Search Software Engineer

At Accenture Federal Services, nothing matters more than helping the US federal government make the nation stronger and safer and life better for people. Our 13,000+ people are united in a shared purpose to pursue the limitless potential of technology and ingenuity for clients across defense, national security, public safety, civilian, and military health organizations.

Join Accenture Federal Services, a technology company within global Accenture. Recognized as a Glassdoor Top 100 Best Place to Work, we offer a collaborative and caring community where you feel like you belong and are empowered to grow, learn and thrive through hands-on experience, certifications, industry training and more.

Join us to drive positive, lasting change that moves missions and the government forward!

Here's What You Need

• Search & Indexing Fundamentals:

• Hands-on experience with Lucene-based search platforms (Solr, OpenSearch, or Elasticsearch

• Understanding of index schemas/mappings: field types, stored vs. indexed, doc values, multi-valued fields

• Familiarity with text analysis pipelines: tokenizers, filters, analyzers (index-time vs. query-time)

• Ability to inspect an index directly - querying fields, checking term vectors, using analysis API

• Data & Transformation::

• Ability to trace raw source data through an ingestion pipeline into indexed fields

• Comfort reading structured/semi-structured data formats (XML, JSON)

• Understanding of data normalization and transformation patterns

• Query & Testing:

• Skill in crafting targeted test queries to expose behavioral differences

• Experience with structured or Boolean query languages (experience with custom parsers a plus)

• Ability to design and execute parity/regression test cases at multiple levels: index content, query results, ranking, facets, highlighting

• Development:

• Java proficiency — able to read, debug, and make targeted changes to Java codebases

• Familiarity with Maven or Gradle build systems

• AI-Assisted Analysis & Development:

• Proficiency using AI coding assistants (e.g. Claude Code) to investigate complex problems, generate hypotheses, and draft code changes

• Ability to formulate precise, context-rich prompts that produce actionable results from an AI assistant

• Comfort working in an AI-augmented development workflow: reading and critically evaluating AI-generated output before applying it

• Analysis & Communication:

• Ability to identify root cause of parity differences and attribute them to a specific layer (ingestion, schema, analyzer, query parser)

• Able to produce clear, actionable defect reports for developers

Would Be Nice To Have

• Experience with custom Lucene analyzers or codec plugins

• Python scripting (data inspection, test automation, reporting)

• Familiarity with OpenSearch REST API and index management

• Experience with SQLite or other lightweight databases for test result storage

• Search engine certifications (Elastic, OpenSearch)

• Experience with parallel/comparative testing frameworks

• Background in a domain with complex structured data (legal, scientific, patent, medical)

As required by local law, Accenture Federal Services provides reasonable ranges of compensation for hired roles based on labor costs in the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia . The base pay range for this position in these locations is shown below. Compensation for roles at Accenture Federal Services varies depending on a wide array of factors, including but not limited to office location, role, skill set, and level of experience. Accenture Federal Services offers a wide variety of benefits. You can find more information on benefits here. We accept applications on an on-going basis and there is no fixed deadline to apply.

The pay range for the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia is:

$109,500 — $194,700 USD

What We Believe

As a company wholly dedicated to serving the US federal government, we bring together the best talent to help reinvent how federal agencies operate and deliver greater value for their mission and the American people. We have an unwavering commitment to creating a culture in which all our people are respected, feel a sense of belonging, and have equal opportunity. As a business imperative, every person at Accenture Federal Services has the responsibility to create and sustain a culture where everyone feels welcomed and included. This is grounded in our core values and our experience that hiring and developing great people who reflect different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds is key to driving innovation and delivering the results that our clients and the country count on.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

We believe that no one should be discriminated against because of their differences. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law. Our rich diversity makes us more innovative, more competitive, and more creative, which helps us better serve our clients and our communities. For details, view a copy of the  Accenture Federal Services Equal Opportunity Policy Statement.

Accenture Federal Services is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Additionally, as an Affirmative Action Employer for Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities, Accenture Federal Services is committed to providing veteran employment opportunities to our service men and women.

Requesting An Accommodation

Accenture Federal Services is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities or religious observances, including reasonable accommodation when needed. If you are hired by Accenture Federal Services and require accommodation to perform the essential functions of your role, you will be asked to participate in our reasonable accommodation process. Accommodations made to facilitate the recruiting process are not a guarantee of future or continued accommodations once hired.

If you   are being considered for employment opportunities with Accenture Federal Services and need an accommodation for a disability or religious observance during the interview process or for the job you are interviewing for, please speak with your recruiter.

Other Employment Statements

Applicants for employment in the US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States.

Candidates who are currently employed by a client of Accenture Federal Services or an affiliated Accenture business may not be eligible for consideration.

Job candidates will not be obligated to disclose sealed or expunged records of conviction or arrest as part of the hiring process.

The Company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Additionally, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent