diff --git a/app/Enums/ExperienceLevel.php b/app/Enums/ExperienceLevel.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..60c0020
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Enums/ExperienceLevel.php
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Enums;
+
+enum ExperienceLevel: string
+{
+    case Entry  = 'entry';
+    case Mid    = 'mid';
+    case Senior = 'senior';
+    case Lead   = 'lead';
+}
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/V1/JobController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/V1/JobController.php
index 52a4580..d5eaee1 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/V1/JobController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/V1/JobController.php
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 use App\Enums\JobStatus;
 use App\Http\Controllers\Controller;
 use App\Http\Requests\StoreApplicationRequest;
+use Illuminate\Http\Request;
 use App\Http\Resources\ApplicationResource;
 use App\Models\Application;
 use App\Models\Job;
@@ -15,13 +16,34 @@
 
 class JobController extends Controller
 {
-    public function index(): JsonResponse
+    public function index(Request $request): JsonResponse
     {
-        $jobs = Job::where('status', JobStatus::Active)
+        $query = Job::where('status', JobStatus::Active)
             ->where('application_deadline', '>=', now()->toDateString())
-            ->with(['employer.employerProfile', 'category', 'technologies'])
-            ->latest()
-            ->paginate(20);
+            ->with(['employer.employerProfile', 'category', 'technologies']);
+
+        // Keyword search on title and description
+        if ($q = trim((string) $request->input('q', ''))) {
+            $query->where(function ($sub) use ($q): void {
+                $term = '%'.mb_strtolower($q).'%';
+                $sub->whereRaw('LOWER(title) LIKE ?', [$term])
+                    ->orWhereRaw('LOWER(description) LIKE ?', [$term]);
+            });
+        }
+
+        // Experience level filter
+        if ($level = $request->input('experience_level')) {
+            $query->where('experience_level', $level);
+        }
+
+        // Sorting
+        match ($request->input('sort', 'newest')) {
+            'deadline' => $query->orderBy('application_deadline'),
+            default    => $query->latest(),
+        };
+
+        $perPage = min(max(1, (int) $request->input('per_page', 20)), 100);
+        $jobs = $query->paginate($perPage);
 
