Senior Rust Engineer at Directus

Job description

Role Overview We're hiring a Senior Software Engineer (Rust) to build and evolve the core Directus / Monospace product, a modular, self-hosted data platform. This role is primarily product engineering: shipping features, improving the developer experience, and expanding platform capabilities while keeping the system fast, correct, and maintainable. You'll collaborate closely with engineering and product partners to turn real user needs into pragmatic, production-grade features. What You’ll Do • Design and ship product features and platform capabilities in Rust that directly improve the Directus/Monospace developer experience. • Translate product needs into clear technical plans: clarify requirements, propose UX/API shapes, and iterate with product managers, front-end engineers and design partners. • Build maintainable service and domain architecture that supports rapid iteration: clean boundaries, strong test coverage, and thoughtful abstractions. • Own features end-to-end: design docs, implementation, reviews, testing, rollout, and post-release iteration based on real user feedback. • Collaborate in a remote-first team with a strong bias toward clear written communication and asynchronous work. • Raise engineering standards through code quality, reviews, documentation, and pragmatic technical decision-making. • Help improve team execution through feedback, pairing, and technical excellence. What We’re Looking For • Significant backend engineering experience, with meaningful production experience in Rust (typically 3+ years) • Strong fundamentals in systems engineering: concurrency, memory/performance trade-offs, distributed systems concepts, and API design • Demonstrated ability to design and evolve architectures that are resilient and maintainable over time • Ability to communicate clearly about trade-offs and propose pragmatic solutions. • Experience working in distributed, remote-first teams (or a strong preference for that style of collaboration) • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English Nice-to-Have • Experience with data-intensive systems (databases, streaming pipelines, search, caching layers, or storage engines) • Experience with APIs and developer platforms (public-facing or internal platform tooling) • Familiarity with performance profiling and optimization in Rust • Exposure to building "product-led" platform features: turning ambiguous product needs into shippable technical plans What We Offer • High-impact work on a widely used enterprise platform powering modern applications and AI systems • A small, global team where you can make a meaningful impact and shape product and company direction • Cross-functional collaboration in a remote-first environment with flexible working hours • Competitive compensation, benefits, and equity participation • Opportunities to grow your career and take on increasing responsibility Company Overview Directus is the collaborative data platform for builders and AI. We give developers, business teams, and AI agents a shared foundation to connect, model, manage, and deliver trusted data across applications and systems, with the flexibility, governance, and developer control that enterprises need. Two products sit on that foundation. Directus turns any SQL database into a governed backend with an instant API and a visual Studio. Monospace extends it across the enterprise, connecting every data source without moving or copying them as the governed API layer for every app, person, and AI agent. Over 1,000 organizations run Directus in production, including Mercedes-Benz, TripAdvisor, Comcast, and Ryanair. We're venture-backed and growing fast, with a global community and a hands-on team where people wear multiple hats, work with autonomy, and have real influence on what we build. Department Engineering Employment Type Full-Time Experience Level Senior Location Remote (US – East Coast) Apply Now Apply Now Directus The collaborative backend for builders & AI. SOC 2 Type II G2 4.9 GDPR Compliant Compare vs. Airtable vs. WordPress vs. Strapi vs. Contentful vs. Sanity Resources Articles Customers Directus TV Directus Labs Community Forum Extensions Events Partner Directory Become a Partner Developers Documentation API Reference GitHub Contributing SDK Company About Careers Contact Trust Center Copyright © 2026 Monospace Inc. All rights reserved. Cloud Policies Privacy Terms License OIG Status Directus The collaborative backend for builders & AI. SOC 2 Type II G2 4.9 GDPR Compliant Compare vs. Airtable vs. WordPress <p class="framer-text framer-styles-preset-3jnsml" data-styles-preset="tvqZ3bIsF" dir="auto" style="--framer-text-color:var(--extracted-r6o4lv, var(--token-24c0cea7-417b-4446-a823-b580f3f2b462, rgb(160,

Requirements

Must-haves

We're hiring a Senior Software Engineer (Rust) to build and evolve the core Directus / Monospace product, a modular, self-hosted data platform.
This role is primarily product engineering: shipping features, improving the developer experience, and expanding platform capabilities while keeping the system fast, correct, and maintainable.
You'll collaborate closely with engineering and product partners to turn real user needs into pragmatic, production-grade features.
What You’ll Do
Design and ship product features and platform capabilities in Rust that directly improve the Directus/Monospace developer experience.
Translate product needs into clear technical plans: clarify requirements, propose UX/API shapes, and iterate with product managers, front-end engineers and design partners.
Build maintainable service and domain architecture that supports rapid iteration: clean boundaries, strong test coverage, and thoughtful abstractions.
Own features end-to-end: design docs, implementation, reviews, testing, rollout, and post-release iteration based on real user feedback.
Collaborate in a remote-first team with a strong bias toward clear written communication and asynchronous work.
Raise engineering standards through code quality, reviews, documentation, and pragmatic technical decision-making.
Help improve team execution through feedback, pairing, and technical excellence.
What We’re Looking For
Significant backend engineering experience, with meaningful production experience in Rust (typically 3+ years)
Strong fundamentals in systems engineering: concurrency, memory/performance trade-offs, distributed systems concepts, and API design
Demonstrated ability to design and evolve architectures that are resilient and maintainable over time
Ability to communicate clearly about trade-offs and propose pragmatic solutions.
Experience working in distributed, remote-first teams (or a strong preference for that style of collaboration)
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

Nice-to-haves

Experience with data-intensive systems (databases, streaming pipelines, search, caching layers, or storage engines)
Experience with APIs and developer platforms (public-facing or internal platform tooling)
Familiarity with performance profiling and optimization in Rust
Exposure to building "product-led" platform features: turning ambiguous product needs into shippable technical plans

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

rustapiaisql

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