Software Engineer, Quantum Control (fire Opal)

Software Engineer, Quantum Control (Fire Opal)

Los Angeles / San Francisco

Engineering – Computing Engineering

Full-Time / Permanent

Hybrid

At Q-CTRL, Quantum Computing Engineering is a global team of software engineers and infrastructure experts, combining deep technical expertise with a startup mindset to deliver real impact through software innovation. Our work is underpinned by robust standards, and by embracing the three virtues. Our team excels in areas across back-end, front-end, machine learning, and platform engineering.

We transform Q-CTRL's world-leading technological breakthroughs into commercial software products with applications across defense, research, and industry. We work closely with Product, Design, and Research teams to accelerate the path to quantum advantage worldwide.

As a Software Engineer, you'll be responsible for developing software solutions for quantum technologies and deploying them in the Q-CTRL product suite.

What you'll be doing:

• Development work in the application code base for Q-CTRL's error suppression products.
• Assist in integrating Fire Opal with external customer's systems.
• Implementing novel control and error mitigation techniques developed in collaboration with research scientists for improving quantum circuit performance.
• Review and address code and comments submitted by the team via pull requests.
• Build robust tooling for monitoring, benchmarking, and experimentation.
• Collaborating cross-functionally with members of Q-CTRL's technical staff.
• Other duties within the Employee's skills and experience, or with reasonable training.

Ideally you'll have:

• A Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, physics, or related STEM field.
• 2+ years of experience as an individual contributor in a professional software role, or equivalent experience.
• Experience closely collaborating with researchers and engineers.
• 4+ years of programming experience with Python, Rust, C++, or other general-purpose languages.
• A background in computing, research, software design, quantum, or the related.

It would be fantastic if you have these skills/backgrounds but not essential:

• A graduate degree in computer science, experimental physics, computational mathematics, or a related area.
• Experience in experimental physics or the design and integration of quantum devices.
• Experience in designing and implementing software to abstract and standardize interactions with various hardware interfaces.

The base salary for this position is targeted between $115,000 - $170,000 and will ultimately be determined by specific job-related skills, experience, level, location and other contributing factors. Depending on the position offered, this role may be eligible for annual discretionary bonuses, equity and other forms of compensation outside of the targeted range. For more information on benefits at Q-CTRL, please visit our careers page.

Q-CTRL is the global leader in AI-powered quantum control infrastructure software. We build the tools that make quantum technology useful, solving the hardest challenges in quantum computing and quantum sensing to deliver real-world impact.

Founded in 2017, we operate globally with offices in Sydney, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, and Oxford. Our teams bring together technical and multi-disciplinary expertise across the product lifecycle, and we're hiring talent to help scale every part of the business. We work quickly to turn cutting-edge science into deployable technology.

In 2024 we raised US$113 million in Series B funding, the largest aggregate investment for a quantum software company. Six months later we delivered the first commercial quantum advantage with Ironstone Opal, our field-validated quantum navigation solution for defense and industry.

At Q-CTRL, we prioritize outcomes over hours. We offer flexibility, equity potential, and competitive benefits that reflect our high-performance culture. If you're ready to help shape the future of quantum, we'd love to hear from you!