Open source is our beating heart and it’s something that fuels our work and our culture. It’s where we began. It’s where we’ll always be. Our vision is to become the trusted open source data platform for everyone. We are a Cast of over 400 individuals (‘Crabs’) located across the globe. Why Crabs? Because we believe in thinking sideways. And right now, we’re looking for sideways-thinking Support Engineer.

The Customer Growth team at Aiven lies at the core of our organization. This is a great opportunity to become an integral team member as a Support Engineer.

We look for engineers who can work around problems by finding new angles. That means both creative and lateral approaches. Thinking sideways.

You will have the opportunity to collaborate with world-class tech people solving the toughest problems, where almost every project you work on is more complex and technically challenging than the previous one.

If you relish pushing your technical boundaries, come join us. Because if you can truly think sideways, you’ll never look back.

Who we are

So, how do we become the trusted open source data platform for everyone? By listening closely to our customers and taking action to ensure they achieve their business goals. You see, the software we create is merely a means of delivering value. Our thinking is customer-first. That’s why our customers are at the front and center of all we do. And in the spirit of sideways thinking, we’re by their side as well. Actively helping them solve their challenges. Collaborating. Sharing. And innovating. In other words, it really isn’t just about who we are. It’s about who our customers are – and where they want to be.

Our values

We want individuals who can embody our values of ownership, courage, and openness.

What does that mean in practice?

We take ownership of the problems we solve. What we do is about improving life for our customers, enabling them to meet their goals. So we own our decisions and mistakes. Sometimes that takes courage. But we don’t falter – we take on challenges with confidence. And right at our heart is openness. We’re always open to new ideas – from wherever and whoever they come.

The Role:

Support Engineers at Aiven bring their experience to interact directly with customers and solve complex technical problems. Building on their 4-7 years of hands-on experience, they excel in tasks ranging from triaging database performance degradation to troubleshooting network issues and supporting customers in migrating their data to the Aiven platform. Our Support Engineers provide an expert level of care and support to customers, leveraging their deep knowledge of the technologies and environments they have been working with.

Our customers are primarily Enterprise developers with a solid understanding of technology, and we work closely with Product Development, Ops, and SRE teams. Depending on your interests, you can also participate in new feature development (we love Python) and contribute to improving our automation tooling. In Support, we value building technology to automate repetitive tasks, and our Senior Engineers often lead these initiatives.

You will fit well as a Senior Support Engineer if you are curious, unafraid of asking questions, patient, friendly, respectful, and practice empathy in all your interactions with customers and team members.

What you'll Do:

• Deliver exceptional customer service within SLAs
• Develop deep expertise in our Aiven Platform and Aiven Services
• Apply your experience with open-source databases and technologies such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, and/or other technologies like Kafka, OpenSearch, Cassandra, and Grafana
• Troubleshoot complex issues, especially in Linux environments, public clouds (AWS, Google or Azure) and in the areas of compute, storage - block and object, networking, and security groups
• Identify trends in customer feedback, report and suggest improvements
• Help evolve and develop our support processes and tooling
• Create and refine Runbooks and Playbooks from previously encountered issues, streamlining future resolution processes and fostering knowledge sharing
• Research and report product malfunctions in order to expedite the resolution process ensuring optimal customer outcomes
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Documentation, Product, Sales, and Engineering
• Engage with customers and teams via various channels, working collaboratively via ticketing system, email, chat and occasionally by phone or remote sessions to diagnose and resolve customer issues
• Mentor and be mentored, sharing your knowledge and experience to help them grow and succeed.

What you'll bring to the team

• 4-7 years of experience working as Support Engineer/Testing/Specialist at a SaaS or software company and/or your experience with open-source databases and technologies such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, and/or other technologies like Kafka, OpenSearch, Cassandra, and Grafana
• Strong Linux and Networking skills as an administrator or Support Engineer 
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to connect with users, adjust the tone and deliver personalized support.
• Critical thinking that prioritizes client needs and perspectives.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate root cause analysis to diverse stakeholders.
• Knowledge of distributed systems, and the ability to read and write SQL. 
• Previous use of Zendesk, Slack, ServiceCloud, Google, Jira, Zendesk, Intercom, and/or Github
• Experience in public clouds (AWS, Google, Azure) across compute, storage, networking, and security.
• A take charge attitute, technically curious, detail-driven, yet goal-oriented and focused on delivering results.
• The ability to participate in a weekend on-call rotation.

Nice to have

• Experience as a developer or Support engineer with at least one of the following products: Apache Kafka, PostgreSQL, MySQL,Opensearch and/or Elasticsearch
• 1+ years of experience as a developer, site reliability engineer, or devops engineer
• Open source contributions (code, bug reports, community support, documentation)

Our Offer

If you ask us what’s the best thing about working for Aiven, many will probably say it’s the high concentration of talent from around the world that we have here. Enjoy the agile environment of a hyperscale scale-up where you can truly make an impact and have fun while at it.

We invest in you

• Participate in Aiven’s equity plan.
• With Aiven locations spanning the globe, we want all of our crabs to find the right balance with our hybrid work policy.
• Get the equipment you need to set yourself up for success.
• Step up your career game with real employer support (use one of our learning platforms, annual learning budget, and more).
• Get holistic wellbeing support through our global Employee Assistance Program.

Make a difference at Aiven

• Contribute to open source projects that you find meaningful outside of work - and get paid for it! Our Plankton program recognizes extra work to the open source ecosystem for developers and non-developers alike.
• Use up to 5 days per year to volunteer for a good cause of your choice.
• Join one of our team member resource groups - empower yourself and others in missions that resonate with you.

What else?

• Your wellbeing matters: we provide extensive Occupational Health Care, Dental Care, as well as sports, culture, massage, commute and lunch benefits
• We care about your learning! We provide Finnish Language lessons to help you settle in to your new environment
• Love breakfast? So do we! Join us at our monthly office breakfast
• We also have you covered by statutory accident insurance

Amazing! What’s next?

If you think Aiven is the place for you, send us your CV, and we’ll get in touch!

How to Recognise and Avoid Employment Scams

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Here at Aiven, all of our emails relating to recruitment come from an @aiven.io, @greenhouse.io or @eu.greenhouse.io domain and all of our interviews are conducted over video call or in person, our interviews will never occur over text or chat. If you’re unsure of the legitimacy of a job opportunity/offer pertaining to Aiven, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at recruitment@aiven.io.

Equal Opportunities

Aiven provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, marital and family status or without regard to any other similar personal attributes. Aiven complies with applicable local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company operates. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, training and any other terms and conditions related to employment.

At Aiven we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities or special needs in our working environment and job application procedures. We make all reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities or who otherwise need support to thrive in the workplace. We are committed to continuously improving workplace accessibility. There is an option to request a discussion in the application process but if you have any questions before applying please write to us at recruitment@aiven.io.