         return response()->json([
             'data' => $jobs->map(fn (Job $job) => [
@@ -31,6 +53,7 @@ public function index(): JsonResponse
                 'salary_range'         => $job->salary_range,
                 'work_type'            => $job->work_type?->value,
                 'location'             => $job->location,
+                'experience_level'     => $job->experience_level?->value,
                 'application_deadline' => $job->application_deadline?->toDateString(),
                 'category'             => $job->category ? ['id' => $job->category->id, 'name' => $job->category->name] : null,
                 'technologies'         => $job->technologies->map(fn ($t) => ['id' => $t->id, 'name' => $t->name])->values(),
@@ -64,6 +87,7 @@ public function show(Job $job): JsonResponse
                 'salary_range'         => $job->salary_range,
                 'work_type'            => $job->work_type?->value,
                 'location'             => $job->location,
+                'experience_level'     => $job->experience_level?->value,
                 'application_deadline' => $job->application_deadline?->toDateString(),
                 'category'             => $job->category ? ['id' => $job->category->id, 'name' => $job->category->name] : null,
                 'technologies'         => $job->technologies->map(fn ($t) => ['id' => $t->id, 'name' => $t->name])->values(),
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Search/SearchController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Search/SearchController.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..debd704
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Search/SearchController.php
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Http\Controllers\Search;
+
+use App\Enums\JobStatus;
+use App\Http\Controllers\Controller;
+use App\Models\Job;
+use App\Models\Location;
+use Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse;
+use Illuminate\Http\Request;
+
+class SearchController extends Controller
+{
+    /**
+     * Search / filter active job listings.
+     *
+     * Accepted query parameters:
+     *   q              – keyword (title or description)
+     *   sort           – newest (default) | deadline
+     *   page           – page number
+     *   per_page       – 1–100, default 20
+     *   experience_level – entry | mid | senior | lead
+     *   location       – partial string match on location column
+     *   work_type      – remote | onsite | hybrid
+     *   category       – category slug or numeric id
+     *   date_from      – YYYY-MM-DD, filter jobs posted on/after this date
+     */
+    public function jobs(Request $request): JsonResponse
+    {
+        $query = Job::where('status', JobStatus::Active)
+            ->where('application_deadline', '>=', now()->toDateString())
+            ->with(['employer.employerProfile', 'category', 'technologies']);
+
+        // Keyword search
+        if ($q = trim((string) $request->input('q', ''))) {
+            $query->where(function ($sub) use ($q): void {
+                $term = '%'.mb_strtolower($q).'%';
+                $sub->whereRaw('LOWER(title) LIKE ?', [$term])
+                    ->orWhereRaw('LOWER(description) LIKE ?', [$term]);
+            });
+        }
+
+        // Experience level
+        if ($level = $request->input('experience_level')) {
+            $query->where('experience_level', $level);
+        }
+
+        // Location (partial, case-insensitive)
+        if ($location = trim((string) $request->input('location', ''))) {
+            $query->whereRaw('LOWER(location) LIKE ?', ['%'.mb_strtolower($location).'%']);
+        }
+
+        // Work type
+        if ($workType = $request->input('work_type')) {
+            $query->where('work_type', $workType);
+        }
+
+        // Category (slug or numeric id)
+        if ($category = $request->input('category')) {
+            $query->whereHas('category', function ($sub) use ($category): void {
+                is_numeric($category)
+                    ? $sub->where('id', $category)
+                    : $sub->where('slug', $category);
+            });
+        }
+
+        // Date posted from
+        if ($dateFrom = $request->input('date_from')) {
+            $query->whereDate('created_at', '>=', $dateFrom);
+        }
+
+        // Sorting
+        match ($request->input('sort', 'newest')) {
+            'deadline' => $query->orderBy('application_deadline'),
+            default    => $query->latest(),
+        };
+
+        $perPage = min(max(1, (int) $request->input('per_page', 20)), 100);
+        $jobs = $query->paginate($perPage);
+
+        return response()->json([
+            'data' => $jobs->map(fn (Job $job) => [
+                'id'                   => $job->id,
+                'title'                => $job->title,
+                'description'          => $job->description,
+                'salary_range'         => $job->salary_range,
+                'work_type'            => $job->work_type?->value,
+                'location'             => $job->location,
+                'experience_level'     => $job->experience_level?->value,
+                'application_deadline' => $job->application_deadline?->toDateString(),
+                'created_at'           => $job->created_at?->toDateString(),
+                'category'             => $job->category
+                    ? ['id' => $job->category->id, 'name' => $job->category->name, 'slug' => $job->category->slug]
+                    : null,
+                'technologies' => $job->technologies
+                    ->map(fn ($t) => ['id' => $t->id, 'name' => $t->name])
+                    ->values(),
+                'employer' => [
+                    'company_name' => $job->employer?->employerProfile?->company_name ?? 'Unknown',
+                    'logo_url'     => $job->employer?->employerProfile?->logo_url,
+                ],
+            ])->values(),
+            'meta' => [
+                'current_page' => $jobs->currentPage(),
+                'last_page'    => $jobs->lastPage(),
+                'per_page'     => $jobs->perPage(),
+                'total'        => $jobs->total(),
+            ],
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Return the seeded location reference list for autocomplete.
+     */
+    public function locations(): JsonResponse
+    {
+        return response()->json([
+            'data' => Location::orderBy('name')->get(['id', 'name', 'slug']),
+        ]);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Models/Job.php b/app/Models/Job.php
index 61439b1..78e0228 100644
--- a/app/Models/Job.php
+++ b/app/Models/Job.php
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 namespace App\Models;
 
