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Rust Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

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 ...

LiteLLM

Rust Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$97K - $129K/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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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

$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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Chipton Ross

Rust Software Developer

Del Rey, CA · On-site

Job #216012 Chipton-Ross is seeking a Rust Software Developer for a contract opportunity in Camden,NJ. BASIC QUALIFICATIONS (REQUIRED SKILLS/EXPERIENCE) * U.S. citizenship with a Active Department 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 Sep 14, 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 87% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $94,849 per year, or $45.6 per hour.

Rust Engineer

San Francisco, CA • On-site

LiteLLM AI Gateway
See more jobs at LiteLLM AI Gatewayexternal

$220K - $300K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision

Re-posted 29 days ago

Job description

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 adjacent services. We're looking for a Rust Engineer to own the migration of LiteLLM from Python to Rust and make us the fastest AI gateway ever built.
About The Role
You'll own LiteLLM's migration to Rust end to end. This is a high-stakes, high-visibility role: you'll plan the migration directly with the CTO, structure the codebase so it's ready for Rust, and lead a gradual, stability-first rollout. The work is fundamentally about performance. Every decision you make will move us toward being the lowest-latency, highest-throughput gateway in the category, without ever compromising the reliability our enterprise customers depend on.
This is a single-owner mandate. You will be the person leading the entire Python-to-Rust migration.
Responsibilities
  • Own the end-to-end migration of LiteLLM from Python to Rust, from architecture through rollout.
  • Plan the migration alongside the CTO, sequencing work to minimize risk to live, high-volume traffic.
  • Design and execute a gradual rollout that holds stability as the top constraint while the migration progresses.
  • Restructure the existing codebase so it's positioned for a clean, incremental move to Rust.
  • Drive performance gains across latency, throughput, and resource efficiency at 1B+ requests/mo.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure the migration aligns with backend priorities across performance, reliability, and security.

What We're Looking For
  • Deep, long-standing expertise in Rust. You've been writing production Rust for years and know it cold.
  • Obsessive about performance. You care about latency and throughput at a level most engineers don't.
  • Strong instinct for stability, with a track record of balancing ambitious change against reliability.
  • Major bonus: prior experience leading codebase migrations from another language to Rust.
  • Major bonus: a demonstrated history of shipping performance-critical systems.
  • Familiarity with backend infrastructure, databases (PostgreSQL, Redis), and high-volume production systems.

Why Join LiteLLM?
  • Own one of the most important technical bets in the company's roadmap.
  • Define the architectural foundation that the entire platform will run on.
  • Fast-paced growth environment with deep technical ownership.
  • Competitive salary, health, dental, and vision benefits.

About LiteLLM
LiteLLM (https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm) is a Python SDK and Proxy Server enabling seamless calls to 100+ LLM APIs in the OpenAI format, trusted by industry leaders worldwide.
Ready to make LiteLLM the fastest AI gateway ever? Apply now!

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