Backend IDE Rust Engineer at Zed Industries
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Description
Location: Remote (US/EU Time Zones) or Boulder, Colorado
We're looking for a Backend Rust Engineer to help us build the foundation that powers Zed's most exciting features. If you love solving hard distributed systems problems and want to work with a team that's genuinely passionate about Rust, this might be the perfect fit.
Here's the situation
Zed is a fast, collaborative code editor built entirely in Rust. Right now, we're in the middle of a major backend transformation - moving from a single stateful server to a fully distributed system. This is where you come in.
Our backend is the invisible engine that makes magic happen: it handles all our AI connections, powers real-time collaboration, and manages everything from authentication to billing. We're looking for someone who can help us rebuild this critical system while it's running at full speed.
What you'll actually be doing
- Design and build reliable, high-performance backend systems in Rust (this is most of what you'll do)
- Work on our deterministic test environment that lets us make big changes without holding our breath
- Help make architectural decisions that will shape Zed's future
- Solve complex product challenges where your systems programming background really matters
- Collaborate with the team through pair programming and code reviews (we do several hours of pairing each week in Zed itself)
- Jump between backend and frontend when needed - we believe in owning features from start to finish
We're looking for someone who
- Writes solid Rust code and enjoys the language's safety guarantees
- Has actually deployed and maintained distributed systems in production (and learned from what broke)
- Understands algorithms and data structures at a deep level
- Can debug complex issues without losing their sense of humor
- Works well autonomously but communicates clearly in a remote setting
- Genuinely enjoys pair programming and real-time collaboration
- Cares about building products that people love, not just writing code
It would be extra awesome if you
- Have experience with Cloudflare's worker infrastructure
- Know your way around PostgreSQL and SQLite performance tuning
- Have used observability tools like Axiom or Honeycomb
- Have built real-time collaborative systems before
- Enjoy the challenges of cross-platform development
Why this isn't just another backend job
You'll be working on systems that handle everything from AI requests to real-time collaboration while we rebuild the foundation underneath. It's challenging, meaningful work that will directly impact how developers work every day.
We're a small team that moves fast, values technical excellence, and genuinely enjoys working together. If you're tired of working on systems that never see the light of day or dealing with legacy technical debt, this might be your chance to build something right from the ground up.
Think this sounds interesting? We'd love to hear from you.
Zed is an equal opportunity employer. We're building a team that reflects the diverse community of developers we serve.
Location:
boulder, colorado
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