We are seeking a Founding Backend Architect / Principal Rust Engineer to lead the design and development of a real-time social and messaging platform for sports fans, built natively in Rust.
Key responsibilities include:
Designing and owning core backend architecture with a focus on scalability and performance
Defining service boundaries, data ownership, and system evolution strategies
Building scalable APIs (REST/GraphQL) for web and mobile clients
Modeling and managing PostgreSQL databases for long-term data integrity
Architecting real-time systems for feeds, messaging, and event workflows
Collaborating with DevOps to maintain architectural integrity
Shaping the backend team as the company expands
Qualifications include:
7+ years of software engineering experience, with 4+ years in production Rust environments
Proven ownership of scalable backend systems, including API design and database modeling
Expertise in Rust frameworks like Actix, Axum, Tokio, or Rocket
Experience with real-time systems, WebAssembly, gRPC, or GraphQL is a plus
Strong autonomous decision-making and problem-solving skills
Passion for decentralization, crypto, and Web3 technologies
This role offers:
Ownership at the founding level with equity and token allocation
Deferred salary until funding is secured
High autonomy, influence, and impact within a fast-growing startup
Opportunity to build foundational systems for a pioneering sports super app
Ideal candidates are: senior engineers who thrive in ambiguous, innovative environments, possess entrepreneurial judgment, and are passionate about sports and technology.
