Ema is building the next generation of AI solutions to transform enterprise productivity by automating document-intensive workflows across industries. Whether it’s drafting custom documents, automating search and extraction, or enabling reasoning over complex document workflows (such as RFPs, prospectuses, or auditing processes), our AI-powered solutions are redefining how businesses approach repetitive tasks. Founded by seasoned leaders from Google, Coinbase, and Okta, Ema is a stealth-mode startup, backed by top-tier investors and based in Silicon Valley and Bangalore.
This is a high-leverage leadership role that spans architecture, execution, and org-building, and will shape the direction of our search platform for years to come. We are seeking a Head of Search → engineering leader to architect, scale, and own the core systems that power Ema’s Search platform. This role is especially critical to building and scaling:
Own the technical roadmap for Search at Ema → this includes
Core Search Platform
Integrations internally with other application teams
Integrations with partner teams
Open API specs to bring in the data into Ema
Set the roadmap for our Data Ingestion Platform – which enables Ema to securely ingest, transform, and index data from documents, spreadsheets, emails, and SaaS systems.
Our Application Integration Platform – which connects Ema to hundreds of third-party APIs, allowing our agents to act across CRMs, ITSMs, HRIS platforms, and more.
Design and scale our Search Platform, enabling structured and unstructured data to flow seamlessly into Ema for search, reasoning, and generation.
Own the architecture and implementation of Ema’s Search Index.
Drive and collaborate with the LLMOps infrastructure: influence on how 1000s of transforms can be developed by external folks as well.
Ensure platform support for diverse data formats (PDFs, spreadsheets, databases, charts, etc.) using PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, and other relevant tools.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
12+ years of experience in backend systems, lucene, elastic search, vector datastores, infrastructure and scale.
Knowledge of indexing strategies, inverted indexes, sharding/replication, and managing large document corpora.
Expertise in ranking algorithms (BM25, vector-based, hybrid).
Familiarity with relevance tuning, query understanding, and search result evaluation.
Proficiency with metrics (precision, recall, NDCG, MRR, etc.).
Proven experience in building the search infrastructure and scaling real-time systems on the search engine.
Deep understanding of knowledge search
Deep expertise in cloud-native architecture, containerized services, and microservice orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
Solid understanding of LLM-based pipelines, knowledge retrieval, and secure document processing.
Strong experience with data systems like PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, and Redis.
Work at the forefront of agentic AI systems—driving real enterprise transformation.
Own mission-critical platforms that make or break Ema’s capabilities.
Join an elite team of engineers, product thinkers, and AI researchers who value deep execution.
Help define the architectural, cultural, and operational DNA of a company set to define a new category.
High Bar on Quality – We value excellence and expect world-class execution.
Ownership & Accountability – We take full responsibility for our work and outcomes.
Impact-Driven Approach – We set ambitious goals and measure success through real-world impact.
Team Collaboration & Growth – We believe in continuous learning, knowledge sharing, and supporting each other.
No Hierarchy, Just Execution – Everyone is an individual contributor, focused on delivering results.
Join Ema and lead a team committed to delivering powerful, hands-on AI solutions that transform enterprise workflows.
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