order architectural consequences, not just implementation details.
Technical Force Multipliers. You create leverage across teams. You challenge requirements rather than execute them, set technical direction independently, and hold a high bar for architectural clarity whether you are mentoring a struggling engineer or reviewing a design with a principal.
Systems Intuitionists. You connect operational constraints to design decisions in concrete terms. You know why fsync matters. You know how atomic operations behave under contention. You have built systems where these things were not hypothetical.
About MongoDB:MongoDB is built for change, empowering our customers and our people to innovate at the speed of the market. We have redefined the database for the AI era, enabling innovators to create, transform, and disrupt industries with software. MongoDB’s unified database platform, the most widely available, globally distributed database on the market, helps organizations modernize legacy workloads, embrace innovation, and unleash AI. Our cloud-native platform, MongoDB Atlas, is the only globally distributed, multi-cloud database and is available across AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.
With offices worldwide and over 60,000 customers, including 75% of the Fortune 100 and AI-native startups, relying on MongoDB for their most important applications, we’re powering the next era of software.
Our compass at MongoDB is our Leadership Commitment, guiding how and why we make decisions, show up for each other, and win. It’s what makes us MongoDB.
To drive the personal growth and business impact of our employees, we’re committed to developing a supportive and enriching culture for everyone. From employee affinity groups, to fertility assistance and a generous parental leave policy, we value our employees’ wellbeing and want to support them along every step of their professional and personal journeys. Learn more about what it’s like to work at MongoDB, and help us make an impact on the world!
MongoDB is committed to providing any necessary accommodations for individuals with disabilities within our application and interview process. To request an accommodation due to a disability, please inform your recruiter.
MongoDB is an equal opportunities employer.
Req ID: 4263333185
Skills Required
- 8+ years of experience in data management systems or related distributed infrastructure
- Deep proficiency in modern programming languages and techniques
- Demonstrable experience designing and operating distributed systems
- Ability to reason about systems at the physical layer
- A track record operating at Staff or Principal scope
What the Team is Saying
MongoDB Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Parental & Family Support — Parental leave is substantial and fully paid for new parents, with additional paid flexibility to ease the return to work. Family‑building support reimburses eligible fertility, adoption, and surrogacy expenses up to a lifetime maximum in the U.S.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage includes multiple medical, dental, and vision options plus a One Medical membership for employees and dependents. Coverage extends to inclusive services such as gender‑affirmation care and dedicated menopause/low‑testosterone support, alongside mental‑health resources.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Flexible PTO and observed company holidays provide meaningful time away from work. Return‑to‑work flexibility following parental leave further broadens overall time‑off support.
MongoDB Insights
What We Do
The database market is big. How big? Well, according to IDC, it’ll reach $153 billion by 2027. And MongoDB is at the forefront of that innovation with thousands of customers across the globe. We empower developers and businesses to build and deploy the applications they want, wherever they want.
Why Work With Us
We are ambitious. We are passionate about creativity. And we believe the best paths are the ones we have yet to forge.
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Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
MongoDB provides multiple working model options for our employees, including the flexibility to work from home to opportunities for collaboration and social interaction in a MongoDB office.
