Staff Software Engineer - Search

Be essential at Cars Commerce

At Cars Commerce, we’re fanatical about simplifying everything about car buying and selling. We do right by our customers and consumers to better connect the industry with simplified and tierless technology to enhance, measure and drive local automotive retail. Whether through our No.1 most recognized marketplace, Cars.com, our industry-leading digital experience, Dealer Inspire, our trade and appraisal technology, AccuTrade, or our new Cars Commerce Media Network, Cars Commerce is essential for success in the automotive industry.  

No one ever travels alone here: at its core, Cars Commerce is collaboration. In fact, it’s built into the very fabric of our shared values. We like to say we Rise Together – putting people at the center of what we do, from consumer to customer to community. Life at Cars Commerce makes it easy when we share the ethos to be Open to All, encouraging open-minded communication because we know diverse thinking yields better outcomes. But critical to our success is Caring to Challenge and Taking Ownership, fueling a competitive spirit in a respectful environment where we think about tomorrow but act today. At our foundation, we have integrity, Doing the Right Thing, even when it’s hard. It’s our shared commitment to these values that makes Cars Commerce a place where growth becomes not only possible, but downright unavoidable.

But don’t take our word for it. As a U.S. News & World Report Best Company to Work For in 2024, we're obsessive about the employee experience. We are among the top 20% being declared “Best” of our industry based on six critical factors that are important to employee wellbeing, like quality of pay, benefits, work life balance and more.

Why us?

At Cars Commerce, we’re all about driving the perfect match. Whether it’s helping shoppers find their dream car, empowering dealerships or OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacture) to connect with the right buyers, or guiding job seekers to the next big opportunity—our mission starts with people and ends with powerful results. We’re proud to be the tech engine behind leading brands like Cars.com, Dealer Inspire, and AccuTrade, transforming how the world buys and sells cars.

We thrive on openness, innovation, collaboration, and the freedom to try bold software engineering ideas. At our core, we’re a team of builders, problem-solvers, and lifelong learners—focused on making meaningful impact at scale. If this aligns with you, let's explore!

Why now?

Right now is an exciting time to join our Search Team. We’re growing and evolving with major modernization efforts, rebuilding our search engine with cutting-edge tech and integrating it with next-gen AI capabilities. If you love building clean, scalable APIs, solving tough problems, and driving innovation from the ground up—this role is for you!

We're seeking a highly skilled and motivated senior level 'Staff Software Engineer' to help us redefine our search capabilities within our listings marketplace. In this role you will be instrumental in designing, developing, and scaling our next-generation search platform. This is an exciting opportunity to own significant technical challenges, drive architectural decisions, and mentor other engineers within a dynamic and growing team.

What You'll Do:

• Lead the technical vision and execution for our consumer-facing search capabilities within our listings marketplace.

• Design, develop, and maintain robust and scalable search infrastructure utilizing frameworks like OpenSearch, ElasticSearch, or Solr.

• Write high-performance and reliable backend services utilizing any of the popular programing  languages (prefer Elixir, NodeJS, or Python)

• Develop and implement GraphQL APIs to efficiently serve content to our front-end applications.

• Contribute to the architecture and implementation of server-driven UI strategies to deliver flexible and dynamic search interfaces.

• Explore and integrate agentic AI technologies to enhance search relevance, personalization, and intelligent recommendations.

• Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and other engineers to define and deliver impactful search features.

• Ensure the performance, reliability, and security of the search platform.

• Contribute to code reviews, technical documentation, and knowledge sharing within the team.

• Mentor and guide junior engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence.

• Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and advancements in search technologies, backend development, and AI.

What You'll Bring:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• 10+ years of professional software development experience, with a significant focus on backend systems.

• Experience being a technical leader in a 100% remote environment, influencing stakeholders across design, engineering, and technology, both within your own organization and across an enterprise.

• Deep expertise in designing, implementing, and scaling search solutions, preferably with OpenSearch (or Elasticsearch).

• Strong proficiency in any programming languages or another functional programming language (e.g., Erlang, Haskell) or a willingness to learn Elixir quickly.

• Experience designing and implementing GraphQL APIs.

• Familiarity with server-driven UI concepts and implementation approaches.

• A strong interest in and understanding of agentic AI and its potential applications in search.

• Experience with AWS cloud platforms.

• Solid understanding of software engineering best practices, including testing, CI/CD

• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills.

• A proactive and ownership-oriented mindset.

Bonus:

• Experience with Machine Learning (ML)  and Natural Language Processing  (NLP) techniques relevant to search.

• Contributions to open-source projects.

• Experience with performance tuning and optimization of large-scale distributed systems.

• Familiarity with front-end technologies (e.g., React, Redux, Android, iOS, etc)

Our Comprehensive Benefits Package includes:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Healthcare Plans
• New Hire Stipend for Home Office Set-Up
• Generous PTO
• Refuel - a service based recognition program where employees receive additional paid time away to learn grow and reset
• Paid Holidays, Floating Holiday, Volunteer Day, Recharge Day

Learn more about our Benefits, Perks, & Culture on our LinkedIn Life Pages!

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. California Applicants: Click here to review our California Privacy Policy for Applicants. For current employees, please click here to review our California Privacy Policy for Employees.