+use App\Enums\ExperienceLevel;
 use App\Enums\JobStatus;
 use App\Enums\WorkType;
 use Database\Factories\JobFactory;
@@ -20,15 +21,16 @@ class Job extends Model
 
     protected $fillable = [
         'employer_id', 'title', 'description', 'requirements',
-        'salary_range', 'work_type', 'location', 'category_id',
+        'salary_range', 'work_type', 'location', 'experience_level', 'category_id',
         'status', 'rejection_reason', 'views_count', 'application_deadline',
     ];
 
     protected function casts(): array
     {
         return [
-            'status'               => JobStatus::class,
-            'work_type'            => WorkType::class,
+            'status'           => JobStatus::class,
+            'work_type'        => WorkType::class,
+            'experience_level' => ExperienceLevel::class,
             'application_deadline' => 'date',
         ];
     }
diff --git a/app/Models/Location.php b/app/Models/Location.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5b390ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Models/Location.php
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Models;
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
+
+class Location extends Model
+{
+    protected $fillable = ['name', 'slug'];
+}
diff --git a/database/migrations/2026_05_30_200001_add_experience_level_to_job_listings.php b/database/migrations/2026_05_30_200001_add_experience_level_to_job_listings.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5cc2e9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/migrations/2026_05_30_200001_add_experience_level_to_job_listings.php
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+return new class extends Migration
+{
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('job_listings', function (Blueprint $table): void {
+            $table->string('experience_level')->nullable()->after('location');
+        });
+    }
+
+    public function down(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('job_listings', function (Blueprint $table): void {
+            $table->dropColumn('experience_level');
+        });
+    }
+};
diff --git a/database/migrations/2026_05_30_200002_create_locations_table.php b/database/migrations/2026_05_30_200002_create_locations_table.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f2cfe1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/migrations/2026_05_30_200002_create_locations_table.php
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+return new class extends Migration
+{
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::create('locations', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->id();
+            $table->string('name');
+            $table->string('slug')->unique();
+            $table->timestamps();
+        });
+    }
+
+    public function down(): void
+    {
+        Schema::dropIfExists('locations');
+    }
+};
diff --git a/database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php b/database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php
index 09a665d..5cc81c2 100644
--- a/database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php
+++ b/database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php
@@ -18,5 +18,6 @@ public function run(): void
         $this->call(Dev5Seeder::class);
         $this->call(CategoryTechnologySeeder::class);
         $this->call(EmployerApplicationReviewSeeder::class);
+        $this->call(LocationSeeder::class);
     }
 }
diff --git a/database/seeders/LocationSeeder.php b/database/seeders/LocationSeeder.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..105b830
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/seeders/LocationSeeder.php
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Database\Seeders;
+
+use App\Models\Location;
+use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
+use Illuminate\Support\Str;
+
+class LocationSeeder extends Seeder
+{
+    public function run(): void
+    {
+        $cities = [
+            // Egypt
+            'Cairo', 'Alexandria', 'Giza', 'Luxor', 'Aswan', 'Mansoura',
+            'Tanta', 'Zagazig', 'Ismailia', 'Suez', 'Port Said',
+            // Remote / hybrid
+            'Remote', 'Hybrid',
+            // Gulf
+            'Dubai', 'Abu Dhabi', 'Riyadh', 'Jeddah', 'Doha', 'Kuwait City',
+            // Global tech hubs
+            'London', 'Berlin', 'Amsterdam', 'Paris', 'Toronto',
+            'New York', 'San Francisco', 'Austin',
+        ];
+
+        foreach ($cities as $city) {
+            Location::firstOrCreate(
+                ['slug' => Str::slug($city)],
+                ['name' => $city],
+            );
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/routes/api.php b/routes/api.php
index 968ff91..e793b2d 100644
--- a/routes/api.php
+++ b/routes/api.php
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 use App\Http\Controllers\Payment\PayPalController;
 use App\Http\Controllers\Payment\StripeWebhookController;
 use App\Http\Controllers\Payment\StripeCheckoutController;
+use App\Http\Controllers\Search\SearchController;
 use App\Models\Category;
 use App\Models\Technology;
 use App\Models\User;
@@ -175,3 +176,12 @@
     Route::patch('applications/{application}/notes', [EmployerApplicationController::class, 'updateNotes']);
     Route::get('applications/{application}/resume', [EmployerApplicationController::class, 'streamResume']);
 });
+
+// ── Dev 3: Search ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Public: location reference list (for autocomplete, no auth required)
+Route::get('v1/search/locations', [SearchController::class, 'locations']);
+
+// Candidate-scoped: full search with filters
+Route::middleware(['auth', 'role:candidate'])->group(function () {
+    Route::get('v1/search/jobs', [SearchController::class, 'jobs']);
+});