Our Core VPN Team is hiring a Staff / Principal Software Engineer (Rust/C++/C)

Location: Hong Kong, Hybrid working model

About the Role:

You’ll enhance and maintain Lightway, the VPN protocol that keeps millions of people private and connected. You’ll work across the protocol’s server and client code, fixing problems, making it faster and more reliable, and bringing fresh ideas for what it should do next. You’ll have commit access to the Lightway repo. you’ll also help shape technical direction and support other engineers. You can grow in any direction that fits your interests and the needs of the business, and over time you can rotate through other cross-functional teams.

About the team:

The Core VPN team builds the networking code behind Kape’s VPN products. Some of our work is brand-agnostic, so it can support more than one product. We write in Rust and work across our servers and apps on every platform we support. Our goal is simple: a VPN that’s fast, reliable and private by design.

What is Lightway?

Lightway is ExpressVPN’s own VPN protocol. We built it in-house, launched it in 2020, and made it open source so anyone can inspect the code. In 2025 we rebuilt it in Rust, which makes it safer, leaner and easier to extend. It uses the wolfSSL cryptography library, and independent security firms have audited the Rust version. The Core VPN team owns and develops it.

What you’ll be doing

Write high quality, well architected, modular code which is easy to read and maintain.
Ensure your code and the application as a whole have excellent automated test coverage.
Ensure the app has a clean, simple and robust architecture to enable various teams to easily contribute code for the long term.
Keep our build and test pipelines fast and stable.
Provide high quality code reviews for your team and other contributors to the code base.
Lead by example and provide guidance and mentorship to other developers.
Undertake spikes, prototyping, and R&D work to investigate feasibility, de-risk complex projects and cut through uncertainty.
Write clear and comprehensive tech designs and test plans, and ensure work is broken down into bite sized chunks and accurately sized.

What you’ll bring

Proven track record working in Rust, C++, or C.
Solid understanding of IP networking, from low-level sockets to application-layer code, including diagnosing tricky network issues.
Excellent at writing automated tests, ideally following TDD practices.
Experienced with agile software development practices such as Scrum or Kanban.
Experienced at helping other team members be more productive, and to grow.
Good communication skills, both spoken and written.
Expertise in untangling complex, multi-system technical problems and driving org-wide consensus

Nice-to-have:

Contributions to Github or Open-Source projects.
Experience with platform-native networking internals on one or many platforms, including Android, Apple, Linux, or Windows
Computer security: public key infrastructure, cryptography, and secure coding practices.
Experience with C, C++, Go, or other low-level languages.

What we can offer you

Challenging work in a fun and collaborative environment
Spacious open-concept and centrally located offices
Full-time employment with flexible working hours
Fully stocked pantry with healthy foods and fresh fruit
Team lunches and company events every quarter
Multicultural teams represented by 30+ nationalities

ExpressVPN, a Kape Technologies company, is an equal opportunity employer. We promote equal recruitment and employment opportunities, and do not discriminate based on gender identity and/or expression, age, race, color, disability, culture, religion or belief, family and/or marital status, sexual orientation, or other characteristics protected by applicable law. We celebrate a diverse and inclusive work environment in which applicants and employees are treated with respect and dignity, and excel based on personal merit, qualifications, experience, and performance.

ExpressVPN jobs

Staff / Principal Software Engineer (Rust/C++/C)

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