Senior Rust Backend Engineer - Distributed Systems

Company: Travoom
Location: Austin
Posted on: February 18, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description Company Description We are pausing travoom to focus on oleolesport.com OleOle is developing a completely free social network and messaging platform for football (Soccer), sports first super app. The primary revenue model will be gambling focused on in match play. A completely different model than the existing leaders , we are using the Stake.com blockchain strategy. ecoomerce similar to WeChat will also drive significant revenue. we intend to operate our own crypto marketplace are own NFT marketplace not to mention the mini program marketplace. Lots of good technology out there owned by startups that are out of cash and lack enough users to make it on their own. OleOle Who We Are OleOle is building a decentralized social network and messaging platform for global football fans — think Twitter WhatsApp TikTok theScore WeChat, built natively using Rust , WebAssembly, and blockchain-compatible architecture. Our mission is to disrupt the global sports ecosystem by empowering fans, clubs, and brands to connect, transact, and create — all without middlemen. From football content to commerce, ticketing, gaming, NFTs, and crypto betting — we’re building a super app for sports. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a founding engineer at a startup aiming to reshape how sports communities engage digitally — from the Champions League to the World Cup. What we do oleolesport.com empowers people to identify football experience and without any search requirements, simply presents the traveler with vetted components necessary to bring the trip to life tickets, lodging, flights and beyond. And we are building a football super app. Why we are better oleolesport.com’s searchless travel approach means a soccer/football experience can be discovered, planned and purchased in a matter of minutes without the endless search-driven lunacy and inefficiency that comes with all travel planning. There isnt a sports social network, oh some claim to be however they lack even the slightest understanding of network platforms. Job Description Job Title Founding Backend Architect / Principal Rust Engineer About the Role OleOle is building a global, real-time social and messaging platform for sports fans — from the ground up, natively in Rust. This is not a feature role and not a task-driven role. We are looking for a senior backend engineer who has owned systems before and is comfortable making foundational architectural decisions that will not be rewritten later. You will design and evolve the backend architecture powering public conversations, real-time messaging, video, commerce, and token-based incentives for millions of users worldwide. What You’ll Be Responsible For Designing and owning core backend architecture in Rust (async-first) Defining service boundaries, data ownership, and evolution strategy Designing scalable APIs (REST and/or GraphQL) for mobile and web clients Modeling and operating PostgreSQL as a long-term source of truth Architecting real-time systems (feeds, messaging, event-driven workflows) Making tradeoffs around consistency, latency, and scalability Working with DevOps while retaining backend architectural authority Reviewing critical code paths and preventing premature complexity Helping shape the backend team as the company grows This role is hands-on, but judgment matters more than output volume. What You’ll Be Building You will help lay the foundation for a native Rust platform that includes: A large-scale social graph (users, clubs, countries, conversations) Public feeds and real-time messaging Video and media delivery pipelines Token-based rewards and commerce API infrastructure used across mobile, web, and internal services Event-driven systems supporting live updates and notifications Required Experience 7–12 years of professional backend engineering experience Proven ownership of backend systems in production Strong, real-world Rust experience (async systems, not experiments) Deep understanding of PostgreSQL data modeling and performance Experience designing APIs and explaining tradeoffs clearly Experience building or evolving systems that had to scale Ability to reason about architecture without hiding behind buzzwords If you’ve never been responsible for a system’s long-term health, this is not the role. Nice to Have (Not Required) Experience with real-time systems (feeds, messaging, streaming) Experience with high-write or high-fanout workloads ETL / data pipelines Media or video delivery systems Token, wallet, or crypto-adjacent systems (non-blockchain core) Compensation & Stage Compensation is deferred until funding Meaningful equity and long-term ownership Founding-level responsibility and influence Small team, high autonomy, minimal process This role is for engineers who want ownership, not safety. What This Role Is NOT Not a ticket-driven implementation role Not a DevOps-led backend role Not a resume-padding opportunity Not suitable for junior or mid-level engineers Why This Version Works Senior engineers recognize themselves in this description Resume fakers and ChatGPT engineers self-select out You signal authority, ownership, and seriousness You stop attracting people who “know the words” but not the work If you want, next we can: Tighten this further into a LinkedIn job post Create a one-paragraph screening message Rewrite the technical challenge so fakers fail instantly Qualifications Qualifications Your Background 7-12 years of software engineering experience (preferably at early-stage startups or high-growth platforms) 4 years of experience working in Rust in production environments, ideally on scalable web or blockchain-native backends Strong experience designing modern, scalable backend architectures from scratch — including authentication, real-time messaging, microservices, APIs, caching, and database design Proficiency with Rust frameworks like Actix, Axum, Tokio, or Rocket Experience with WebAssembly, gRPC, or GraphQL is a plus Passion for decentralization, crypto, Web3, and building products that empower users Comfortable working without product managers, defining scope, and leading engineering direction Bonus: experience with blockchain integration, tokenomics, or building in no-fee marketplaces OleOle – Where Fans Kick Off! Additional Information Solutions not problems . Creative problem solver who can courageously propose and support new ideas to our organization. Not interested in best practices, lets build something better! Ability to adapt. An ideal candidate will welcome the opportunity to solve a broad range of problems using a wide array of technologies. Comfortable with ambiguity, shifting priorities and general growing pains of an early-stage technology company An exceptional entrepreneurial judgment that fosters independence over micro-management Understanding of football and international sports a huge plus We are offering: Founding engineer-level equity and token allocation Deferred salary until funding is secured All current team members are working on a deferred compensation basis — we lost our funding two months ago and made the decision to build while we raise. This comes with real risk. Closing funding could take two months or it could take five — but we’re committed to this vision and we’re looking for someone who’s equally passionate and resilient. Long-term ownership and technical leadership A mission-driven, elite team with deep experience in sports, media, crypto, and startups You’ll be one of the first engineers — which means maximum influence and upside. Ole Ole is located in beautiful Austin Texas, however, this role requires some travel we are privately held and rapidly growing!

Keywords: Travoom, Waco , Senior Rust Backend Engineer - Distributed Systems, Engineering , Austin, Texas