Backend & Tooling Engineer (Rust)

* Design, build, and optimize high-performance systems in Rust supporting AI data pipelines and evaluation workflows * Develop backend services and full-stack tooling for large-scale data annotation, validation, and quality control * Improve reliability, performance, and safety across existing Rust codebases * Collaborate with data, research, and engineering teams to support model training and evaluation workflows * Identify bottlenecks and edge cases in data and system behavior — then implement scalable, production-ready fixes * Participate in synchronous design reviews to iterate on architecture and implementation decisions

Who You Are

* Native or fluent English speaker with clear written and verbal communication skills * 5+ years of professional experience writing production-grade Rust * Proven track record building high-performance backend web services and robust CLI tools * Experienced with type-safe database interactions and connection pooling for large-scale data workloads * Self-directed and reliable — able to commit 20–40 hours per week and deliver consistently * Comfortable operating in fast-moving, ambiguous environments alongside world-class teams

Nice to Have

* Prior experience with data annotation, data quality, or evaluation systems * Familiarity with AI/ML workflows, model training, or benchmarking pipelines * Experience with distributed systems or developer tooling at scale

Why Join Us

* Work on production systems powering cutting-edge AI research at leading labs * Fully remote and async-friendly — work from wherever you do your best work * Freelance autonomy with the structure of meaningful, long-term technical work * Collaborate with world-class engineers and researchers on problems that genuinely matter * Potential for ongoing work and contract extension as new projects launch