Senior Rust Engineer — Production Backend Systems | Remote (LATAM)

Headquarters: Remote URL: https://www.toptal.com/ About the Role We're looking for Senior Rust Engineers to take real ownership of a high-performance, production backend. You'll be working on mission-critical systems where performance, security, and reliability aren't nice-to-haves — they're the job. Whether the work is hardening core services for a cybersecurity product or extending a Rust-based backend that powers a cross-platform application, this role is for someone who can navigate complex, unfamiliar codebases quickly and start shipping production-ready code fast. What You'll Do Build, optimize, and maintain high-performance backend services in Rust Take ownership of core backend architecture, including remediating vulnerabilities and improving CI/CD workflows Interface with PostgreSQL for complex data management, persistence, and schema-oriented design Design and work with schema-oriented service patterns (e.g., gRPC) where applicable Deploy and maintain services on AWS Jump into an existing, unfamiliar codebase and reach full productivity within the first 1–2 weeks Submit clean, high-quality code that holds up to rigorous review and peer scrutiny Take increasing ownership of backend direction as the system evolves or transitions from a legacy team What You Bring Expert-level or extensive senior-level experience with Rust in a production environment Strong experience with PostgreSQL and SQL database design Strong experience with AWS for hosting and deployment Proven track record on large-scale, mission-critical, or high-stakes systems where performance and reliability matter Experience working as a senior individual contributor on evolving production systems Ability to explain complex architectural decisions and take full ownership of submitted code Comfortable working independently and ramping quickly on unfamiliar codebases Nice to Have Familiarity with GitHub-based development workflows Experience with gRPC or Avro-based schema design Exposure to Flutter-based product environments (web, mobile, or desktop) Comfort using AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., Claude) without sacrificing code quality RATE: $35-$45/hr. To apply: https://weworkremotely.