---
title: 'Software Development Engineer III, Search at Mapbox'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/software-development-engineer-iii-search-mapbox-mapbox-ek03skvmtaeq'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-17'
---

# Software Development Engineer III, Search at Mapbox

- **Company:** [Mapbox](https://feeny.ai/companies/mapbox)
- **Location:** Mapbox, United States
- **Compensation:** $161k–$217k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-06-08
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-17
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/mapbox/f287033e-0b09-4f60-9b97-447b490757fb/application

**Skills:** C++, Python, Zstd, Delta update mechanisms, Memory management, Multi-threading, Systems-level programming, Data structures, Algorithmic efficiency, Binary data formats, Machine learning, Geospatial data analysis, Open-source contributions

> Design and optimize core search algorithms and data delivery systems for on-device execution in mobile and automotive environments. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate offline search capabilities, ensuring high performance under strict hardware constraints.

## Job description

Mapbox is the leading real-time location platform for a new generation of location-aware businesses. Mapbox is the only platform that equips organizations with the full set of tools to power the navigation of people, packages, and vehicles everywhere. More than 4 million registered developers have chosen Mapbox because of the platform’s flexibility, security and privacy compliance. Organizations use Mapbox applications, data, SDKs and APIs to create customized and immersive experiences that delight their customers.

## What We Do

The Search Box - Offline Search team is responsible for building a robust, high-performance search engine that empowers mobile and automotive customers to find places, addresses, and points of interest seamlessly, even in environments with zero network connectivity. We do this by engineering highly optimized on-device search algorithms, developing advanced data compression and efficient delta update mechanisms, and creating lightweight, scalable tile-based solutions that deliver low-latency results on constrained hardware. Our work ensures that users—from drivers navigating remote highways to mobile users in dense urban dead zones—experience a reliable, fast, and consistent search experience wherever they go. As AI becomes embedded in modern engineering workflows, we value engineers who can thoughtfully integrate AI into design, development, and decision-making. Our interview process will include discussion of how you use AI in your engineering workflow.

## What You'll Do

Joining us as a Software Engineer on the Offline Search team, you will play a critical role in bringing world-class search capabilities to embedded systems and mobile devices operating without network connectivity. You will bring your expertise in systems engineering and performance optimization to a passionate, cross-functional team focused on the automotive and mobile mapping space.

- Design, code, and optimize core search algorithms tailored for on-device execution, ensuring high-speed query resolution under strict CPU, memory, and storage constraints.
- Take ownership of complex offline data delivery systems, designing and implementing advanced tile compression techniques (e.g., Zstd) and efficient delta update pipelines to minimize payload sizes.
- Collaborate across multiple R&D and backend teams to seamlessly integrate data processing pipelines and ensure parity between our cloud and offline search products.
- Engage directly with trend-setting automotive OEMs in EU, US, Japan, and China, as well as suppliers like automotive Tier 1 companies and Mapping firms to understand hardware specifications, troubleshoot integration challenges, and align technical deliverables with their rollout schedules.
- Participate in an on-call rotation to ensure our systems remain available to customers 24/7. Team members alternate as the on-call primary responder, which may require immediate response outside normal working hours, including weekends.
- Collect and monitor deep system telemetry to evaluate performance tradeoffs (e.g., CPU utilization vs. query latency), establish baselines, and drive continuous architectural improvements.
- Play a key role in defining the technical roadmap, scoping complex features, and writing technical design documents for next-generation offline search capabilities.

What We Believe are Important Traits for This Role

- You are located in the Eastern Time Zone.
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
- Strong proficiency in C++ or Rust (our core engine languages), with a solid understanding of memory management, multi-threading, and systems-level programming.
- Experience with Python or other scripting languages commonly used for tooling, data processing, or test automation.
- Proven experience analyzing and optimizing code for performance-constrained environments, thoughtfully balancing tradeoffs between CPU utilization, memory consumption, and query latency.
- Familiarity with data structures, algorithmic efficiency, and binary data formats (experience with data compression like Zstd or delta update mechanisms is a strong plus).
- Strong analytical thinking and the ability to justify technical decisions using system telemetry and data.
- Meticulous attention to detail and a creative, resourceful approach to problem-solving.
- Excellent communication skills in English, with a proven ability to collaborate effectively across cross-functional engineering, product, and data teams.

