Software Engineering Manager, Search - Software Guidance & Assistance

Software Guidance & Assistance, Inc., (SGA), is searching for a Software Engineering Manager - Search for a Contract assignment with one of our premier Financial clients in Rockville, MD .

This role is Hybrid (2 days/week onsite).

The Software Engineering Manager, Search will lead a team responsible for developing, scaling, and optimizing search solutions and products within the organization. This includes building advanced search platforms that facilitate quick and accurate access to vast amounts of structured and unstructured data, supporting regulatory investigations, compliance checks, and operational decision-making.

This is a strategic leadership role that requires both deep technical expertise and strong leadership capabilities. You will work closely with cross-functional teams—including applied scientists, engineers, and product managers—to define and implement next-generation search technologies.

Responsibilities :

• Lead Search Technology Strategy: Develop and execute the long-term vision and technical roadmap for search infrastructure, ensuring alignment with both business and regulatory requirements. Stay ahead of emerging search technologies and trends to provide a start of the art experience to customers.
• Architect Scalable, High-Performance Search Systems: Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of search platforms capable of processing large volumes of structured and unstructured data. Ensure systems are efficient, fast, secure, and highly available, with an emphasis on real-time data retrieval.
• Drive Innovation: Incorporate advanced technologies such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), machine learning, semantic search, and AI into search solutions to improve search relevance, accuracy, and usability.
• Manage & Mentor Engineering Teams: Lead a high-performing team of engineers and data specialists, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Provide mentorship and career development to team members, encouraging technical excellence and personal growth.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with product management, applied scientists, compliance, and other business units to gather requirements, define product features, and ensure the successful delivery of search solutions. Serve as a technical advisor to internal stakeholders.
• Optimize Search Performance: Continuously monitor and improve the performance of search algorithms, query processing, and indexing. Identify and resolve bottlenecks, improve response times, and optimize search accuracy to ensure the best possible user experience.
• Ensure Security & Compliance: Work with security and compliance teams to ensure that search technologies comply with the regulatory standards and data privacy policies. Safeguard sensitive data and ensure proper auditing and logging mechanisms are in place.
• Implement Agile Development Practices: Champion the use of agile methodologies, driving sprint planning, and ensuring that development cycles remain efficient and aligned with our objectives. Foster an environment of continuous integration and automated testing.
• Reporting & Stakeholder Communication: Regularly update senior leadership on the status of key initiatives, technical challenges, and progress toward goals. Communicate effectively across teams to ensure transparency and alignment on priorities.

Required Skills:

• Experience: 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 3 years in a leadership or managerial role. Proven track record of developing enterprise-grade search systems or similar large-scale data-driven solutions. Experience in the financial services or highly regulated industries is a plus.
• Leadership Skills: Strong leadership abilities with a focus on empowering and mentoring engineering teams. Excellent at balancing technical depth with strategic vision, and capable of driving cross-functional collaboration.
• Technical Expertise: In-depth experience with search technologies such as Elasticsearch, Apache Solr, Apache Lucene, or other similar platforms. Expertise in query optimization, relevance tuning, full-text search, and indexing techniques.
• AI & Machine Learning: Strong background in applying machine learning, NLP, or semantic search techniques to improve search relevancy, personalization, and intelligence. Experience with advanced search algorithms and techniques (e.g., vector search, knowledge graphs) is a plus.
• Cloud & Distributed Systems: Proficiency in designing and deploying cloud-based systems (AWS, Azure, GCP). Strong understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and containerization (e.g., Kubernetes).
• Security & Compliance Knowledge: Understanding of security principles and regulatory requirements in a highly regulated environment. Experience with data privacy, compliance, and implementing security best practices in enterprise systems.
• Agile & DevOps: Experience with agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) and modern DevOps practices, including CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and infrastructure as code (IaC).
• Excellent Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Experience working with senior leadership and cross-functional teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Background in advanced search technologies such as knowledge graphs, vector search, or deep learning-based search.
• Contributions to the open-source search community or academic research in AI and search technologies.

SGA is a technology and resource solutions provider driven to stand out. We are a women-owned business. Our mission: to solve big IT problems with a more personal, boutique approach. Each year, we match consultants like you to more than 1,000 engagements. When we say let's work better together, we mean it. You'll join a diverse team built on these core values: customer service, employee development, and quality and integrity in everything we do. Be yourself, love what you do and find your passion at work. Please find us at https://sgainc.com/ .

SGA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of Race, Color, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Religion, National Origin, Disability, Veteran Status, Age, Marital Status, Pregnancy, Genetic Information, or Other Legally Protected Status. We are committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, and our services, programs, and activities. Please visit our company EEO page to request an accommodation or assistance regarding our policy.