Senior Software Engineer - Oxford

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.

Joining Oxford Ionics means becoming part of a global IonQ team that is transforming the future of quantum technology - faster, at scale, and with real world impact.

What to expect:

We're looking for a skilled, motivated Senior Software Engineer with a high level of initiative who will thrive in our growing team of expert engineers and scientists.

Oxford Ionics is on a mission to develop useful quantum computers that can be delivered at scale and are in demand for solving real-world problems. Our research and development efforts build on our fully integrated quantum processors that can be fabricated within standard silicon foundries. We have achieved the lowest error rates for single-qubit and two-qubit operations in the industry.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Senior Software Engineer who enjoys working with other software engineers as well as scientists.

What you'll be responsible for:

The opportunity offers a wide variety of exciting work, from developing our quantum compiler to writing embedded firmware, from designing high-level APIs as part of our quantum computing stack to advancing our internal development infrastructure and process.

Our technology stack:

• Python and Rust
• Much of our software is used by our scientists when executing routines on our quantum hardware. The APIs used by the scientists are all Python-based.
• We are developing a custom-optimising compiler for quantum circuits written in Rust and Python.
• The firmware components of the instrumentation and control system we use, ARTIQ, are written in Rust. We will be customising and extending this firmware to improve performance and add new features.
• FPGAs and SoCs
• We’ll develop custom hardware and gateware to extend our hard real-time (<1 ns) distributed control system.
• Qubits
• The quantum core of our hardware is built from trapped-ion qubits, controlled by chips designed and assembled in-house by our microfabrication team.
• You will have some flexibility over your tools, like which editor you want to use or which operating system. We use Git for our version control.

Requirements

This role is suitable for an individual with over 5 years of professional software development experience, working with both scripting and systems programming languages. We expect knowledge in one or more mainstream programming languages and an interest in working with Python and Rust, though prior experience is not a prerequisite. You will be used to maintaining high code quality, through code reviews and appropriate testing, and maximising impact through quick iteration and short cycles of learning and improving the code.

We also expect that you are experienced leading projects and initiatives, and are comfortable with adjusting requirements as we explore solutions. You should have excellent communication skills not just within software engineering but across disciplines. This role is well suited to someone who enjoys complex technical problems. We do not expect prior experience of quantum computing.

Benefits

Be part of a team that’s shaping the future of quantum. We offer more than just a role, you’ll join a world class community of scientists, engineers and innovators working to unlock the full potential of quantum computing.

We offer a range of benefits, including opportunities to further your career alongside industry leaders, a competitive salary with IonQ stock options, an annual performance bonus, generous annual leave, flexible hybrid working, private medical and dental insurance for you and your family, and much more.

Join us and be part of the future of quantum computing.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.