Lead Systems Engineer (Rust) - AI Platform

Lead Systems Engineer (Rust) - AI PlatformWhat if your mastery of Rust could directly shape the infrastructure powering the next generation of AI? We're looking for a senior Rust engineer to build and optimize the high-performance systems — data pipelines, annotation tooling, and evaluation infrastructure — that leading AI labs depend on to train and improve their models.This is a fully remote, flexible contract role. You'll work on real production systems alongside data, research, and engineering teams at the frontier of AI development.Organization: AlignerrType: Hourly ContractLocation: RemoteCommitment: 20–40 hours/weekWhat You'll DoDesign, build, and optimize high-performance Rust systems supporting large-scale AI data pipelines and evaluation workflowsDevelop full-stack tooling and backend services for data annotation, validation, and quality controlImprove reliability, performance, and safety across existing Rust codebasesIdentify bottlenecks and edge cases in system and data behavior — then implement scalable, production-ready fixesCollaborate closely with research and engineering teams to support model training and evaluation workflowsLead synchronous system design reviews and contribute architectural decisions that raise the bar across the codebaseWho You AreNative or fluent English speaker with clear written and verbal communication skills5+ years of professional experience writing production Rust, with a strong focus on system architecture and API designDeep expertise in FFI (Foreign Function Interface) and unsafe Rust boundaries to optimize cross-language interactionsAdvanced understanding of asynchronous runtimes and thread safety in complex, multi-threaded environmentsA systems thinker who can lead technical discussions and drive architectural decisions with confidenceAble to commit 20–40 hours per week consistentlyNice to HavePrior experience with data annotation, data quality pipelines, or evaluation systemsFamiliarity with AI/ML workflows, model training, or benchmarking infrastructureExperience building distributed systems or developer toolingWhy Join UsWork on cutting-edge AI infrastructure alongside top research labs and engineering teamsFully remote and async-friendly — work from wherever you do your best thinkingFreelance autonomy with the depth and impact of meaningful, high-stakes engineering workTackle genuinely hard systems problems that matter — your work directly influences how the world's most advanced AI models are builtPotential for ongoing work and contract extension as new projects launch