Senior Embedded Software Engineer

Lever, Inc.; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Q-CTRL is hiring a Senior FPGA and Embedded Software Engineer to build the real-time stack for quantum accelerometers. You will work where hardware, control systems and physics intersect, developing timing-critical firmware and driver software for high-bandwidth data capture.

You will collaborate with researchers to translate control concepts into reliable, real-time hardware behaviour, and contribute to CI/CD and hardware-in-the-loop testing to support deployment.

Qualifications

• Strong digital design and embedded systems fundamentals.
• Experience with SystemVerilog and FPGA logic.
• Familiarity with Xilinx SoCs and Vivado workflows.
• DSP knowledge for filters and data-path processing.
• Experience with simulation/verification (e.g., cocotb).
• Exposure to CI/CD for testing and deployment.
• Proficiency in C/C++ or Rust for interfacing with FPGA data paths.

Responsibilities

• Develop, integrate, optimise and support FPGA firmware for quantum sensors.
• Implement timing-critical digital processing blocks and DSP pipelines.
• Build startup, calibration and monitoring routines for autonomous operation.
• Collaborate with researchers to translate concepts into hardware behaviour.
• Integrate FPGA logic with SoC software for high-bandwidth data capture.
• Develop hardware-in-the-loop testing for CI and field deployment.
• Investigate system-level issues across FPGA, firmware, electronics and software.
• Document test, validation and operational procedures for the sensor package.

Skills

SystemVerilog

Xilinx SoCs

Vivado

DSP

C/C++

CI/CD

Embedded Linux

GitHub Actions

TCP/IP

I2C / CAN

Tools

Vivado

Job description

About the team

Q-CTRL’s Quantum Sensing Research team performs basic and applied research in quantum sensing and quantum-enabled navigation. It is a highly dynamic team comprising approximately 30 specialists in theoretical and experimental atomic physics, cold-atom interferometry, navigation modeling, and modern Bayesian estimation and signal processing techniques.

The Quantum Sensing Research and Quantum Sensing Engineering teams work closely together, translating novel quantum sensing research into a useful capability and product. We are focussed on pushing the boundary of what is possible in quantum sensing and ensuring our R&D has real-world impact.

About the role

Join Q-CTRL to help turn cutting-edge quantum sensing technology into robust devices that can operate in the real world. As a Senior FPGA and Embedded Software Engineer, you will develop the real-time digital and firmware stack behind our quantum accelerometers, working where advanced hardware, control systems and fundamental science meet.

You will partner closely with research scientists and engineers to understand how the whole sensor works, then make it more capable and reliable. This is a role for a curious, versatile engineer who enjoys getting close to the hardware and learning new domains quickly. You do not need to arrive with experience in every technology listed below: we value strong fundamentals, thoughtful problem-solving and the drive to learn.

What you'll be doing:

• Develop, integrate, optimise and support FPGA firmware for Q-CTRL quantum sensors.Implement and maintain timing-critical digital processing blocks, including filters, decimation and related DSP pipelines.
• Build robust startup, calibration, operation and monitoring routines for autonomous sensor operation.
• Work with research scientists to translate control concepts into reliable, real-time behaviour close to the hardware.
• Integrate FPGA logic with SoC software, enabling reliable, time-synchronised high-bandwidth data capture, DMA transfer and storage.
• Establish and improve simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing to support continuous integration and confident field deployment.
• Investigate system-level issues across FPGA logic, firmware, electronics, embedded Linux and higher-level software.
• Contribute to architecture decisions that improve reliability and performance in future sensor revisions.
• Document test, validation and operational procedures as part of delivering the quantum sensor package.

Ideally you'll have:

• Strong foundations in digital design and embedded systems.
• Familiarity with SystemVerilog for implementing and maintaining FPGA logic.
• Experience with Xilinx SoCs and Vivado-based development workflows.
• Digital signal processing experience, including practical implementation of filters, decimation or related signal-conditioning pipelines.
• Experience with simulation and verification workflows such as cocotb.
• Familiarity with CI/CD development processes for testing, validation and deployment.
• Some familiarity with systems programming languages (for example C, C++ or Rust) to interface with FPGA data paths, including DMA-based transfer.
• Curiosity about complex systems and the persistence to understand how hardware, firmware, software and physics interact.
• Experience with, or enthusiasm to learn, timing-critical control systems and high-bandwidth data capture or storage.
• Familiarity with low-latency and low-level communications such as TCP/IP, SPI, I2C or CAN bus.
• Exposure to embedded Linux, customised operating systems or Yocto is useful, but not essential.
• Familiarity with GitHub Actions and CI/CD workflows for cloud testing and deployment.
• A collaborative approach and the ability to work effectively with engineers and research scientists in an evolving technical environment.

About Q-CTRL

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, Huntsville, 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!