Senior Search Engineer (Enterprise Search)

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

10h•Onsite

About The Position

Are you passionate about building high-quality search experiences that help users quickly find the information they need? Do you enjoy working hands-on with search technologies while also shaping architecture and guiding technical direction? If so, APL is seeking a Senior Search Engineer to help lead the design and evolution of their enterprise search capabilities. In this role, you will operate as a hands-on technical expert—designing, building, and improving search solutions across SharePoint, legacy systems, and modern platforms—while helping guide architecture, standards, and best practices.

Requirements

Possess a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field (or equivalent experience)
Have 6+ years of experience in software engineering or application development
Have strong experience working across the full software development lifecycle
Have hands-on experience with enterprise search platforms (e.g., SharePoint search or similar)
Demonstrate strong understanding of search fundamentals (indexing, ranking, relevance, metadata)
Have experience with web technologies (e.g., JavaScript, REST APIs, .NET or similar frameworks)
Have experience supporting and troubleshooting production systems
Are comfortable working both independently and collaboratively with engineering teams
Demonstrate strong problem-solving and communication skills
Are able to obtain Secret level security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

Have experience with Microsoft Search, or hybrid search architectures
Have exposure to modern search platforms (e.g., Elasticsearch, Solr, or similar)
Have experience improving search relevance and tuning ranking models in production systems
Have worked with metadata strategy, taxonomy design, and information architecture
Have experience modernizing or stabilizing legacy platforms
Have worked in environments with strong governance, security, or compliance requirements
Have exposure to emerging search approaches (e.g., semantic or vector-based search)

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and enhance enterprise search solutions across multiple platforms
Lead the technical design of search architecture, balancing long-term direction with practical implementation
Configure, administer, and tune enterprise search platforms, including SharePoint search
Improve search relevance, ranking, and overall user experience through iterative tuning and analysis
Define and implement metadata models, taxonomies, and managed properties