Systems Engineer Co-Founder - Rust
Remote · Part-time · Equity only · Pre-funded · Pre-revenue
Delivery-based engagement · No fixed hours · No salary
Rust — non-negotiableEquity only · No salaryCo-founderPart-timeRemote
THE HONEST BRIEF
Sovvlyn is pre-funded and pre-revenue. This is an equity co-founder role — there is no salary. You work part-time, on your own schedule, and you are measured entirely by what you deliver, not how many hours you log.
If that model suits where you are right now, we would like to hear from you. If it does not, we respect that completely.
ABOUT SOVVLYN
Sovvlyn is sovereign digital infrastructure — encrypted, user-custodied, policy-controlled exchange built without shortcuts. We are not a messaging app. We are not a social platform. We are the infrastructure layer beneath — the foundation that professional and enterprise users will build trust on.
Our protocol is original with a patent pending. Our architecture holds to one principle above all others
Current Status
Sovvly is actively in development. A founding team of five engineers is already building across parallel tracks, led by the founder who is serving as CEO and CPO and driving SDLC project development directly. This is not a pre-team, pre-idea search — the architecture is defined, the protocol is built, and the tracks are in motion. We are looking for the right person to own the systems infrastructure layer alongside a team that is already shipping.
THE ROLE
You will own the systems infrastructure track — a Rust-only codebase that runs as a silent background daemon across macOS, Windows, Linux, and NAS platforms. This is a track you own end-to-end: architecture, implementation, security hardening, cross-platform packaging, and release.
Your work interfaces directly with our shared cryptographic protocol package and relay layer. You do not build those — but you must understand them deeply enough to consume them correctly and without compromise.
RESPONSIBILITIES
* Design and build a multi-service Rust daemon with clean service boundaries, async architecture, and graceful lifecycle management across all supported platforms.
* Implement encrypted local storage — vault layout, atomic blob writes, application-level encryption, integrity verification, TTL garbage collection, and quota enforcement.
* Build and maintain the relay sync engine — persistent WebSocket client, offline-first durable job queue, exponential backoff reconnection, and bidirectional capsule delivery.
* Implement zero-config local network discovery and pairing — mDNS advertisement, one-time cryptographic pairing tokens, and session management without manual IP configuration.
* Own security hardening — vault encryption key hierarchy stored in platform keychains, anti-cloning protections, remote revocation, signed OTA update verification with automatic rollback.
* Deliver cross-platform packaging — macOS notarised installer and Launch Agent, Windows MSI and Service, Linux .deb/.rpm with systemd hardening, Synology and QNAP NAS packages.
* Maintain a robust CI/CD matrix — automated builds, tests, linting, licence auditing, and vulnerability scanning across macOS, Windows, Linux x86_64, and Linux ARM64.
* Collaborate on protocol integration — ensure Rust data models remain wire-compatible with the shared TypeScript protocol package across tracks.
* Contribute to Phase 2 architecture — enterprise storage connectors, on-prem relay deployment, and multi-node infrastructure as the product scales into regulated organisations.
SKILLS REQUIRED-MUST HAVE
* Rust — production-grade, not in progress. This is non-negotiable.
* tokio — async Rust, multi-service daemon patterns, CancellationToken lifecycle.
* Cryptographic primitives — AES-GCM, HKDF, ECDH, Ed25519. Correct usage, not implementation from scratch.
* SQLite — embedded schema design, migrations, WAL mode, query optimisation via sqlx.
* Secure systems design — key material handling, memory zeroing, no-secrets-in-logs discipline, threat modelling.
* Cross-platform build — single Rust codebase targeting macOS, Windows, Linux x86_64, and ARM64.
* WebSocket networking — persistent connections, reconnect strategies, message queue patterns.
STRONG ADVANTAGE
* axum — lightweight local HTTP API, middleware, authentication patterns.
* rustls — TLS without OpenSSL dependency in the network path.
* Platform keychain integration — macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, Linux Secret Service via keyring crate.
* mDNS / zero-config networking — mdns-sd or equivalent.
* Platform packaging — macOS notarisation, Windows Authenticode, Linux systemd hardening directives, NAS package formats.
* cargo-dist, cross-rs — release pipelines, cross-compilation for ARM targets.
* OTA update patterns — signed manifest verification, staged apply, health-gated rollback.
* Swift (SwiftUI) — macOS menu bar agent, a minor but real part of the platform surface.
WHAT KIND OF PERSON FITS
Someone who finds shortcuts in cryptographic infrastructure genuinely offensive. Someone who considers \"it works on my machine\" a failure mode, not a milestone.
The founding team is small and senior. Every track is owned by one person who is accountable for it completely.
This is a co-founder engagement — the expectation is that you care about what you are building as much as we do, because your name is on it too.
COMPENSATION
* Equity stake — agreed transparently at the start, reflecting the scope and criticality of your track.
* No salary — Sovvlyn is pre-funded and pre-revenue. Salary becomes part of the conversation when we raise.
* Delivery-based — you are measured by what ships, not hours worked. Work around your life.
* Co-founder title — you are a named technical co-founder, not a contractor or advisor.
Tell us what you have shipped in Rust and why building sovereign infrastructure matters to you.
Apply with CV on linkedin.