Senior Software Engineer

About the role

Parallel Systems is pioneering autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles designed to transform freight transportation by shifting portions of the $900 billion U.S. trucking industry onto rail. Your work will directly influence how efficiently and safely freight moves across the national rail network. You will own the design and implementation of high-performance backend systems that enable real-time decision-making for train navigation and control. This role demands a systems thinker who can build robust software that operates securely at scale in demanding operational environments. You will interface directly with customer train control systems, ensuring seamless integration and reliability. Success in this position means shipping code that critically impacts the performance and safety of autonomous rail operations.

Location: USA

What you'll do

Design and implement high-performance, low-latency backend systems for critical train control applications that must respond in real time to dynamic rail conditions.

Develop and maintain system-level software written primarily in Rust, focusing on memory safety, concurrency, and performance under constrained operational scenarios.

Optimize existing codebases for scalability, performance, and reliability to support increasing data volumes and system complexity over time.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to architect fault-tolerant and distributed systems that ensure continuous operation and resilience in the field.

Ensure software meets security, compliance, and performance standards through rigorous validation, testing, and documentation practices.

Conduct performance profiling, debugging, and system diagnostics for complex issues that span hardware, network, and application layers.

Contribute to code reviews, technical discussions, and best practices within the team to elevate the overall quality and maintainability of the codebase.

Translate customer train control system requirements into technical specifications that guide backend implementation and integration efforts.

Monitor production deployments, analyze telemetry data, and drive iterative improvements that enhance system stability and operational efficiency.

Support the simulation and testing of major features on real hardware at test sites to validate behavior before broader rollout.

Take ownership of the future path of back-office systems, defining architectural direction and guiding long-term technical strategy.

Work within a fast-paced startup environment where adaptability, clear communication, and rapid problem-solving are essential to meeting ambitious milestones.

Partner closely with product, operations, and hardware teams to align software capabilities with evolving business and regulatory needs.

Drive the delivery of high-integrity software features that enable safer, cleaner, and more efficient logistics solutions for the freight industry.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in backend or systems-level software development in demanding production environments.

Professional experience in C, C++, Rust, or other systems programming languages with a strong track record of building reliable software.

Strong understanding of operating systems, networking protocols, and concurrency models as they apply to distributed and real-time systems.

Demonstrated ability to write safe, efficient, and maintainable code that adheres to strict quality and compliance standards.

Experience with performance profiling, debugging, and system-level diagnostics for complex, multi-component software and hardware integrations.

Comfort working with simulation tools, test frameworks, and hardware-in-the-loop testing methodologies in a safety-critical context.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills for collaborating with cross-functional teams and documenting technical decisions.

A commitment to learning and applying best practices in software engineering, including version control, code review, and continuous integration.

What success looks like

After 30 Days: You've ramped up quickly, developed a deep understanding of our backend systems, and are actively contributing to high-impact feature development that improves the performance and reliability of our train systems.

After 60 Days: You've taken initiative in designing a scalable architecture for integrating with customer enterprise systems. You've outlined a clear and realistic implementation plan, including milestones for development, testing, and deployment.

After 90 Days: You have implemented and tested major features in simulation and on real hardware at the test site and have taken the lead on the future path of our back-office systems.