About Weaviate

Weaviate is an AI startup with open source and creativity at its core. Our AI-native vector database uses machine learning to create meaningful insights from unstructured data in a completely new way. Named one of Forbes’ Top 50 AI startups, and with over a million monthly downloads, Weaviate is quickly growing in popularity with developers and enterprises alike.

Our team members work remotely across the globe with the flexibility to work from anywhere and at any time. Our people experience this as a massive benefit! Operating with a strong sense of ownership and collaboration, our teams prioritize results while empowering each individual to do their best work.

About this role

As a Senior Software Engineer at Weaviate, you’ll join a highly skilled team composed of highly experienced engineers, collaborating on our open-source vector database at the forefront of AI. You’ll have the opportunity to make deep technical contributions in distributed systems, low-level performance optimizations, database internals, vector and keyword indexing, and search.

This role offers a high degree of autonomy in a remote-first, async working environment, while giving you the chance to shape high-impact projects that directly advance the company’s goals. You’ll be part of the early growth stages of a fast-moving startup in the AI infrastructure space, where your work will help set the standard for how vector databases evolve.

This is what you’ll be doing

• Design, develop, and own a greenfield vector storage engine from the ground up in Go.

• Tackle challenging problems in distributed systems and latency-sensitive retrieval, optimizing for high throughput and low latency.

• Work with complex data structures, indexing systems, and database internals, driving low-level optimizations.

• Collaborate closely with Research, Product, Cloud Service, Platform, and SRE teams to deliver impactful solutions.

• Contribute to production operations, including observability (metrics, logging, alerting) and designing features with enterprise-scale operability in mind.

• Leverage Golang, Kubernetes, LLMs, and coding assistants in daily development.

• Build and extend integrations with embedding providers, ensuring seamless interoperability across the AI ecosystem.

• Take end-to-end ownership of projects, from design through delivery and long-term maintenance.

• Operate in a team culture that values autonomy, pragmatism, and effective processes - we stick with what works.

What we are looking for

• Proven experience as a Senior Software Engineer (or equivalent), ideally with deep expertise in databases, distributed systems, or high-performance infrastructure.

• Strong proficiency in Go, with the ability to write clean, maintainable, and performant code.

• Solid experience in designing and building production-grade distributed systems, covering topics including consensus, replication, partitioning, and fault tolerance.

• Experience with complex data structures, indexing, and performance optimizations for throughput and latency.

• Familiarity with Kubernetes and operating cloud-native systems at scale.

• Bonus: experience with LLMs, vector search, or AI/ML infrastructure.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a commitment to clear documentation for effective remote collaboration.

• A positive, motivated team player who thrives in a collaborative, senior-level environment.

• Demonstrated ownership and initiative, with the ability to proactively drive projects forward and anticipate challenges and opportunities.

• Comfortable collaborating across multiple functions (Research, Product, Cloud, Platform, SRE) and translating needs into technical solutions.

• Thrives in a remote-first, async environment where autonomy and accountability go hand-in-hand.

• Located in a timezone between Pacific Time (PT) and Brasília Time (BRT).

What we offer

• 100% Remote Work: Work from anywhere in the world where you can do your best work. Whether it’s your cozy home office, a co-working space, or a beachside café. Read more here.

• Flexible Time Off: We trust you to manage your time (off). Take the time you need to recharge, travel, or just enjoy life outside of work. Read more here.

• Competitive Pay & Equity: We offer compensation that reflects the value you bring to the team, along with the opportunity to share in our success through equity.

• Local Benefits:

  • US: Healthcare, dental, vision insurance, 401(k) employer matching.

  • Netherlands: Holiday allowance, pension plan.

  • Other countries: Benefits provided via our Employer of Record (EOR) partner, tailored to local standards and regulations.

• Tech stack: We provide you with a shiny new MacBook, and you’ll receive a stipend to upgrade your home office.

• Grow, Learn, and Collaborate: We provide a dedicated budget to help you sharpen your skills and grow your career. Work with a curious, collaborative, smart, and innovative (fun) team that encourages growth and impact.

Are you interested?

Have a look at this page to learn what you can expect from our interview process. Be aware that conducting a background check is part of our onboarding.

If you’re interested in Weaviate and this role, please apply through this vacancy. We’ll be in touch in response to your application. This way, we can ensure you have the best experience while allowing our team to focus on doing their best work.