Senior Rust Developer

Senior Rust Developer (Developer III – Software Engineering)

Austin, TX (Onsite)
Contract

Job Description

UST is seeking an experienced Senior Rust Developer to support strategic modernization initiatives for Dell Technologies. This role focuses on designing, developing, and leading the migration of enterprise Edge applications from Java and C/C++ to Rust while building secure, scalable, and high-performance distributed systems.

The ideal candidate will possess strong expertise in Rust development, systems programming, cloud-native technologies, microservices, and backend engineering. This is a highly technical hands-on role requiring strong coding skills, architecture knowledge, and technical leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Java-to-Rust modernization initiatives for enterprise Edge applications.
• Drive C/C++ to Rust migration for security-critical services.
• Design and develop scalable backend services using Rust.
• Build high-performance microservices, REST APIs, and gRPC services.
• Develop asynchronous and concurrent applications using Tokio.
• Optimize application performance, memory utilization, and system reliability.
• Collaborate with architects, DevOps engineers, and product teams to deliver enterprise solutions.
• Integrate applications with cloud platforms, databases, and messaging systems.
• Participate in architecture discussions, code reviews, and Agile ceremonies.
• Troubleshoot production issues and perform root cause analysis.
• Implement secure, observable, and highly available software solutions.
• Mentor engineering teams and provide technical guidance on Rust best practices.
• Conduct knowledge transfer sessions to enable internal engineering teams.

Required Skills

Programming Languages

• Rust (Mandatory)
• C/C++
• Python

Rust Expertise

• Ownership & Borrowing
• Lifetimes
• Traits & Generics
• Memory Management
• Error Handling
• Async Programming
• Tokio Framework
• Concurrency & Multithreading
• Cargo Package Management
• Rust Testing Frameworks

Backend Development

• REST APIs
• gRPC
• Microservices
• Distributed Systems
• Event-Driven Architecture

Databases

• PostgreSQL
• MySQL
• Redis
• MongoDB

Messaging Technologies

• Kafka
• RabbitMQ
• Azure Service Bus

Cloud & DevOps

• AWS or Azure
• Kubernetes
• Docker
• Helm
• GitHub Actions
• Jenkins
• CI/CD

Operating Systems

• Linux
• Shell Scripting
• Linux Kernel Concepts

Required Experience

• 5–7 years of software development experience.
• Minimum 2 years of hands-on Rust development.
• Strong understanding of Data Structures and Algorithms.
• Experience developing cloud-native applications.
• Experience with distributed systems and backend engineering.
• Strong debugging and performance optimization skills.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Preferred Experience

Experience in one or more of the following:

• Cloud Platform Engineering
• Edge Computing
• Platform Engineering
• Infrastructure Automation
• Kubernetes Ecosystem
• AI Infrastructure
• Cybersecurity Solutions
• Storage Systems
• Networking Solutions

Nice to Have

• WebAssembly (WASM)
• Embedded Systems
• RISC-V
• Blockchain
• Open Source Contributions
• Prometheus
• Grafana
• OpenTelemetry

Project Scope

The selected consultant will lead modernization initiatives involving:

Java to Rust Migration

• Secure Connect Gateway
• Policy Manager
• Data Center Backend Services

C/C++ to Rust Migration

• Secure Service Credentials (SSC)

Knowledge Transfer

• Mentor Dell engineering teams on advanced Rust development.
• Enable internal SMEs to independently lead Rust initiatives by the end of the engagement.

Required Qualifications

• Master''''s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals.
• Excellent analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced enterprise environment.
• Experience collaborating with globally distributed engineering teams.

Work Environment

The consultant will work on enterprise-scale initiatives involving:

• Cloud-Native Applications
• Edge Computing
• Platform Engineering
• DevOps & SRE
• Enterprise Security
• Performance-Critical Distributed Systems
• Large Global Engineering Teams

Screening Questions

1. Explain Rust Ownership, Borrowing, and Lifetimes with practical examples.
2. How does Rust prevent memory leaks and data races?
3. Describe your experience with Tokio and asynchronous programming.
4. How would you design a high-performance Rust microservice?
5. Explain your experience deploying Rust applications on Kubernetes.
6. Describe a production issue you resolved related to concurrency or performance.
7. How would you build a distributed system using Rust and Kafka?
8. What is your experience with AWS or Azure cloud platforms?
9. Explain synchronous vs. asynchronous programming in Rust.
10. Describe an architecture decision you influenced in a previous Rust project.

Mandatory Skills

• Rust
• Tokio
• Async Rust
• C/C++
• Python
• Kubernetes
• Docker
• AWS/Azure
• Kafka
• gRPC
• REST APIs
• Linux
• Distributed Systems
• Microservices
• Cloud-Native Development
• Platform Engineering
• DevOps
• Enterprise Backend Development