Sr. Application Engineer, Automation Lead at Elastic

Elastic, the Search AI Company, enables everyone to find the answers they need in real time, using all their data, at scale — unleashing the potential of businesses and people. The Elastic Search AI Platform, used by more than 50% of the Fortune 500, brings together the precision of search and the intelligence of AI to enable everyone to accelerate the results that matter. By taking advantage of all structured and unstructured data — securing and protecting private information more effectively — Elastic’s complete, cloud-based solutions for search, security, and observability help organizations deliver on the promise of AI. What is The Role We're hiring an AI Forward Deployed Automation Engineer to lead AI agentic deployments and deliver real impact for our customers. This is a great opportunity to work at the intersection of engineering and customer success! In this role, you'll design and develop tailored solutions using the Elastic Agent Builder platform and related technologies, guide technical engagements, and support the growth of junior engineers. The work spans from concept through deployment, requiring strong problem-solving skills and a collaborative approach to delivering value in complex, real-world environments. What You Will Be Doing • Technical Delivery and Implementation: Own the end-to-end technical delivery of AI solutions, including writing code, configuring systems, and resolving issues, while reviewing the work of junior team members to ensure quality deployment and measurable business impact. • AI Solution Development: Take ownership of designing and implementing scalable production systems, including AI and Large Language Model (LLM) based intelligent agents and automated workflows built on the Salesforce platform. • Custom Agentic AI Engineering: Work directly with stakeholders to design and build custom intelligent agents using the Elastic Agent Builder platform, ensuring solutions meet unique business requirements and integrate smoothly with existing tool ecosystems. • Data Configuration and Integration: Own the full data lifecycle, from data model design to building efficient processing pipelines and establishing integration strategies. Ensure data is optimized and secure for AI applications, including in complex enterprise environments. • Technical Problem Solving: Identify, analyze, and resolve technical challenges across all phases of solution delivery, from data integration to model deployment and agent orchestration. Serve as a reliable resource for unblocking progress. • Agentic Innovation: Develop expertise in the Elastic platform, pushing its capabilities forward. Lead the development of custom intelligent agents, automate business processes, and shape user experiences. Insights from the field will directly influence product enhancements and platform direction. • Client Partnership: Embed with client teams to understand their operational challenges and goals. Translate requirements into clear technical designs, build strong relationships, and serve as a trusted technical advisor. • Debugging and Root Cause Analysis: Perform thorough analysis, debugging, and root cause identification for complex system interactions, data flows, and AI model behaviors to optimize performance and prevent recurring issues. • Prototyping and Iteration: Rapidly develop proofs-of-concept and minimum viable products, often coding alongside client teams to demonstrate capabilities and gather feedback for iterative refinement. • Engineering Best Practices: Apply and promote standards for code quality, scalability, security, and maintainability across all deployed solutions. What You Bring • At least 5 years' experience in a hands-on, end-to-end delivery role for scalable production solutions in a professional environment • Expert-level proficiency in one or more programming languages (e.g., JavaScript, Java, Python) • Extensive experience building and deploying solutions with AI/LLM technologies, including integrating LLMs, applying AI orchestration frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex), prompt engineering techniques, and agentic frameworks • Deep expertise in data modeling, processing, integration, and analytics, with proficiency in enterprise data platforms (e.g., Salesforce Data Cloud, Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery) • Strong collaboration, communication, and presentation skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical partners • Track record of leading technical engagements, mentoring junior team members, and taking responsibility for technical aspects of projects Bonus Points • Experience developing and deploying conversational AI solutions • Expert-level experience with Python in a professional setting • Prior experience in a solution engineering or technical lead role • Experience contributing to open-source AI frameworks or libraries Compensation for this role is in the form of base salary. This role does not have a variable compensation component. The typical starting salary range for new hires in this role is listed below. In select locations (including Seattle WA, Los Angeles CA, the San Francisco Bay Area CA, and the New York City Metro Area), an alternate range may apply as specified below. These ranges represent the lowest to highest salary we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the ranges may be modified in the future. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs. Elastic believes that employees should have the opportunity to share in the value that we create together for our shareholders. Therefore, in addition to cash compensation, this role is currently eligible to participate in Elastic's stock program. Our total rewards package also includes a company-matched 401k with dollar-for-dollar matching up to 6% of eligible earnings, along with a range of other benefits offered with a holistic emphasis on employee well-being. The typical starting salary range for this role is:$94,300—$149,200 USDThe typical starting salary range for this role in the select locations listed above is:$113,300—$179,200 USD Additional Information - We Take Care of Our People As a distributed company, diversity drives our identity. Whether you’re looking to launch a new career or grow an existing one, Elastic is the type of company where you can balance great work with great life. Your age is only a number. It doesn’t matter if you’re just out of college or your children are; we need you for what you can do. We strive to have parity of benefits across regions and while regulations differ from place to place, we believe taking care of our people is the right thing to do. • Competitive pay based on the work you do here and not your previous salary • Health coverage for you and your family in many locations • Ability to craft your calendar with flexible locations and schedules for many roles • Generous number of vacation days each year • Increase your impact - We match up to $2000 (or local currency equivalent) for financial donations and service • Up to 40 hours each year to use toward volunteer projects you love • Embracing parenthood with minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave Different people approach problems differently. We need that. Elastic is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance or regulation. We welcome individuals with disabilities and strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all individuals. To request an accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email [Upgrade to PRO to see contact]. We will reply to your request within 24 business hours of submission. 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