Job details

Software Engineer, General

Astral

At Astral, our mission is to make the Python ecosystem more productive by building next-generation developer tools — tools that enable developers to ship great software, faster.

To start, we're building Ruff, an extremely fast Python linter and formatter; and uv, a comprehensive Python package manager — two of the fastest-growing developer tools ever.

Our early team includes the authors of ripgrep, bat, hyperfine, and maturin; early, core contributors to Biome and Prefect; and multiple CPython core developers — all building at the intersection of Rust and Python.

The Role

We're hiring generalist engineers to help build the future of Python.

Between Ruff, uv, and the rest of the Astral ecosystem, our work tends to span the spectrum from low-level Rust optimizations to high-level user experience design.

If you like hyper-optimizing parsers, it could be a good fit. If you like designing command-line interfaces or writing documentation, it could also be a good fit. Let's figure out the right role for you based on your goals and areas of interest.

As with all positions at Astral, being an open source maintainer is a big part of the job too: engaging with the community, reviewing pull requests, debugging issues, and generally contributing to our culture of developing in the open.

Strong candidates tend to have deep experience with Rust, Python, open source, or developer tools — but few candidates are deep in all of these areas, and we've hired candidates without prior Rust (or Python) experience.

The Team

We're not only remote, but highly distributed. We hire from Pacific Time (e.g., San Francisco, USA) to Central European Time (e.g., Munich, Germany), and get together twice annually for week-long, in-person on-sites.
We pay competitively (salary and equity) and offer comprehensive benefits (healthcare and more).
Our work is highly collaborative, but as is common in open source, much of that collaboration takes place asynchronously (in Discord, or GitHub, or Notion). We minimize meetings, and maximize time spent working in code.
We're a small, high-trust team. We strive to ship excellent software, at a fast pace... while having fun. (See: Our Values.)

Our Process

Our hiring process is entirely remote and does not include any live coding segments. While the process may vary from candidate to candidate, it generally consists of three phases, each designed to mimic the kind of engagement and interactions you'd have as a member of the team:

A take-home project, where we ask you to build a command-line tool based on a pre-defined specification.
A presentation, where we ask you to present on some of your own work, and have the kind of technical conversation you'd have as a member of the team, grounded in something that you know well.
A co-working engagement, where we spend time working through issues and pull requests together.

Along the way, we'll talk through your background and interests to determine whether Astral is a good fit for your career goals.

Average salary estimate

$100000 / YEARLY (est.)

min

max

$80000K

$120000K

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What You Should Know About Software Engineer, General, Astral

At Astral, we're on a mission to supercharge the Python ecosystem by creating next-generation developer tools. We're thrilled to open the doors for a passionate Software Engineer who is eager to help shape the future of our projects, especially Ruff and uv. Imagine being part of a dynamic team that's building developer tools that are not just powerful, but also user-friendly. You might find yourself diving into low-level Rust optimizations one day and working on user experience design the next. This is the beauty of being a generalist engineer at Astral; your talents can shine in various areas, whether you're optimizing parsers, designing command-line interfaces, or writing engaging documentation. We're also big believers in the open-source community. As part of your role, you'll engage with users, review pull requests, and be an essential contributor to our culture of transparency and collaboration. Although strong candidates usually come with a solid background in Rust, Python, open-source, or developer tools, we welcome those with diverse experiences and are eager to learn. Work here isn’t just a job; it’s about being part of a highly collaborative and highly distributed team that values enjoyment and excellence. Our hiring process is designed to reflect the role, featuring an engaging take-home project, a presentation on your work, and a collaborative session that mirrors our day-to-day tasks. So, if you're ready to take your tech skills to the next level and help us build amazing tools at Astral, we’d love to hear from you!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Software Engineer, General Role at Astral

What does a Software Engineer do at Astral?

As a Software Engineer at Astral, you'll be involved in building next-generation developer tools that improve productivity within the Python ecosystem. Your role will span tasks ranging from low-level Rust optimizations to high-level user experience design, depending on your interests and goals.