About Us Proofpoint is a global leader in human- and agent-centric cybersecurity. We protect how people, data, and AI agents connect across email, cloud, and collaboration tools. Over 80 of the Fortune 100, 10,000 large enterprises, and millions of smaller organizations trust Proofpoint to stop threats, prevent data loss, and build resilience across their people and AI workflows. Our mission is simple safeguard the digital world and empower people to work securely and confidently. Join us in our pursuit to defend data and protect people.

How We Work At Proofpoint you’ll be part of a global team that breaks barriers to redefine cybersecurity guided by our BRAVE core values

Bold in how we dream and innovate

Responsive to feedback, challenges and opportunities

Accountable for results and best in class outcomes

Visionary in future focused problem-solving

Exceptional in execution and impact

Software Engineering Intern (Summer, 10 weeks) — Semantic Search Application Features

Join our product engineering team to build end-user semantic search features that help investigators and reviewers find the right communications fast using embeddings + hybrid retrieval and modern UX patterns.

What you’ll do

• Implement semantic + hybrid search experiences (filters, facets, ranking, highlighting, “why this result”)
• Integrate the application with search services (vector DB / OpenSearch/Elasticsearch, rerankers, query services) via clean APIs
• Build workflows around results saved searches, collections, export, auditability, and performance tuning
• Add instrumentation for search quality and latency (telemetry, dashboards, error handling)

Required Skills

• Strong software engineering fundamentals; proficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript (and/or Java/Python depending on stack)
• Experience building **web application features**(API integration, state management, testing)
• Comfort with REST/gRPC, data modeling, and performance-minded development
• Familiarity with search concepts relevance, ranking, filters/facets (prior search experience a plus)

Nice to have

• Exposure to embeddings/RAG, vector databases (FAISS, Milvus, Pinecone), or OpenSearch/Elasticsearch
• UI/UX sensibility for search (result rendering, query suggestions, pagination/infinite scroll)
• Experience with observability tools (logs/metrics/tracing) and cloud deployment basics

Logistics

• 10-week summer internship**(location/on-site Toronto, Canada)
• Deliverable a working semantic search feature slice (UI + API integration) with quality/latency metrics and tests

Why Proofpoint? At Proofpoint, we believe that an exceptional career experience includes a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Here are just a few reasons you’ll love working with us

• Competitive compensation
• Comprehensive benefits
• Career success on your terms
• Flexible work environment
• Annual wellness and community outreach days
• Always on recognition for your contributions
• Global collaboration and networking opportunities

Our Culture Our culture is rooted in values that inspire belonging, empower purpose and drive success-every day, for everyone.

We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. If you need accommodation during the application or interview process, please reach out to accessibility@proofpoint.com.

How To Apply Interested? Submit your application along with any supporting information- we can’t wait to hear from you!