Senior Software Engineer, Rust

About Ditto: Ditto is redefining how data moves at the edge. Our mission is to make it seamless for developers to build resilient, real-time applications, regardless of network conditions. Whether you're in a stadium, airplane, or remote military base, Ditto's peer-to-peer sync engine ensures devices stay connected and data stays consistent, even without internet. With more than $145 million in funding and trusted by organizations like Chick-fil-A, Delta Airlines, and the U.S. military, Ditto powers mission-critical experiences across aviation, retail, travel, hospitality, defense, and more. As a globally distributed, fast-growing startup, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the wide range of perspectives needed to solve the world’s hardest connectivity problems. ABOUT THE POSITION: We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer to work directly within the core of Ditto's data sync platform and help shape our database replication systems. You'll design mission-critical data sync protocols that work in challenging environments, delivering on Ditto's goal of a high-performance, self-healing, and reliable mesh. Your written design docs and code reviews matter just as much as live collaboration, and regular meetups and customer visits bring the team together around real-world problems. If you're passionate about owning large cross-platform projects end-to-end, improving developer experience at scale, and building the systems that power mission-critical applications, this is the role for you. AS A SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER, YOU WILL OWN: - Data sync and replication systems — Design and build mission-critical replication protocols that enable high-performance, self-healing, and reliable data synchronization across heterogeneous peers and challenging network environments. - Mesh reliability and observability — Define the metrics, logs, and traces needed to understand how data propagates through the mesh, troubleshoot production issues, and guide improvements to system resiliency and recovery. - Cross-platform performance — Optimize bandwidth utilization, data transfer, storage, and low-level I/O across Ditto’s supported platforms while maintaining high concurrency and reliability. - Core sync architecture — Apply techniques such as content addressing, deduplication, Merkle trees, probabilistic data structures, and CRDTs to evolve Ditto’s replication platform and support new product capabilities. - End-to-end technical leadership — Drive projects from technical design through delivery, author RFCs, improve developer experience, advise API and product teams, and collaborate directly with customers and cross-functional partners. WHAT YOU’LL NEED: - 3+ years of systems-level Rust experience — You’ve built production-grade Rust libraries or systems. You’re comfortable with async programming and building reliable high-performance concurrent software. - Data synchronization – You have experience building robust, decentralized sync systems using techniques such as content addressing, data deduplication, Merkle trees, probabilistic data structures, and state-based or delta-state CRDTs across heterogeneous peers. - Observability — You can identify and instrument the metrics, logs, and traces needed to visualize how data propagates through a mesh, diagnose production issues, and improve bandwidth utilization, reliability, and self-healing behavior. - Strong written communication — We’re an async-first, distributed team. Your design docs, RFCs, and code reviews are your primary communication tools. You can explain complex systems decisions clearly to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders. - Customer empathy — You’re willing to engage directly with customers, debug production issues on their devices, and translate field experience into engineering improvements. NICE TO HAVES: - Familiarity with CRDTs, distributed systems, or offline-first data synchronization. - Experience building software or integrating with embedded databases or data sync platforms. - Basic networking knowledge: IPv4, TCP, UDP, Bluetooth Low Energy, mesh networking concepts. - Experience with lightweight verification techniques such as property-based testing and model checking. - A track record of open-source contributions in relevant ecosystems. - Experience building or architecting offline-first systems. THE BENEFITS OF BUILDING WITH US We offer competitive salaries and meaningful equity. We believe everyone on the team should have a stake in what we’re building. Benefits vary by region to make sure you're covered in the ways that matter most. In the US, that includes health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, plus a 401(k) and flexible spending accounts. Regardless of where you live, everyone at Ditto can utilize flexible time off. And while we work remotely, our Atlanta office is always open if you ever want a place to work or meet up with teammates. APPLY ANYWAY At Ditto, we know game-changers don’t always come wrapped in a “perfect” resume. Years of experience? Every single bullet point checked? Meh. That’s not what drives us. What does matter? - Grit. - Curiosity. - Adaptability. - And a genuine spark for what we’re building. So if you’re fired up about our mission but not sure you tick every box - hit that apply button anyway. Use your application to show us how you’ll make an impact here. We’re always on the lookout for exceptional humans who want to grow, stretch, and build something meaningful with us. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Ditto is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Ditto is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let us know.