## Nice to Have Traits for This Role

- Prior experience in the mapping, navigation, or automotive industry.
- Knowledge of machine learning techniques for geospatial data analysis.
- Contributions to open-source geospatial or data analysis projects.

## What We Value

In addition to [our core values](https://www.mapbox.com/about/values/), which are not unique to this position and are necessary for Mapbox leaders:

- We value high-performing creative individuals who dig into problems and opportunities.
- We believe in individuals being their whole selves at work. We commit to this through supportive health care, parental leave, flexibility for the things that come up in life, and innovating on how we think about supporting our people.
- We emphasize an environment of teaching and learning to equip employees with the tools needed to be successful in their function and the company.
- We strongly believe in the value of growing a diverse team and encourage people of all backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, abilities, and sexual orientations to apply.

## How We Support You

- Hybrid/Remote Options: Enjoy flexibility to work comfortably from home or periodically from an office where applicable.
- Comprehensive Healthcare: Private medical coverage for you and your dependents.
- Family-First Support: Generous maternity and paternity leave policies to support your growing family.
- Fertility & Family Building: Inclusive fertility support. Grow your family on your terms.
- Lifestyle Spending Account: Contributions to support your health, wellness, and personal growth.
- Balance & Brainpower: Mental health support for you and your dependents.
- Rest & Recharge: Flexible paid time away, company holidays, and generous absence policies.
- Time Off to Give Back: Dedicated paid volunteering time in addition to your standard PTO.
- Invest & Grow: Retirement plans with competitive matching.

Our annual base compensation for this role ranges from $194,650 - $263,350 for most US locations and 5% to 10% higher for US locations with a higher cost of labor. Job level and actual compensation will be decided based on factors including, but not limited to, individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process (including skills and prior relevant experience, potential impact, and scope of role), market demands, and specific work location. Please discuss your specific work location with your recruiter for more information. By applying for this position, you acknowledge that you have received the [Mapbox Non-US Privacy Notice](https://www.mapbox.com/legal/applicant-privacy-notice/) for applicants, which is linked here.  Completing this application requires you to provide personal data, such as your name and contact information, which is mandatory for Mapbox to process your application. We are committed to a fair and equitable hiring process. We do not discriminate against any protected class.

#LI-Remote

## About Mapbox

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Mapbox is a global location platform that provides maps, navigation, search, and real-time location data services to power experiences for developers, enterprises, and consumers.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Growth Stage)
- **Headquarters**: Washington, DC, USA (with offices in San Francisco, Helsinki, and Minsk)
- **Founded**: 2010
- **Founders**: Eric Gundersen, Mikel Maron, Alex Barth, Will White, Tom MacWright

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Location Technology / Geospatial Data / Developer Infrastructure
- Target customers: B2B and B2D (Developer-first) — serving logistics, delivery, automotive, retail, travel, manufacturing, and enterprise software companies
- Mission or purpose: To power navigation for people, packages, and vehicles everywhere. They equip innovators to keep up with a changing world through real-time data and map rendering technologies.

## Products & Services
- **Mapbox Maps**: A customizable, high-performance mapping platform offering a suite of APIs and SDKs for web and mobile applications, including vector tiles, static maps, and map design tools.
- **Mapbox Navigation**: Turn-by-turn navigation services for car, truck, and last-mile delivery, optimized for real-time traffic and routing.
- **Mapbox Search**: Geocoding and place search APIs that provide location intelligence and address autocomplete.
- **Mapbox Data**: A rich set of datasets including traffic data, points of interest (POI), and real-time location insights for analytics and planning.
- **Mapbox Unity SDK**: Tools for building immersive location-based experiences in games, AR/VR, and simulation.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (private company); Mapbox raised over $350M in equity funding. In 2020, its valuation was reported as approximately $1B.
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding — Over $370M raised from investors
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: SoftBank Vision Fund, Foundry Group, DFJ Growth, True Ventures, Glynn Capital, Atomico, and others. Strategic partners include the United Nations, World Bank, USAID, and Doctors Without Borders.
- **Growth Signals**: Headquartered in DC with offices in SF, Helsinki, and Minsk; serves millions of developers and enterprise customers globally; expanding into automotive, logistics, and IoT verticals. In October 2024, they launched new real-time data products for fleet management.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Developer-First Platform**: Serves a massive global developer community with a strong open-source ethos and extensive APIs/SDKs.
- **Customizability and Performance**: Unmatched ability for developers to style maps and control rendering, with low-latency vector tiles.
- **Real-Time Data Ecosystem**: Proprietary traffic, navigation, and location data that continuously updates, creating a data moat.
- **Strong Industry Partnerships**: Works with the UN, World Bank, and global enterprises, demonstrating trust and reliability beyond typical commercial use.

