Software Engineer (Linux) at Proton.ai

<p class="Lexical__paragraph"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">Join Proton and build a better internet where privacy is the default</strong></strong></p> <p class="Lexical__paragraph">Proton was founded in 2014 by scientists from CERN on a simple truth: <strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">privacy is a fundamental human right</strong></strong>. Since then, we’ve built the world’s largest encrypted email service (Proton Mail) and expanded into Proton VPN, Proton Drive, Proton Pass, and Proton Calendar—tools used by millions globally to protect their freedom, fight censorship, and keep their data safe. In some situations, Proton has literally helped save lives!</p> <p class="Lexical__paragraph">We are profitable, independent (no VC control), and selectively hire from the top ~1% of applicants. Our 500+ team members across 50+ countries come from leading organizations and elite academic backgrounds. We move fast, keep hierarchy light, and prioritize impact over optics. If you want to do meaningful work with exceptionally high-caliber people, this is it.&nbsp;Join us and do work you can truly be proud of.&nbsp;Check our&nbsp;open-source&nbsp;projects&nbsp;<a class="Lexical__link" href="https://proton.me/community/open-source">here</a>!</p> <p class="Lexical__paragraph"><strong>The Proton Drive Desktop Team</strong></p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Proton Drive is our secure, private cloud storage and collaborative editing suite, with clients on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Web. One platform is missing: Linux. You will build it from scratch. This is a greenfield project with high visibility inside Proton and across the open-source community — our entire client codebase is published under an open-source license, and this will be the first public example of how to build a native application on top of the Proton Drive SDK. You will work closely with our Windows and Mac engineers to ensure feature parity, and you will contribute to our platform-agnostic SDK and CLI tooling as the Linux surface area demands it. If building something that the Linux community has been waiting for, and doing it in the open, is the kind of work that gets you out of bed — this role is for you.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>Tech Stack and Tools</strong></p> <ul class="[li_&amp;]:mb-0 [li_&amp;]:mt-1 [li_&amp;]:gap-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3"> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Linux desktop application development (GTK+ or Qt)</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Rust (nice to have)</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Git, CI/CD pipelines</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Linux packaging and distribution (Debian, Fedora-based)</li> </ul> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>What You'll Do</strong></p> <ul class="[li_&amp;]:mb-0 [li_&amp;]:mt-1 [li_&amp;]:gap-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3"> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Own the design and implementation of the Proton Drive Linux desktop client, built greenfield from the ground up.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Ensure the codebase meets the standard expected of production open-source software — it will be read and built upon by developers beyond Proton.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Integrate deeply with Linux-specific system components, including the filesystem layer for our file synchronization engine.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Contribute to our platform-agnostic SDK and CLI tooling to ensure Linux features are properly exposed for scripting and cross-client use.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Build and maintain cross-client automated and end-to-end tests in collaboration with Windows and Mac engineers.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Define and implement application telemetry to support performance analysis, debugging, and customer support.</li> <li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Own the build pipelines, packaging, and distribution across major Linux distros.</li> </ul> <p class="p1"><strong>Job requirements:</strong></p> <ul> <li class="p1">5+ years of experience in software development of Linux-based desktop client software, both with and without a visible interface (i.e., GUI apps as well as CLI apps).</li> <li class="p1">Applied best practices in code quality paradigms</li> <li class="p1">Experience with DevOps principles and practices (CI/CD, etc)</li> <li class="p1">Experience with source control flow through&nbsp;<strong>Git</strong> (code reviews, branching and merging, etc)</li> <li class="p1">Open-source Linux development, distribution, packaging and maintenance for multiple distros (e.g. on&nbsp;<strong>Debian</strong> or <strong>Fedora</strong>-based platforms)</li> <li class="p1">Overall, handling the entire SDLC, end to end</li> </ul> <p class="p1"><strong>Nice to have:</strong></p> <ul> <li class="p1">Experience in Linux desktop client development (in particular through the <strong>GTK+</strong> framework, or alternatively <strong>QT</strong>)</li> <li class="p1">Experience in Rust</li> </ul> <p class="Lexical__paragraph"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">What we offer</strong></strong></p> <ul class="Lexical__ul Lexical__ul--depth-1"> <li class="Lexical__listItem" value="1"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">Work that Matters:</strong></strong>&nbsp;millions of people trust Proton with their privacy. We answer only to our users — not advertisers, not investors with conflicting agendas, not governments. The work you do here is real, and the impact is measurable. (read more about our impact <a class="Lexical__link" href="https://proton.me/about/impact">here</a>)</li> <li class="Lexical__listItem" value="2"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">A great Team: </strong></strong>Our team is diverse, collaborative, and tight-knit with people coming from all walks of life, including many of the world’s top academic institutions and organizations, such as MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, Cambridge, and ETH.