Rust Engineer (Drive)

Job Overview

At Proton, we believe that privacy is a fundamental human right and the cornerstone of democracy. Since our inception in 2014, founded by a team of scientists from CERN, we have dedicated ourselves to providing free and open-source technology to millions worldwide, ensuring access to privacy, security, and freedom online.

Our journey began with Proton Mail, the largest secure email service globally, and has since expanded to include Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and Proton Pass. These tools empower individuals and organizations to take control of their personal data, break away from Big Tech’s invasive practices, and defeat censorship. Our work impacts hundreds of millions of lives, from activists on the front lines defending freedom to leaders in governments protecting sensitive information. In some cases, Proton’s services have even been instrumental in saving lives by enabling secure and private communications in high-risk situations.

Proton is a profitable company that does not rely upon VC funding, supporting over 100 million user accounts with a growing team of over 500 people from over 50 different countries, from the world’s top companies and universities. We value intelligence, learning potential, and ambition in our hiring process. Adaptability is key as we navigate uncharted territories and redefine how business is conducted online.

Hiring at Proton is highly selective, with less than 1% of candidates hired. We believe smaller teams of exceptional talent will always prevail over larger teams with lower talent density. You will have the opportunity work with many of the world’s top minds in their fields, ranging from former international math and science olympiad winners to chess champions.

We have a global mindset and big ambitions but remain a start-up at heart. We value empowerment and flexibility and keep our structure flat to keep moving fast and avoid unnecessary politics. Tired of blending into the crowd? Join us and do work you can truly be proud of. Check our open-source projects here!

Drive Foundation

Drive Foundation is team that ensures cross-client initiatives in Drive are done right. That is ensuring clients are in sync, for which we own documentation, RFC process, or operations. Now we will also own SDK.

Current Projects:

After releasing photos, sharing, and docs, we focus on tuning many details based on our user feedback. In parallel, we work hard on scaling and operations, solving technical debts, or working on B2B features.The goal is to speed up the development for many B2B features. We are as strong as the weakest Drive client. If we eliminate need to implement everything multiple times, we get the velocity necessary for growth.

Tech Stack and Tools:

Drive clients are in native language, that is JS on web, Kotlin on Android, Swift on iOS and macOS, C# on Windows, and PHP on backend – we want to remove code which is implemented everywhere and do it once in Rust.

Drive must implement everything on the client. That is, clients must do what normally backend would do out of the box. That requires using cutting-edge features, mostly on web development, which will be also tricky to manage with Rust SDK, that requires cutting-edge on its own.

Future Plans:

We want to expand drastically on features we already have. For example, photos and docs is just the beginning. Both will have own apps and many more features. Those standalone features are not only ones coming, more will come. The goal is to make Drive work as platform that we can use for anything in the future, even open it up for anyone with any needs.

SDK already mentioned, upgrading API to the next generation to reduce the load, changing crypto architecture to simplify the product, etc.

Impact Opportunities:

Work on Foundation has impact across the whole Drive’s fleet and can lead the direction for clients. Doing it wrong will have great consequences the same way as doing it right. It’s a big responsibility where the satisfaction can be huge as well.

Drive is growing. We will have more teams, and as Drive become platform, anything built on top of Drive will have at least one own team. There is opportunity to go in any direction and take any role required for those initiatives. There is opportunity to grow as IC, or tech-lead, or manager of any kind, various stacks and product and features. It is very exciting time full of opportunities.

Role Overview:

As a Drive Foundation Engineer, you will play a crucial role in designing, implementing, and maintaining the foundational components that power Proton Drive applications. You will work collaboratively with Drive teams, including backend, web, mobile, or desktop developers, to ensure seamless integration and optimal performance across various client applications.

What you will do:

Architect and develop core libraries: Lead the design and development of core Rust libraries that serve as the backbone for Proton Drive’s applications.Cross-platform compatibility: Ensure compatibility and optimal performance across various platforms.Code review and optimization: Conduct code reviews and provide constructive feedback to ensure code quality, maintainability, and performance optimization.Collaboration: Work closely with backend, frontend, mobile and desktop developers to integrate core libraries seamlessly into Proton Drive’s applications.Testing: Develop and implement comprehensive testing strategies, including unit tests and integration tests, to ensure the reliability of core libraries.Documentation: Create and maintain thorough documentation for core libraries to assist other developers in understanding and utilizing the components.

Job requirements:

Experience: 5+ years of professional software development experience, with a focus on the Rust programming language.Rust proficiency: Strong expertise in Rust language features, concurrency, and ownership models.JavaScript: Knowledge of web development in JavaScript is a plusWeb, mobile, and/or desktop development: Experience in developing libraries for client applications.Collaborative skills: Proven ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and excellent communication skills.Problem-solving: Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot issues efficiently.

Even if you don’t meet all the requirements listed above, but feel you could still be a great fit, please still apply.

What We Offer

Office First: Collaboration is easier and more effective in person, which is why we have offices in Geneva, Zurich, Prague, Barcelona, Paris, London, Vilnius, Skopje, and Taipei. You can also enjoy working from home up to 30% of the time, while enjoying great company during our three core days in the office. Depending on the role, fully remote positions may also be available.Technology: We provide all the devices and software you need to excel in your role, ensuring you have the best tools at your disposal to achieve your goals.Food: Lunch and snacks are provided by Proton every day at our offices.Transport: We will always support our employees with transport costs through subsidizing public transport, bike allowances, or parking spaces based on your office location.Stock Options: At Proton, we are all owners of the company and you get stock options when you join us.Flexible Working: You can define your own working hours as long as it works with team meetings.Learning and Development: We are committed to your professional growth. Proton offers various learning opportunities, including training programs, conferences and events, and continual learning.Employee Benefits: Comprehensive health insurance plans, competitive retirement savings options, generous vacation and leave policies, and wellness programs.Work that Matters: Proton is a community-first organization, started with the support of a crowdfunding campaign and built with community input. To this day, Proton’s only source of revenue is user subscriptions. Over 100 million people trust and support Proton, and we put our users and community first in everything we do. Read more about our impact here.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Proton, we believe diversity drives innovation and strengthens our mission to provide privacy as a default for all. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, or socio-economic background, feel valued and empowered. We strive to create equal opportunities, promote open dialogue, and support continuous learning to ensure every voice is heard and respected.

If you need any extra support or reasonable adjustments during the hiring process, please let your talent partner know.

Candidate Privacy Notice

When you apply for a position, refer a candidate, or are considered for a role at Proton Technologies AG (Proton, we, us, or our), your information is stored in Greenhouse, in accordance with their Service Privacy Policy. This information is used to evaluate your suitability for the posted position. We also retain this information for consideration for future roles that you may apply for or that we believe may align with your background and skills.

If we no longer have a legitimate business need to process your information, we will either delete or anonymize it. Should you have any inquiries about how we use or manage your information, or if you wish to access, correct, or delete your data, please contact our privacy team at careers@proton.ch.

Proton does not accept unsolicited resumes from any sources other than directly from candidates. We will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from an unsolicited offer, even if the candidate is subsequently hired by Proton.

To learn more about our privacy policy, please visit our privacy policy page.