Scaled Support Specialist

About OpenRouter

OpenRouter is the unified interface for large language models. We route billions of tokens every month, helping developers build AI applications without worrying about provider lock-in, downtime, or complex integrations. We're a small, focused team backed by top-tier investors.

About the Role

We're looking for a Scaled Support Specialist who lives at the intersection of deep technical troubleshooting and exceptional human communication. You'll be the front line for developers integrating with OpenRouter's API — diagnosing complex issues across dozens of model providers, untangling new edge cases, and making sure every developer who reaches out feels like they have a partner, not a ticket number.

This is not a scripted helpdesk role. Our users are highly capable engineers building the next generation of AI applications, which means the problems they bring to us are complex, nuanced, and frequently novel. You'll encounter issues daily where there is no runbook. You'll need to figure it out, often with incomplete information, and usually before anyone else on the team has seen it either.

If you're the kind of person who reads API changelogs for fun, has strong opinions about error message quality, and gets genuine satisfaction from turning a frustrated developer into a happy one — keep reading.

What You'll Do

Troubleshooting & Problem Solving (Core Focus)

• Diagnose and resolve complex technical issues across OpenRouter's API, spanning multiple LLM providers
• Reproduce bugs in ambiguous environments — different SDKs, languages, frameworks, and auth configurations — using tools like curl, Postman, and small test apps
• Read and interpret logs, headers, and request traces; identify whether the problem is client-side, OpenRouter-side, or an upstream provider issue vs. a user misconfiguration
• Turn "it doesn't work" into actionable findings: exact steps to reproduce, clear hypotheses, and verified fixes or workarounds

Developer Communication & Advocacy

• Respond to developer inquiries across support channels (email, Discord, GitHub) with clarity, empathy, and technical precision
• Translate complex technical root causes into human-friendly explanations
• Set expectations on timelines and next steps; provide proactive updates and close the loop
• Identify patterns in support requests and advocate internally for documentation improvements, API design changes, or better messages

Self-Directed Research & Learning

• Stay current with the rapidly evolving LLM ecosystem
• Develop deep expertise in OpenRouter's routing logic, fallback behavior, rate limiting, streaming (SSE), and billing systems with minimal hand-holding

Bridge to Product & Engineering

• Spot systemic issues underneath individual tickets and push for the fix that prevents 50 more
• Identify trends in support volume to capture product feedback and inform roadmap priorities
• Collaborate on improving the developer experience

What We're Looking For

• 4+ years in a technical support, developer support, solutions engineering, or similar role — ideally supporting an API or developer tools product
• Exceptional troubleshooting instincts
• Strong API fluency
• Proficiency in at least one scripting language (Python or TypeScript)
• Excellent written communication
• Comfort with ambiguity
• Genuine passion for AI and LLMs

Nice to Haves

• Familiarity with the OpenAI SDK / Chat Completions API format
• Experience with AI/ML frameworks like LangChain, LlamaIndex, or Hugging Face
• Experience with observability tools (logging, tracing, metrics)
• Experience scaling support operations — e.g., implementing AI-assisted support bots, building internal support dashboards, or creating automated triage workflows
• Contributions to open-source projects or developer communities
• Background in or exposure to ML/AI concepts beyond just using APIs (benchmarking, evals, fine-tuning)

If you don't think you meet all of the criteria below but still are interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box, and we're looking for someone who is excited to join the team.