Senior Software Engineer, Search & AI

About Muck Rack

Muck Rack is a trusted platform utilized by thousands of organizations worldwide to monitor the presence of their brands in news, social media, and AI-generated content. Our AI-driven solution integrates the entire communications workflow, enabling teams to maintain media relationships, comprehend conversations influencing their brands, initiate actions, and measure impact. Being a founder-led, profitable, and sustainable company allows us freedom to innovate, prioritize customers, and foster a culture inclusive of diverse perspectives.

Role Overview

We are seeking a proactive and collaborative Senior Software Engineer specializing in Search & AI to join our expanding team. This role involves designing and enhancing user-facing search functionalities and the backend systems supporting them. The focus is full-stack with a tilt towards frontend development, working closely with engineering, product, and design teams to craft engaging and dependable search experiences.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of search functionalities and workflows spanning frontend and backend, from planning to deployment.
• Create AI-enabled product functionalities, managing services and user interfaces that ensure usability and trustworthiness.
• Develop responsive and intuitive user interfaces using Vue.js, alongside contributing to backend Python and Django services.
• Engineer and optimize search, indexing, and retrieval frameworks to facilitate high-quality content discovery amid extensive datasets.
• Manage and enhance features and data processes utilizing tools like Elasticsearch, Kafka, Celery, and MySQL.
• Make informed technical decisions balancing user experience, delivery timelines, performance, reliability, and maintainability.
• Collaborate closely with Product, Design, and engineering colleagues to refine solutions, clarify requirements, and deliver outstanding user outcomes.
• Diagnose and resolve intricate production issues, improving system performance, reliability, observability, and maintainability.
• Engage in on-call and incident management duties to aid in identifying and mitigating production problems and enhancing system stability.

Essential Qualifications

• At least 5 years of professional software engineering experience in production environments.
• Demonstrated capability to manage both frontend and backend development independently and deliver comprehensive features.
• Proficiency in Python or a similar language, with experience in Django or analogous web frameworks.
• Experience creating polished, maintainable user-facing applications using Vue.js or other modern JavaScript frameworks.
• Familiarity with Elasticsearch or equivalent search platforms, or extensive experience in working with data-centric systems.
• Ability to make well-considered technical trade-offs in complex production environments balancing urgency with quality.
• Experience in troubleshooting production environments and enhancing operational health and system reliability.
• Experience maintaining large TypeScript codebases.
• Familiarity with design systems or component libraries.
• Willingness to accommodate work schedule overlaps with US-based colleagues.

Additional Desired Attributes

• Experience with Kafka or other event-driven streaming technologies.
• Knowledge of MySQL, Postgres, or similar relational databases.
• Experience with Celery or asynchronous task processing systems.
• Background in developing search, discovery, indexing, or information retrieval functionalities.
• Skills in improving frontend architecture, performance, or complex user workflows.
• Experience with high-traffic SaaS platforms or large-scale data processing systems.
• Exposure to customer-facing AI features powered by large language models or similar AI technologies.
• Ability to evaluate AI-driven features through testing, evaluation, or user insights.
• Interest in journalism, media, or social media sectors.

Professional Traits

• Clear communication of complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Independent ownership of tasks with effective collaboration when necessary.
• Commitment to developing readable, testable, and maintainable code with pragmatic approaches.
• Methodical problem-solving with sound judgement in ambiguous scenarios.
• Contribution to a strong engineering culture via code reviews, knowledge sharing, feedback, and continuous improvement.
• Use of AI tools to enhance work efficiency and speed of delivery.

Interview Process

• 30-minute discussion with Talent Team representative.
• One-hour interview with the hiring manager.
• Peer interviews with multiple team members.
• 30-minute session with a Bar Raiser.

Travel and Engagement

The role expects up to 10% travel to facilitate team collaboration, client meetings, and company events, including attendance at the annual corporate offsite.

Compensation and Benefits

• The salary range for Ireland is approximately €95,000 to €110,000 per annum, dependent on experience.
• In Bulgaria, expected compensation starts at €6,000 gross per month, based on experience.
• Geo-neutral competitive pay for U.S.-based employees.
• Annual salary reviews to ensure fairness and market alignment.
• Standardized bonus or commission structures, 401(k) with employer contributions, and equity opportunities.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance coverage for employees and their dependents, with 100% premium coverage for high-deductible plans.
• 24/7 virtual healthcare and Employee Assistance Programs.
• Employer-funded Health Savings Account contributions and additional pre-tax benefits.
• Quarterly wellness stipends and complimentary subscriptions to mental health applications.
• Generous paid time off including over 4 weeks PTO plus sick and mental health days, paid holidays with flexibility to swap for personal days, and up to 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
• Learning and development opportunities: transparent career pathways, biannual performance reviews, workshops, leadership training, unlimited access to online educational platforms, and extra PTO for learning.
• An inclusive, customer-centric culture valuing equity and diversity, fostered within a founder-led, agile environment.

Additional Information

Note that benefits and compensation details are specific to U.S. employees, with localized support for others. Employment restrictions apply regarding location based on job function. The company maintains strict policies against unsolicited resumes and is vigilant against recruitment scams, with official communications only from company domains.