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Rust Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

LHi Group Ltd

Rust Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

Founding Rust Engineer San Francisco (Onsite) Up to $260,000 Base + Bonus + Equity I'm working with a fast-growing AI infrastructure startup that's looking to hire its first dedicated Rust Engineer.

Lawrence Harvey

Rust Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K - $260K/yr

Founding Rust Engineer San Francisco (Onsite) Up to $260,000 Base + Bonus + Equity I'm working with a fast-growing AI infrastructure startup that's looking to hire its first dedicated Rust Engineer.

LiteLLM

Rust Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$130 - $160/hr

Rust Engineer LiteLLM is the world's most popular AI Gateway, trusted by top companies like Adobe, Netflix, and NASA. Our platform empowers developers by providing secure, reliable access to LLMs and ...

LiteLLM AI Gateway

Rust Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$220K - $300K/yr

Rust Engineer LiteLLM is the world's most popular AI Gateway, trusted by top companies like Adobe, Netflix, and NASA. Our platform empowers developers by providing secure, reliable access to LLMs and ...

Xforia, Inc.

Rust Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

Excellent with standard git, devops, and agile engineering practices * Experience with backend, async, fault-tolerant, and server-side applications. * Excellent with backend API design both REST and ...

De Circle

Semiotic Labs - Rust Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

$67.75 - $91/hr

The Role We're looking for a Rust Engineer who's excited about building scalable, cryptographically secure systems for web3 infrastructure. You'll work on GraphTally , implementing performant ...

Infoways

Rust Engineer at Goleta, CA (Onsite)

Goleta, CA · On-site

$62 - $83.25/hr

Familiarity with Rust language concepts (ownership, lifetimes, traits, etc.) * Understanding of data structures, algorithms, and systems programming fundamentals. * Comfort with Git and collaborative ...

Nvidia

Senior Compiler Engineer - Rust GPU

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$143K - $189K/yr

We are redefining how developers write high-performance GPU software by bringing the safety, expressiveness, and modern tooling of Rust to native GPU and CUDA development. On this team, you will ...

Zscaler

Principal Rust Developer

San Jose, CA · Hybrid

Role We are looking for a Principal Rust Developer to join our Platform Convergence Team. This is a hybrid role based in San Jose, CA reporting to the Sr. Director, Software Engineering. Join us to ...

Laiba Technologies LLC

RUST Programmer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$31 - $42.50/hr

RUST Technical SME Location: SAN JOSE, CA (Onsite) The Rust Technical SME is the ultimate technical escalation point and hands-on Strike Team lead for the Rust language pod. This is a heavy Backend ...

Svix

Rust Backend Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$130K - $180K/yr

About the Role We are looking for a top performing backend engineer that loves coding with Rust. You will get to solve interesting problems and technical challenges. We move fast, and speed of ...

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All JobsRust Engineer JobsRust Engineer Jobs in California

Rust Engineer information

See California salary details

$35K

$94.8K

$165.8K

How much do rust engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 24, 2026, the average yearly pay for rust engineer in California is $94,849.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $79,000.00 and $106,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Rust engineer?

Rust Engineers are software developers who specialize in using the Rust programming language to build reliable, efficient, and safe systems. They often work on performance-critical applications such as backend services, embedded software, systems programming, and blockchain technologies. Rust Engineers are valued for their ability to write code that minimizes bugs and security vulnerabilities, leveraging Rust's strict compiler and memory safety features. Their expertise is increasingly sought after in industries where safety, speed, and concurrency are essential.

What skills and qualifications are needed to thrive as a Rust engineer?

To thrive as a Rust Engineer, you need a strong understanding of systems programming concepts, the Rust language, and experience with software development best practices, often supported by a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with version control systems like Git, build tools such as Cargo, and knowledge of CI/CD pipelines are typically required. Problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and effective communication set outstanding Rust Engineers apart. These skills and qualifications are essential for building reliable, high-performance, and secure software systems in collaborative development environments.

What are common challenges Rust engineers face when integrating Rust with existing systems?

Rust Engineers often encounter challenges when integrating Rust into codebases written in other languages, such as C, C++, or Python. These challenges can include managing foreign function interfaces (FFI), ensuring memory safety across language boundaries, and handling differences in build systems and tooling. Collaboration with teams familiar with legacy systems is often essential to navigate these complexities, and clear documentation is key to successful integration. Over time, these challenges can deepen your understanding of system interoperability and lead to broader career opportunities in systems programming.

What is the difference between Rust Engineer vs Software Developer?

AspectRust EngineerSoftware Developer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Computer Science or related, familiarity with RustBachelor's in Computer Science or related, general programming skills
Work EnvironmentTech companies, startups, embedded systems, systems programmingVarious industries including tech, finance, healthcare, web development
Employer & Industry UsageCompanies developing performance-critical or system-level applicationsBroad range of companies developing software across sectors
Search & Comparison IntentFocus on Rust-specific roles, systems programmingGeneral software development roles across languages

Rust Engineers specialize in developing high-performance, safe systems using Rust, often in embedded or systems programming contexts. Software Developers have a broader scope, working across multiple languages and industries. While both roles require strong programming skills, Rust Engineers focus on Rust expertise, whereas Software Developers may work with various languages and technologies.

How do you become a Rust engineer?

To become a Rust engineer, you should learn the Rust programming language through official documentation, tutorials, and practice projects. Gaining experience with systems programming, understanding ownership and concurrency concepts, and familiarizing yourself with tools like Cargo and Rustup are also important. Building a portfolio of Rust projects and contributing to open-source can enhance your qualifications for such roles.

How much do Rust engineers make?

Rust engineers typically earn between $80,000 and $150,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and industry. Senior roles or those with specialized skills in systems programming and performance optimization tend to command higher salaries.

What are popular job titles related to Rust Engineer jobs in California?

For Rust Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Rust Engineer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Rust Engineer jobs in California are:

Rust Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Rust Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 95% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $94,849 per year, or $45.6 per hour.

Rust Engineer

LHi Group Ltd

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Other

Posted 25 days ago

Job description

Founding Rust Engineer
San Francisco (Onsite)
Up to $260,000 Base + Bonus + Equity
I'm working with a fast-growing AI infrastructure startup that's looking to hire its first dedicated Rust Engineer.
The company has built one of the most widely adopted AI gateways, enabling developers to access 100+ LLM providers through a single API. It's already used by some of the world's largest technology companies and has reached approximately $15M ARR, while remaining lean and engineering-focused.
This is a rare opportunity to lead a full migration of the company's core platform from Python to Rust, working directly with the founders to shape the long-term technical direction.
You'll be responsible for:
  • Leading the migration from Python to Rust
  • Improving latency, throughput, and overall system performance
  • Partnering with leadership on architecture and engineering strategy
  • Establishing Rust best practices across the engineering organization

They're looking for engineers with:
  • 3-5+ years of software engineering experience
  • Production Rust experience
  • Strong systems programming fundamentals
  • Experience building high-performance backend or distributed systems
  • A passion for ownership and solving difficult engineering problems

If you're interested in helping build the next generation of AI infrastructure-or know someone who might be-I'd love to chat.

Apply