Staff Backend Engineer - Search FX (Discovery Experience)

About Faire

Faire is a technology-driven wholesale platform dedicated to empowering local businesses. We connect independent retailers globally, transforming a traditionally fragmented, offline wholesale market worth hundreds of billions through innovative technology, data insights, and machine learning. Our goal is to enable boutiques and local shops to discover and stock the best products worldwide, fostering community growth and business success.

Role Overview

The Search FX (Discovery) team operates where search, evaluation, and personalization converge, crafting how retailers find products. The mission is to build an intuitive and intelligent discovery experience that feels more like consulting a knowledgeable merchant than using a conventional search engine.

As a Staff Engineer for Search FX, you will lead the technical architecture of retailer-facing search features, steering the roadmap for search, recommendations, and generative AI efforts that significantly boost marketplace engagement. Your role bridges large-scale infrastructure with superior user experiences by integrating retrieval, ranking, and personalization into a seamless high-performance system.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and design of advanced search and discovery components, including composable grids, intent-aware routing, and orchestration layers that unify retrieval and ranking processes.
• Enhance query understanding by implementing large language models to consolidate and improve query processing, especially for complex or rare queries.
• Improve system scalability by expanding retrieval candidate capacity substantially (e.g., 10x) while maintaining strict low-latency performance standards.
• Develop AI-powered features such as "Search Missions," which employ offline pipelines and language models to recover failed searches by expanding query scope.
• Collaborate closely with client engineering teams to optimize search layout performance and developer experience using tools like SDUI and React Server Components.
• Own the reliability and observability of the entire search funnel, from planning to real-time monitoring.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 7 years’ experience in professional software engineering, including at least 3 years in a technical leadership role managing complex, cross-team projects.
• A product-focused mindset able to convert ambiguous business challenges into precise technical solutions.
• Experience collaborating with data science teams to deploy and refine machine learning and generative AI systems for search ranking and retrieval.
• Strong knowledge of search and query processing, familiar with traditional, semantic, and hybrid search methods, including tools like Elasticsearch and Lucene.
• Proficient in backend development using Kotlin or Java, with expertise in building high-performance systems, and familiarity with Protocol Buffers and MySQL databases.
• Demonstrated strategic leadership skills, capable of independently contributing to team strategy and influencing broader organizational directions.

Technology Stack

• Backend: Kotlin, Java 16, Hibernate, Guice, Jersey
• Search and Data Tools: Elasticsearch, FAISS, Redis, DynamoDB
• Communication Protocols: Protocol Buffers, HTTP, JSON
• Infrastructure: AWS, Kubernetes, Buildkite, Datadog

Compensation and Work Environment

The annual salary for this position ranges from 190,500 to 262,000 CAD. Additional compensation includes equity and benefits. The exact salary depends on factors such as transferable skills, experience, market demand, and primary work location. This range is subject to updates.

The company office is in Kitchener, Ontario, with a hybrid model currently requiring onsite presence 3 days per week. Remote work is permitted, with up to 4 weeks remote annually for hybrid roles.

Why Join Faire?

• Work on meaningful challenges impacting global customers with autonomy and clarity on your contributions.
• Access to cutting-edge AI tools and a supportive environment that promotes efficient and innovative work.
• Collaborate with knowledgeable, caring colleagues dedicated to excellence and your professional growth.
• Enjoy competitive pay, equity participation, and comprehensive benefits that support work-life balance.
• Be part of an inclusive culture ensuring equitable opportunities and growth for all employees.

Equal Opportunity & Accessibility

Faire is an equal opportunity employer, providing fair employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the hiring process for individuals with disabilities upon request.