## Strategic Focus
- **Automotive & Logistics Growth**: Deepening integrations with automotive OEMs and delivery/logistics companies for real-time navigation and fleet management.
- **Real-Time Intelligence**: Expanding data products for real-time location analytics, traffic, and supply chain visibility.
- **Developer Ecosystem Expansion**: Investing in SDKs, Unity integrations, and developer tools to maintain community leadership.
- **Global Reach**: Scaling enterprise sales across non-US markets, especially Europe and Asia.

## Why Work Here
- **Remote-First Culture**: Mapbox embraces work flexibility; most roles are remote-friendly, and employees are free to work from home, offices, or even a national park with good WiFi.
- **Comprehensive Benefits**: Offers competitive compensation, equity, generous PTO, company-wide breaks, retirement programs, and comprehensive healthcare/mental health support.
- **Family Support**: Paid maternity, paternity, adoption, and family care leave.
- **Social Impact**: Over 30 hours of paid volunteer time annually and a donation-matching benefit. The team works on projects with NGOs and social impact organizations.
- **Engineering-Driven**: A builder culture with a focus on innovation, data-driven decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration.
- **Diverse and Inclusive**: Committed to DEI, with employee resource groups and policies promoting equity and inclusion.
- **Open Positions**: As of mid-2025, there were 77 open roles across multiple locations, including remote and hybrid options in the US, Helsinki, and Minsk.

## Sources
1. [mapbox.com/company](https://www.mapbox.com/company)
2. [mapbox.com/careers](https://www.mapbox.com/careers)
3. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/mapbox](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/mapbox)
4. [mapbox.com/company/culture](https://www.mapbox.com/company/culture)
5. [crunchbase.com/organization/mapbox](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mapbox)

## Other roles at Mapbox

- [Software Development Engineer II, Nav Native](https://feeny.ai/job/software-development-engineer-ii-nav-native-mapbox-finland-d38xf9ynz4gs) — Finland
- [Senior Director, People Operations & Total Rewards](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-people-operations-total-rewards-mapbox-mapbox-8bk9x85eas1a) — Mapbox, United States
- [Senior AI Engineer, Location AI](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ai-engineer-location-ai-mapbox-mapbox-8rgyngghb571) — Mapbox, United Kingdom
- [Senior AI Engineer, Location AI](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ai-engineer-location-ai-mapbox-mapbox-88tpfcd9zvta) — Mapbox, Germany
- [Security Engineer II](https://feeny.ai/job/security-engineer-ii-mapbox-helsinki-kewryqtny0fn) — Helsinki, Finland
- [RAVE I, Map Quality & Insights](https://feeny.ai/job/rave-i-map-quality-insights-mapbox-minsk-1thwfx24y9qb) — Minsk, Belarus
- [RAVE I (24/7), Feedback and Corrections (Road Closures)](https://feeny.ai/job/rave-i-24-7-feedback-and-corrections-road-closures-mapbox-minsk-wt9dnn3hkw43) — Minsk, Belarus
- [Documentation Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/documentation-engineer-mapbox-mapbox-086wgtmd0w42) — Mapbox, United States
- [Software Development Engineer II, Search](https://feeny.ai/job/software-development-engineer-ii-search-mapbox-mapbox-1xek5gxm8p5s) — Mapbox, United States
- [Head of Sales, Strategic Accounts](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-sales-strategic-accounts-mapbox-mapbox-2qzzbjd4r0k5) — Mapbox, United States