Posted 1 week ago

Software Engineer (Non-Realtime Controllers)

IonQ

Oxford, England, United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Onsite
Full Time
Software Engineering

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Quantum is now, and it’s built here. Oxford Ionics, now part of IonQ, is pioneering the next generation of quantum computing. Using our world-leading trapped-ion technology, we’re building the most powerful, accurate and reliable quantum systems to tackle problems that today’s supercomputers cannot solve
We’re looking for an enthusiastic and highly technical Software Engineer for our Non-Realtime Controllers team who will thrive in our dynamic cross-disciplinary environment
In this role, you will be responsible for working closely with our software engineers, our systems team, and our quantum scientists to build and operate the software that controls the hardware surrounding our quantum computers, contributing to the team’s mission of enabling our systems team to operate the physical quantum computers and our science teams to experiment building towards fault tolerant computation
You’ll play an important part in shaping the non-realtime controllers, the system operations and services that support our work in building the world’s most advanced quantum systems
In this position, you will work hands-on with hardware control end to end, from the device protocol up to a service running reliably across our fleet, supporting the effective delivery of non-realtime controllers that ensure that the critical supporting hardware of a quantum computer is observable, controllable and reliable (from cryogenic compressors to lasers, wavemeters, and various sensors)
You’ll have the opportunity to own areas of the hardware control surface end to end, from the device protocol up to a service running reliably across our fleet, contributing directly to the success of building utility-scale quantum computers
Own a group of device controllers end to end, covering API design, implementation, rollout and ongoing operational health
Make services robust against the ways real instruments fail and strengthen observability, health checking and alerting
Bring devices onto our current framework, and roll the result out across the fleet without disrupting running experiments
Work closely with the software. systems and science teams who depend on these services, and to ensure our work integrates seamlessly with the wider software architecture
To be successful, you will need strong programming skills in a systems programming language and hands-on experience interfacing with hardware, and a track record of making software behave well against unreliable external dependencies
We’re looking for someone who can quickly iterate on low-level code in a collaborative, cross-disciplinary, environment and contribute effectively within a fast moving, highly technical team
Comfortable owning the production behaviour of what you build, not just its correctness in test
Previous exposure to quantum systems is not required
Excellent communication skills both within software and across disciplines, and an interest in helping other engineers get better at the craft without wanting to stop building yourself
Strong programming skills in one or more systems programming languages and the appetite to work in a Rust codebase
Experience with some hardware instrument and communication protocols (e.g. SCPI, serial, TCP/IP, USB, or similar)