Staff Software Engineer (Los Angeles)

Staff Software Engineer

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. Our innovative technology offers cleaner, safer, and more efficient logistics solutions. Join our dynamic team and help shape a smarter, greener future for global freight.

Staff Software Engineer

Parallel Systems is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead the design, development, and optimization of critical system applications. In this role, you will shape the technical direction of our high-performance backend systems that enable our autonomous rail vehicles to safely and securely navigate the rail network, while integrating seamlessly with customer train control and enterprise systems.

This position requires deep expertise in systems programming and distributed architectures, as well as the ability to guide technical strategy, mentor engineers, and collaborate across product and hardware teams to deliver reliable, scalable solutions.

Responsibilities

• Architect the design of high-performance, low-latency backend systems for mission-critical train control applications
• Develop and maintain system-level software written primarily in Rust, ensuring scalability, safety, and reliability
• Drive system-wide optimizations, including performance, memory management, and fault tolerance
• Partner with product, hardware, and operations teams to align technical solutions with business and customer needs
• Lead technical design reviews and contribute to long-term architectural roadmaps for distributed, safety-critical systems
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to engineers across the software team
• Define best practices for secure, compliant, and highly available software in production environments
• Contribute to integration efforts with customer enterprise and train control systems
• When appropriate, step into project leadership, ensuring milestones are well-defined and achieved

What Success Looks Like

Basic Requirements

Preferred Qualifications

Target Salary Range :

$200,000 - $250,000 USD

Parallel Systems is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any discriminatory factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. We work to build an inclusive environment in which all people can come to do their best work.

Parallel Systems is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Parallel Systems will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and / or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact your recruiter.