Open Source Support Engineer at Zilliz – Redwood City, California

Open Source Support Engineer

Zilliz is a fast-growing startup developing the industrys leading vector database company for enterprise-grade AI. Founded by the engineers behind Milvus, the worlds most popular open-source vector database, the company builds next-generation database technologies to help organizations quickly create AI applications. On a mission to democratize AI, Zilliz is committed to simplifying data management for AI applications and making vector databases accessible to every organization.
Zilliz is looking for an early-career engineer to join our team as an Open Source Support Engineer and grow into a technical expert while helping developers build applications with Milvus, the leading open-source vector database.
Milvus powers vector search for thousands of developers worldwide. By helping open-source users succeed in real production environments, this role directly contributes to the growth of the Milvus ecosystem, while providing critical feedback that shapes the products evolution.
This is an excellent opportunity for recent graduates or engineers early in their careers who are excited to solve real infrastructure problems, work directly with users, and develop deep expertise in distributed systems and vector search technology.What Youll Do

• Become and expert in open-source Milvus, and how modern AI applications use vector databases
• Provide technical support to Milvus users via Discord, Email, and 1:1 meetings
• Answer questions and offer guidance on vector search concepts, indexing strategies, performance tuning, and search pipeline design
• Troubleshoot self-hosted Milvus deployments, including Docker- and Kubernetes-based environments
• Engage with users to understand their technical challenges, deployment context, and usage patterns
• Work with Milvus engineers to help resolve user-reported issues and explore solution options
• Build long-term relationships with open-source users by helping them launch to production and operate reliable production systems
• Gather feedback from real-world deployments and share insights with product and engineering teams

What Were Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• Solid understanding of computer science fundamentals and software engineering principles
• Some exposure to backend systems, databases, or infrastructure (through coursework, projects, or internships)
• Ability to read and understand code, debug issues, and learn new technologies quickly
• Clear and thoughtful communication skills in developer-facing conversations
• A user-focused mindset with a strong sense of technical ownership
• Aspire to understand business context and able to prioritize effectively

Nice to Have (but we'll teach you!)

• Any experience with distributed systems, containers (Docker), or orchestration (Kubernetes)
• Coursework or projects involving databases, search systems, or data pipelines
• Exposure to vector search, embeddings, or machine learning concepts
• Experience in developer communities, open-source projects, or technical forums
• Internship experience in support engineering, DevOps, backend engineering, or related roles
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)

Zilliz is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcome people from all backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, physical disability, or length of time spent unemployed.