Rust Software Engineer

Join Proton and build a better internet where privacy is the default

At Proton, we believe that privacy is a fundamental human right and the cornerstone of democracy. Since our inception in 2014, founded by a team of scientists from CERN, we have dedicated ourselves to providing free and open-source technology to millions worldwide, ensuring access to privacy, security, and freedom online.

Our journey began with Proton Mail, the largest secure email service globally, and has since expanded to include Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and Proton Pass. These tools empower individuals and organizations to take control of their personal data, break away from Big Tech’s invasive practices, and defeat censorship. Our work impacts hundreds of millions of lives, from activists on the front lines defending freedom to leaders in governments protecting sensitive information. In some cases, Proton’s services have even been instrumental in saving lives by enabling secure and private communications in high-risk situations.

Proton is a profitable company that does not rely upon VC funding, supporting over 100 million user accounts with a growing team of over 500 people from over 50 different countries, from the world's top companies and universities. We value intelligence, learning potential, and ambition in our hiring process. Adaptability is key as we navigate uncharted territories and redefine how business is conducted online.

Hiring at Proton is highly selective, with less than 1% of candidates hired. We believe smaller teams of exceptional talent will always prevail over larger teams with lower talent density. You will have the opportunity to work with many of the world's top minds in their fields, ranging from former international math and science olympiad winners to chess champions.

We have a global mindset and big ambitions but remain a start-up at heart. We value empowerment and flexibility and keep our structure flat to keep moving fast and avoid unnecessary politics. Tired of blending into the crowd? Join us and do work you can truly be proud of. Check our open-source projects here!

The team:

Our business unit, Inbox, is a cross-functional team of about 60 engineers, product managers, designers and data analysts driving the development of Proton Mail, the company’s flagship product, and Proton Calendar. Our mission is to create an end-to-end encrypted solution with a better user experience than any other productivity products on the market. While that is not an easy journey, it is one that offers the chance to create meaningful impact and drive lasting change that we are fully committed to.

The Inbox Desktop team is responsible for developing desktop clients of Inbox, specifically the Proton Mail Desktop App, Proton Mail Bridge, and the Export tool. We are in the process of rebuilding our client applications on a new, innovative technology stack centered around cross-platform Rust code. We are looking for a Software Engineer with a Rust focus to accelerate this engineering transformation.

Tech Stack and Tools:

We use standard tools for communication and work organization (Git, GitLab, GitHub, GitLab CI, Jira, Confluence). Our backend runs on premise in Proton’s data centers, and all our client-code is open source and GPL3.

Purpose of the role: