Quizlet · 1 month ago
Staff Software Engineer - Search & Discovery
San Francisco, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Lead/Staff
$221K/yr - $268K/yr
8+ years expQuizlet is a $1B+ learning platform dedicated to enhancing the learning experience through AI-powered tools. The Staff Software Engineer will focus on improving systems, collaborating with teams to build scalable applications, and mentoring engineers to foster a culture of excellence.
E-LearningEdTechEducationInternetKnowledge Management
Responsibilities
Drive the evolution of our systems by identifying areas for improvement, setting technical direction, and leading architectural decisions to align with business objectives
Work closely with engineering, product, and infrastructure teams to build robust, scalable applications
Act as a technical mentor by guiding engineers in system design, best practices, and career growth, while fostering a culture of collaboration and learning
Lead by example in writing clean, efficient, and well-documented code
Shape the strategy for our search infrastructure, driving innovations in indexing, query performance, and scalability to support business needs
Facilitate knowledge-sharing sessions, tech talks, and code reviews to elevate engineering excellence
Qualification
Required
8+ years of experience in software engineering, with a track record of delivering reliable and scalable systems
Deep expertise in distributed systems and data-intensive architectures, with strong fundamentals in system design, performance optimization, and debugging at scale
Proficiency in modern backend languages (e.g., Go, PHP, Python) and experience building robust APIs and server-side logic
Strong knowledge of relational databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL) and experience with schema design, indexing, and query performance tuning
Interest and experience in search infrastructure, you're excited to design, scale, and operate the systems that power search and discovery for millions of users
You have (or are eager to build) expertise in technologies such as Elasticsearch or Solr/ OpenSearch, and understand concepts like indexing strategies, query optimization, sharding, replication, and caching
You approach search infrastructure with a performance mindset—comfortable with load testing, benchmarking, and failure simulations to ensure scalability and reliability
Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts clearly
Preferred
Hands-on experience with Kubernetes, Terraform, ArgoCD, GitHub Actions, or similar tooling
Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (Google Cloud, AWS, etc.) and modern DevOps practices
Experience working with vector-based search applications
Experience building or integrating Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) applications
Understanding of mobile app architecture or experience optimizing APIs for mobile clients
Benefits
20 vacation days that we expect you to take!
Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance (100% employee and 75% dependent PPO, Dental, VSP Choice)
Employer-sponsored 401(k) plan with company match
Access to LinkedIn Learning and other resources to support professional growth
Paid Family Leave, FSA, HSA, Commuter benefits, and Wellness benefits
40 hours of annual paid time off to participate in volunteer programs of choice
Company
Quizlet
Quizlet is a learning platform that uses activities and games to help students practice and master what they’re learning.
201-500 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Quizlet has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (12)
2024 (10)
2023 (7)
2022 (9)
2021 (1)
2020 (8)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$62MKey Investors
General AtlanticIcon Ventures
2020-05-13Series C· $30M
2018-02-06Series B· $20M
2015-11-23Series A· $12M
Leadership Team
Kurt Beidler
Chief Executive Officer
David Margulius
Board Member and Co-Founder
Recent News
2025-10-31
South Africa Today
2025-09-12
Mark Cuban Foundation
2025-09-09
Company data provided by crunchbase