3M

Enterprise Search Tech Lead

3M$145K — $178K *
Enterprise Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field required.
  • Minimum 5 years search-related development experience required.
  • 7 years overall software engineering experience is necessary.
  • Experience with AWS OpenSearch or Elasticsearch is beneficial.
  • Strong foundation in search fundamentals is essential.

Responsibilities

  • Lead design and development of enterprise search solutions using AWS OpenSearch.
  • Own technical decisions across the search stack including ingestion pipelines and APIs.
  • Drive platform evolution to incorporate hybrid retrieval methods for advanced AI applications.
  • Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation for systems and architectures.
  • Mentor developers on the search engineering team while raising engineering standards.
  • Build and maintain data ingestion workflows and CI/CD pipelines using Airflow.
  • Troubleshoot search issues and monitor system health for cross-functional teams.

Benefits

  • Opportunity for innovation and collaboration with a global team.
  • Mentorship opportunities to develop leadership skills.
  • Access to modern tools and technologies within the enterprise search domain.
  • Comprehensive technical documentation practices.
  • Potential for career advancement within the enterprise technology landscape.
Full Job Description

Job Description:


Enterprise Search Tech Lead   

The Impact You’ll Make in this Role

As an enterprise search tech lead, you will have the opportunity to tap into your curiosity and collaborate with some of the most innovative people around the world. Here, you will make an impact by:

  • Leading design, development, and optimization of enterprise search solutions built on AWS OpenSearch to improve relevance, scalability, and AI-readiness across digital platforms.
  • Owning technical decisions across the full search stack: ingestion pipelines (Spring Boot/Batch, Kafka), search APIs, index design, and infrastructure-as-code.
  • Driving platform evolution toward hybrid retrieval (lexical + semantic/vector search) to support RAG, LLM grounding, and agentic AI use cases.
  • Creating and maintaining comprehensive technical documentation including C4 architecture models, system design diagrams, and operational runbooks.
  • Mentoring and leading developers on the search engineering team, conducting code reviews, and raising engineering standards.
  • Partnering with the domain architect on long-term strategy while independently executing complex platform changes.
  • Building and maintaining Airflow-orchestrated ingestion workflows, monitoring/alerting systems, and CI/CD pipelines.
  • Supporting cross-functional teams by troubleshooting search issues, monitoring system health, and partnering with consuming applications (product navigator, digital commerce, AI assistants).
  • Willingness to be on-call in the event of critical issues requiring timely resolution.

Your Skills and Expertise 
To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, information systems, or Technology field (completed and verified prior to start).
  • Five (5) years of search-related development experience in a private, public, government, or military environment.
  • Seven (7) years of overall software engineering experience in a private, public, government or military environment

Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:

  • Experience with AWS OpenSearch/Elasticsearch: index design, analyzers/tokenizers, synonyms, aggregations, relevance tuning, and performance optimization.
  • Experience with Java 17+, Spring Boot, Spring Batch, and multi-module Maven projects.
  • Experience with Kafka/MSK messaging — producers, consumers, and stream processing.
  • Experience with AWS services (S3, IAM, Lambda, MSK, ECS, CloudWatch, EFS).
  • Strong understanding of search fundamentals (BM25, relevance tuning, autocomplete, vector search).
  • Experience with embeddings, vector databases, or RAG pipelines for LLM applications.
  • Experience building and operating Airflow DAGs for data pipeline orchestration.
  • Experience modernizing legacy search platforms or migrating between search engine versions.
  • Familiarity with search analytics, A/B testing for ranking, and relevance measurement (NDCG, MRR)
  • Demonstrated ability to document complex systems — C4 model, architecture decision records, or equivalent.

Work location:

  • Work location: Maplewood, MN or Austin, Texas

Travel: May include up to 10% domestic/international

Relocation: May be authorized

Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).

About 3M

HighJump Software is a global provider of supply chain management software that streamlines the flow of inventory and information from supplier to store shelf. More than 4,500 customers worldwide have transformed their supply chains using HighJump Software. HighJump Software solutions for distribution and logistics, direct store delivery, trading partner connectivity, mobility and manufacturing include: warehouse management systems, transportation management systems, route accounting systems, manufacturing execution, mobile sales, ERP data collection and the TrueCommerce™ EDI Solutions Platform. Functionally rich and highly adaptable HighJump Software solutions support growing and evolving businesses in distribution, food and beverage, 3PL, retail, healthcare and consumer goods industries. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

3M Careers

Join the innovative world of 3M, a global powerhouse where your skills and passion can shape a brighter future. At 3M, we are committed to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion, where every team member is valued for their unique perspectives and contributions.

Work You’ll Do

At 3M, you’ll be part of a company known for its leadership in innovation and its commitment to enhancing every home and business worldwide. Our team at 3M is driving industry advancements in health care, safety, electronics, and more, making an impact where it matters most.

Explore Job Opportunities and Growth

Embark on a career path that empowers you to evolve with a company that’s at the forefront of creating real-world solutions. 3M offers a variety of job opportunities and employment positions, from internships that provide a stepping stone into the industry to full-time positions that challenge and grow your professional expertise.

Innovate and Lead

Join a team where innovation is at the core of everything we do. At 3M, you’ll work alongside leaders in various fields, utilizing cutting-edge technologies and processes to solve complex problems. Our leadership in the market is sustained by a relentless pursuit of new ideas and a drive for excellence.

Develop Your Professional Skills

3M is dedicated to the professional growth of its employees. With access to comprehensive training programs and leadership development opportunities, you can expand your skills and advance your career. Our commitment to professional development ensures that our team is equipped to lead industries and exceed expectations.

Benefits and Culture

Choosing a career at 3M means more than just having a job. It means you’re part of a supportive and inclusive culture that values innovative thinking and collaborative growth. Our benefits package is designed to support the diverse needs of our employees, providing health, wellness, and financial security for you and your family.

Networking and Career Advancement

At 3M, career advancement is supported by robust networking opportunities within the company. Engage with professionals across different sectors, enhancing your visibility and opening up new career paths. Our internal networking platforms help you connect with projects and teams that align with your career aspirations.

Join Our Team

Are you ready to make a meaningful impact? Explore the employment opportunities at 3M by searching our open positions that match your skills and interests. We are looking for passionate, curious, and innovative team players who are ready to drive change.

Stay Connected

Keep up to date with the latest at 3M by following our careers blog. Gain insights from the people who work here and learn how you can bring your career to the next level with 3M.

Prepare for Your Interview

Make your mark from the first interview. Access resources to polish your resume, sharpen your interview skills, and present your best self to our hiring teams. At 3M, we’re excited to meet the next generation of innovators and leaders.

Diversity and Inclusion

At 3M, we believe that diversity fuels innovation. Our diversity training programs are designed to foster an inclusive environment that respects and values individual differences. We are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the global communities we serve. Join 3M today and be a part of our mission to improve lives and build sustainable futures.
Learn more about 3M
Size
95,000 employees
Market Cap
$67.2 billion
Industry
Net Income
$5.3 billion
Founded
1902
5 Year Trend
+3.3%
Revenue
$32.1 billion
NASDAQ

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