Backend Engineer – Rust & C++ (Distributed Systems & Databases)

Backend Engineer – Rust & C++ (Distributed Systems & Databases) About the Opportunity We’re supporting a fast-moving startup that’s building advanced data products with a strong focus on speed, scalability, and reliability. They’re looking for a Backend Engineer who can dive deep into database internals and distributed systems, shaping the next generation of their platform. If you’re passionate about performance-critical code and shipping features in an early-stage environment with lots of autonomy — this one’s for you. Key Responsibilities Design, implement, and optimise backend components in Rust and/or C++ Work on core database and storage engine internals (query execution, on-disk formats, caching, WAL, compaction, etc.) Collaborate with product and infrastructure teams to deliver high-performance, scalable data systems Contribute to architectural decisions for distributed systems and backend infrastructure Balance speed and quality in a highly agile, low-process environment What We’re Looking For 5+ years of professional experience in backend systems or infrastructure engineering Strong proficiency in Rust or C++ with a focus on correctness, performance, and memory safety Deep understanding of database/storage internals (e.g. LSM trees, B-trees, predicate pushdown, buffer pools, page caches) Experience with distributed systems design and data pipelines Comfortable navigating ambiguous requirements in a fast-moving startup environment Bonus Experience (Not Required) Exposure to Go or Swift in production systems Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code and cloud-native deployments Experience with frontend technologies (TypeScript, Svelte, React, etc.) for occasional full stack collaboration