</li> <li class="Lexical__listItem" value="3"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">Technology:</strong></strong>&nbsp;you'll get the right hardware and the right software you need to do your best work.</li> <li class="Lexical__listItem" value="4"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">Learning &amp; Development:</strong></strong>&nbsp;we invest in your growth because sharp people make us better. Proton is one of the fastest ways to accelerate your career because you'll be thrown into real challenges, with real ownership, from day one.</li> <li class="Lexical__listItem" value="5"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">Employee Benefits:</strong></strong>&nbsp;your wellbeing isn't an afterthought. We offer strong health coverage, solid retirement options, generous leave, and wellness support so you can bring your best self to work every day</li> <li class="Lexical__listItem" value="6"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">Stock Options:</strong></strong>&nbsp;at Proton, we all have the opportunity to be owners of the company. From day one, you have a real stake in what we're building. When Proton wins, you win.</li> <li class="Lexical__listItem" value="7"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">In-Person Collaboration:</strong></strong> Amazing things happen when passionate, smart, and purposeful people get together in the same room. With offices across Geneva, Zürich, Barcelona, London and more, you'll spend most of your time collaborating face-to-face with people who genuinely care about what they're building</li> <li class="Lexical__listItem" value="8"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">Food:</strong></strong>&nbsp;Lunch and snacks are on us every day in our offices so you can focus on the work and not on what's for lunch.</li> <li class="Lexical__listItem" value="9"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">Transport:&nbsp;</strong></strong>getting to the office shouldn't cost you. We cover public transport, bike allowances, or parking, whichever works for you.</li> <li class="Lexical__listItem" value="10"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">Flexible Working:</strong></strong>&nbsp;you own your schedule. Set hours that work for you and your team — because outcomes matter more than when the clock says you started.</li> </ul> <p class="Lexical__paragraph"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">Our commitment to diversity and inclusion</strong></strong></p> <p class="Lexical__paragraph">At Proton, we believe diversity drives innovation and strengthens our mission to provide privacy as a default for all. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical ability or socio-economic background feel valued and empowered. We strive to create equal opportunities, promote open dialogue and support continuous learning to ensure every voice is heard and respected.</p> <p class="Lexical__paragraph">If you need any extra support or reasonable adjustments during the hiring process, please let your talent partner know.</p> <p class="Lexical__paragraph"><strong><strong class="Lexical__textBold">Candidate privacy notice</strong></strong></p> <p class="Lexical__paragraph">When you apply for a position, refer a candidate or are considered for a role at Proton Technologies AG (<em><em class="Lexical__textItalic">Proton</em></em>, <em><em class="Lexical__textItalic">we</em></em>, <em><em class="Lexical__textItalic">us</em></em> or <em><em class="Lexical__textItalic">our</em></em>), your information is stored in Greenhouse, in accordance with its&nbsp;<a class="Lexical__link" href="https://www.greenhouse.com/privacy-policy">Service Privacy Policy</a>. This information is used to evaluate your suitability for the posted position. We also retain this information for consideration for future roles that you may apply for or that we believe may align with your background and skills.</p> <p class="Lexical__paragraph">If we no longer have a legitimate business need to process your information, we will either delete or anonymise it. Should you have any inquiries about how we use or manage your information or if you wish to access, correct or delete your data, please contact our privacy team at <a class="Lexical__link" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</p> <p class="Lexical__paragraph"><em><em class="Lexical__textItalic">Proton does not accept unsolicited CVs from any sources other than directly from candidates. We will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from an unsolicited offer, even if the candidate is subsequently hired by Proton.</em></em></p> <p class="Lexical__paragraph"><em><em class="Lexical__textItalic">To learn more about our privacy policy, please visit&nbsp;</em></em><a class="Lexical__link" href="https://boards.eu.greenhouse.io/protongdpr"><em><em class="Lexical__textItalic">our privacy policy page</em></em></a><em><em class="Lexical__textItalic">.</em></em></p> <p class="Lexical__paragraph">&nbsp;</p> <p class="Lexical__paragraph">#LI-ONSITE</p>