Staff Software Engineer, Systems

Quantum computing holds the promise of humanity’s mastery over the natural world, but only if we can build a real quantum computer. PsiQuantum is on a mission to build the first real, useful quantum computers, capable of delivering the world-changing applications that the technology has long promised. We know that means we will need to build a system with roughly 1 million qubits that supports fault tolerant error correction within a scalable architecture, and a data center footprint.

By harnessing the laws of quantum physics, quantum computers can provide exponential performance increases over today’s most powerful supercomputers, offering the potential for extraordinary advances across a broad range of industries including climate, energy, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials design, and many more.

PsiQuantum has determined the fastest path to delivering a useful quantum computer, years earlier than the rest of the industry. Our architecture is based on silicon photonics which gives us the ability to produce our components at Tier-1 semiconductor fabs such as GlobalFoundries where we leverage high-volume semiconductor manufacturing processes, the same processes that are already producing billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics applications. We also benefit from the quantum mechanics reality that photons don’t feel heat or electromagnetic interference, allowing us to take advantage of existing cryogenic cooling systems and industry standard fiber connectivity.

In 2024, PsiQuantum announced two government-funded projects to support the build-out of our first Quantum Data Centers and utility-scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia and Chicago, Illinois. Both projects are backed by nations that understand quantum computing’s potential impact and the need to scale this technology to unlock that potential. And we won’t just be building the hardware, but also the fault tolerant quantum applications that will provide industry-transforming results.

Quantum computing is not just an evolution of the decades-old advancement in compute power. It provides the key to mastering our future, not merely discovering it. The potential is enormous, and we have the plan to make it real. Come join us.

There’s much more work to be done and we are looking for exceptional talent to join us on this extraordinary journey!

Job Summary:

The OS Core team at PsiQuantum works closely alongside engineers and scientists in the electronics, system architecture, and validation teams to develop scalable, high performance systems software for the operation, control, calibration, and management of PsiQuantum’s photonic quantum computers. As a software engineer, systems on the OS Core team you will get to build the operating system for a fault tolerant quantum computer, work closely with engineers and scientists spanning multiple disciplines, and contribute to the future of computing in a foundational way.

Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, optimize, and maintain systems software for photonic quantum computing systems.
• Develop automated system and calibration, initialization, and bring-up sequences
• Create comprehensive system management tools for monitoring and control
• Implement diagnostic software for fault detection and isolation
• Design interfaces between hardware subsystems and control software
• Optimize system performance through careful characterization and tuning
• Develop commissioning protocols and verification tests
• Maintain system configuration management and versioning
• Collaborate with hardware and simulation teams to ensure software compatibility

Experience/Qualifications:

Required skills and experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 10+ years of experience developing systems software for complex hardware.
• Strong programming skills in C++, Python, or Rust.
• Experience with hardware abstraction layer design and implementation.
• Knowledge of communication protocols (I²C, SPI, PCIe, etc.).
• Understanding of real-time operating systems and constraints.
• Proficiency with automated test frameworks and continuous integration.
• Experience with instrumentation control and data acquisition.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving abilities.
• Familiarity with version control systems and collaborative development workflows.
• Knowledge of system diagnostics and performance analysis techniques.
• Experience working with hardware-in-the-loop testing or hardware/software co-design.
• Proven ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated experience with calibration routines for precision instruments.
• Track record of successful system commissioning or bring-up projects.
• Experience with hardware-software interface design.
• Proven ability to work effectively in cross-functional technical teams.
• History of implementing robust error handling and system recovery mechanisms.

Ways to stand out:

• Understanding of quantum computing principles and operations.
• Experience with RPCs, RESTful APIs, IDLs, data serializations (protobufs, gRPC, JSON, etc.)
• Experience with Apache Airflow or other workflow management platforms.
• Experience with internals of bare metal, VM, or container orchestration and management platforms.
• Experience writing high performance IO code in Python.
• Experience with (semi)-automatically converting / transpiling Python to Rust.
• Experience with photonic components and their control requirements.
• Familiarity with control theory and feedback systems.
• Experience with distributed systems and microservice architectures.
• Knowledge of DevOps practices and infrastructure-as-code.
• Understanding of signal processing and digital filters.
• Experience with GUI development for system control applications.
• Familiarity with data visualization techniques for system monitoring.
• Experience with optical systems calibration or control.
• Background in developing laboratory automation software.
• Experience with thermal or environmental control systems.
• Experience with high-precision measurement equipment.
• Track record of optimizing system performance through software improvements.
• Experience designing user interfaces for complex scientific instruments.

PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.

Note: PsiQuantum will only reach out to you using an official PsiQuantum email address and will never ask you for bank account information as part of the interview process. Please report any suspicious activity to recruiting@psiquantum.com.

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.