Software Engineer

Who We Are; What We Do; Where We’re Going

Magnet Forensics is a global leader in the development of digital investigative software that acquires, analyzes, and shares evidence from computers, smartphones, tablets, and IoT-related devices. We are continually innovating so our customers can deploy advanced and effective tools to protect their companies, communities, and countries.

Serving over 4,000 customers in over 100 countries, our solutions are playing a crucial role in modernizing digital investigations, helping investigators fight crime, protect assets, and guard national security.

With employees based around the world, Magnet Forensics has been expanding our global presence with offices in Waterloo and Ottawa, Canada; Atlanta, GA, Herndon, VA, Westminster, CO; and Singapore. As a part of Magnet Forensics, you can expect to make a difference in the world, no matter what role you play. You’ll be supported through learning and development, not to mention an incredible team with unbelievable talent and integrity.

If you think you would be the right person to join our team working towards this goal, we would love to hear from you! 

About the Role

Magnet Forensics is on the lookout for a Software Engineer to help us in designing, building, and optimizing our AI-powered search capabilities. Working alongside our Technical Leads, you will design and improve search functionality that will surface critical leads and insights for forensic investigators, ensuring that search results are accurate, fast, and meaningful. You will work closely with AI Research, Product, User Experience, and Engineering to develop scalable, high-performance search solutions.

The ideal candidate can provide technical expertise in search systems, evaluate trade-offs, drive best practices, deploy and scale search infrastructure, and integrate state-of-the-art search methodologies to enhance our AI-driven systems. You will have the autonomy to define and evolve search infrastructure, balancing best practices with innovative solutions for digital forensics workflows.

NOTE: This Candidate must reside in Canada.

Why This Role?

You’ll have the ability to immerse yourself in our AI-powered search stack, gaining a deep understanding of our current search infrastructure, user workflows, and key challenges. Early on, you’ll analyze search performance and system scalability, identifying areas for improvement. As you ramp up, you’ll collaborate with the team to design and implement targeted search optimizations. Whether it’s refining ranking algorithms, improving query execution, or iterating on AI-driven retrieval techniques, you’ll contribute meaningfully to enhancing our search results. By the end of your first three months, you’ll have taken ownership of a critical search initiative, delivering measurable improvements and setting the foundation for future iterations.

Responsibilities:

• Design and develop AI-powered search solutions, optimizing retrieval effectiveness, relevance ranking, and performance at scale.
• Build the search infrastructure, ensuring scalability, fault tolerance, and efficiency in large-scale digital forensics data processing.
• Collaborate with AI Research to integrate advanced natural language search, query personalization, embedding-based retrieval, graphs-based retrieval, and other techniques into our systems.
• Introduce and refine relevance tuning techniques, leveraging feedback loops, query understanding, and user behavior insights.
• Optimize indexing, query execution, and ranking algorithms, balancing accuracy, speed, and resource efficiency.
• Evaluate, deploy, and scale best-in-class search technologies, identifying gaps in current approaches and driving innovation.
• Work cross-functionally with Product and UX to understand user needs, ensuring search capabilities align with investigative workflows.
• Travel: 5%.

Qualifications:

• Experience working with search infrastructure and related technologies (eg, Elasticsearch, Solr, Lucene, etc.).
• Knowledge of distributed systems and search scaling strategies, including index partitioning, caching, query optimization, and observability.
• Strong programming, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with a data-driven approach to evaluating search performance. (Python and C# are our core languages but are not required!)
• Naturally curious and willing to learn. Comfortable in navigating ambiguity and fast-changing environments.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally and communicate complex domains effectively to your team and other stakeholders.
• 3+ years of industry experience using technology/machine learning to solve real-world problems.
• Bachelor’s degree in a Computer Science related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Great to Haves:

• Experience with AI search enhancements including RAG, agentic search, natural language search, and graph-based search (eg, Neo4j, Pinecone, LangChain, etc.).
• Experience working with cloud-native architectures (eg, AWS or Azure), event streams, and real-time event processing.

Compensation & Benefits:

• The Compensation Range is for the primary location for which the job is posted. Please note that the actual compensation may vary depending on location and job-related factors such as qualifications, experience, knowledge and skills. If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location and you are selected for an interview, the Talent Acquisition Partner can share more information with you. If the compensation structure for the role includes an incentive component (ie. most Sales roles) the range below represents total target compensation (TTC) (base salary + variable).




Compensation Range:

• MIN: $87,200 - MID: $109,000 - MAX: $130,800 CAD

Magnet Forensics is proud to offer Benefits such as:

• Generous Time Off Policies;
• Competitive Compensation;
• Volunteer Opportunities;
• Reward and Recognition Programs; 
• Employee Committees & Resource Groups;
• Healthcare and Retirement Benefits. 

The Most Important Thing

We’re looking for candidates that can provide examples of how they have demonstrated Magnet CODE in their previous experiences:

CARE – We care about each other and our mission to make a difference in the world.

OWN – We are accountable for our results – while never forgetting to act with integrity, empathy, and respect.

DEDICATE – We put our heart and soul into meeting the needs of our customers and helping them serve the people they protect.

EVOLVE – We are constantly innovating and exploring new ways to work together to make an impact with our work.

Here at Magnet Forensics, we are committed to continuous learning and are focused on building a diverse and inclusive workforce. This commitment will be reflected in our hiring processes and embedded in our values and how we treat one another. If you’re interested in this role, but do not meet all of the qualifications listed above, we encourage you to apply anyways.

Magnet Forensics is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics or any other basis forbidden under federal, provincial, or local law. We are committed to providing an inclusive, accessible recruitment process and work environment. Accommodation is available to all applicants upon request throughout the hiring process. Please contact [email protected] should you require any accommodations.

All offers of employment at Magnet are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background check. All background checks will be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws. Magnet will consider each position’s job duties, among other factors, in determining what constitutes satisfactory completion of the background check. Refusal to consent to a background check may be grounds for revoking an offer of employment.

US Applicants: Magnet Forensics participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.