Principal analyst

Job Summary:

The Data and Innovation team is seeking a Retrieval Strategist to serve as product manager and technical strategist for our search and content retrieval capabilities. In this role, you will lead the evolution of search infrastructure to support both traditional keyword-based search and modern AI-powered retrieval patterns including RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), MCP servers, and conversational search agents. You will be responsible for defining how search capabilities must adapt to effectively serve AI applications while maintaining excellence in traditional search use cases. This role requires deep software engineering expertise, particularly in search engineering, combined with product management skills to drive the team's roadmap and prioritize initiatives. You will focus heavily on retrieval quality, establishing processes and metrics to monitor performance and rapidly address issues, while also researching emerging technologies like vector search and hybrid search approaches to inform the team's strategic direction.

At Red Hat, our commitment to open source innovation extends beyond our products - it’s embedded in how we work and grow. Red Hatters embrace change – especially in our fast-moving technological landscape – and have a strong growth mindset. That's why we encourage our teams to proactively, thoughtfully, and ethically use AI to simplify their workflows, cut complexity, and boost efficiency. This empowers our associates to focus on higher-impact work, creating smart, more innovative solutions that solve our customers' most pressing challenges.

What you will do:

• Serve as product manager for the search and content retrieval team, defining roadmap, priorities, and success metrics

• Develop and implement retrieval quality frameworks, including monitoring, testing, and rapid issue resolution processes

• Define technical strategy for supporting AI applications, including RAG pipelines, MCP server integrations, and conversational search interfaces

• Research and experiment with emerging retrieval technologies including vector search, hybrid search, semantic search, and embedding-based approaches

• Collaborate with AI/ML teams to understand retrieval requirements for AI agents and ensure search infrastructure meets their needs

• Work with content management teams to optimize content indexing, metadata, and structure for improved retrieval quality

• Establish performance benchmarks and quality metrics for both traditional and AI-powered retrieval use cases

• Lead proof-of-concept projects to validate new retrieval approaches and technologies

• Provide technical guidance to the search engineering team on architecture and implementation decisions

• Partner with application teams to integrate search capabilities and gather feedback on retrieval quality

• Stay current with industry trends in information retrieval, search technologies, and AI-powered content discovery

• Create documentation and best practices for search integration patterns and optimization techniques

• Analyze search usage patterns and quality metrics to identify opportunities for improvement

What you will bring:

• 8+ years of software engineering experience with significant focus on search engineering and information retrieval

• Deep expertise in search technologies such as Elasticsearch, Solr, or similar platforms

• Strong understanding of search algorithms, relevance ranking, and query processing techniques

• Experience with vector databases and embedding-based search approaches (e.g., FAISS, Pinecone, Weaviate)

• Knowledge of RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architectures and their application to AI systems

• Familiarity with natural language processing and semantic search concepts

• Product management experience or demonstrated ability to manage roadmaps and drive technical initiatives

• Strong programming skills in languages such as Python, Java, or similar

• Experience implementing search quality metrics and monitoring systems

• Understanding of distributed systems and scalability challenges in search infrastructure

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with data-driven decision-making approach

• Strong communication skills with ability to explain technical concepts to varied audiences

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or related technical discipline; advanced degree preferred

The following are considered a plus:

• Experience with machine learning and LLM-based applications

• Knowledge of content management systems and document processing pipelines

• Experience with A/B testing and experimentation frameworks for search optimization

#LI-JS1

#AI-HIRING

The salary range for this position is $106,910.00 - $176,470.00. Actual offer will be based on your qualifications.

Pay Transparency

Red Hat determines compensation based on several factors including but not limited to job location, experience, applicable skills and training, external market value, and internal pay equity. Annual salary is one component of Red Hat’s compensation package. This position may also be eligible for bonus, commission, and/or equity. For positions with Remote-US locations, the actual salary range for the position may differ based on location but will be commensurate with job duties and relevant work experience.

About Red Hat

Red Hat

is the world’s leading provider of enterprise

open source

software solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver high-performing Linux, cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Spread across 40+ countries, our associates work flexibly across work environments, from in-office, to office-flex, to fully remote, depending on the requirements of their role. Red Hatters are encouraged to bring their best ideas, no matter their title or tenure. We're a leader in open source because of our open and inclusive environment. We hire creative, passionate people ready to contribute their ideas, help solve complex problems, and make an impact.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Flexible Spending Account - healthcare and dependent care
• Health Savings Account - high deductible medical plan
• Retirement 401(k) with employer match
• Paid time off and holidays
• Paid parental leave plans for all new parents
• Leave benefits including disability, paid family medical leave, and paid military leave
• Additional benefits including employee stock purchase plan, family planning reimbursement, tuition reimbursement, transportation expense account, employee assistance program, and more!

Note: These benefits are only applicable to full time, permanent associates at Red Hat located in the United States.

Inclusion at Red Hat
Red Hat’s culture is built on the open source principles of transparency, collaboration, and inclusion, where the best ideas can come from anywhere and anyone. When this is realized, it empowers people from different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to come together to share ideas, challenge the status quo, and drive innovation. Our aspiration is that everyone experiences this culture with equal opportunity and access, and that all voices are not only heard but also celebrated. We hope you will join our celebration, and we welcome and encourage applicants from all the beautiful dimensions that compose our global village.

Equal Opportunity Policy (EEO)
Red Hat is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer. We review applications for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, veteran status, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Red Hat does not seek or accept unsolicited resumes or CVs from recruitment agencies. We are not responsible for, and will not pay, any fees, commissions, or any other payment related to unsolicited resumes or CVs except as required in a written contract between Red Hat and the recruitment agency or party requesting payment of a fee.

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