Open Source Support Engineer, Zilliz
Office located in Redwood City, CA
Vector database for production-ready AI
Open for applications
Vector database for production-ready AI
101-200 employees
Open for applications
Office located in Redwood City, CA
101-200 employees
Company mission
To democratise AI, Zilliz is committed to simplifying data management for AI applications and making vector databases accessible to every organisation.
Role
Who you are
- 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
Desirable
- 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)
What the job involves
- 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 product’s 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
- 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
Our take
Vector databases have become essential for powering advanced AI applications, which demand high recall, low latency, and robust throughput. Zilliz has positioned itself at the forefront of this field with its vector database management system, Milvus.
Building on its initial success, Zilliz released Milvus 2.4m in 2024, which significantly enhances vector search capabilities. This version introduced GPU indexing, leveraging NVIDIA's CUDA-Accelerated Graph Index for Vector Retrieval (CAGRA), which outperforms traditional CPU-based indexes like HNSW. In 2026, Milvus 2.6 was released, harnessing even more power at a lower cost.
Zilliz's commitment to innovation is further demonstrated by the expansion of its Hybrid Search capabilities, including a beta version of sparse vector embeddings for more accurate and semantically rich searches. These advancements, along with the evolution of Zilliz Cloud, emphasise the company's dedication to pushing the boundaries of what vector databases can achieve and make the future of the company an exciting one.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
27% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)
Aug 2022
$60m
SERIES B
Nov 2020
$43m
SERIES B
Total funding: $113m
Company benefits
- Equity
- Regular bonus and equity refresh opportunities
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Paid time off, including vacation, bereavement, and sick days
- Generous 401(k) and regional retirement plans
- Hybrid work model/Remote work opportunities available
Company HQ
Centennial, Redwood City, CA
Leadership
Charles Xie
(CEO)Previously worked as a Senior Software Engineer at Oracle, before creating The Milvus Project. Serves on the governing board of the LF AI & Data Foundation.
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