Staff Control Systems Architect - Photonic Quantum Computing

Xanadu; Toronto; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Xanadu in Toronto is building fault-tolerant quantum computers and seeks a senior architect to own the central control system. You will define interfaces across digital control, FPGA firmware, electronics, ASICs, embedded software, and optical hardware, ensuring coherent evolution of the platform.

You will drive system-wide tradeoffs with quantified budgets for noise, latency and bandwidth, mentor FPGA/electronics teams, and work with external partners to accelerate progress in a collaborative,

Qualifications

• Experience with control of complex physical systems including feedback loops and budgeting.
• Track record architecting a system used by multiple teams with interfaces and requirements documents.
• Excellent written and verbal communication across teams and partners.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture of the central control system for the next generations of our fault tolerant quantum computers: real-time feedback and locking, feedforward and switching, initialization and calibration, timing and data flow.
• Define and document interfaces between digital control, FPGA firmware, analog/mixed-signal electronics and ASICs, embedded software and the optical hardware, and keep them consistent as the design evolves.
• Make system-wide tradeoffs and get them adopted: decide what is easy, what is hard, and what will hurt later, backed by quantified budgets on noise, latency, bandwidth and
• Leverage our collaboration with external partners and our participation in major programs to accelerate control system progress.
• Identify hidden dependencies and technical risks where different systems interact, before such issues become expensive.
• Review and guide the work of the FPGA, electronics and embedded teams against the architecture, and mentor engineers across those teams.

Skills

Control systems

System architecture

Cross-team coordination

Written communication

Quantum hardware experience

Education

PhD or equivalent in physics or electrical engineering

Tools

FPGA development

Python

EPICS

QCoDeS

AI for systems

DSP

Job description

Xanadu’s mission is to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people

everywhere.

At Xanadu, we are learners, innovators, researchers, collaborators and problem solvers. We are creating something that has never been built before. What we are doing is extremely hard, the classic moon shot. Few people in their life will be able to be a part of something like this, where if we are successful, the technologies we develop will solve some of the world’s most challenging problems and literally change the world. And that is something to be excited about!

Your role and responsibilities

• Own the architecture of the central control system for the next generations of our fault tolerant quantum computers: real-time feedback and locking, feedforward and switching, initialization and calibration, timing and data flow.
• Define and document the interfaces and requirements between digital control, FPGA firmware, analog/mixed-signal electronics and ASICs, embedded software and the optical hardware, and keep them consistent as the design evolves.
• Make system-wide tradeoffs and get them adopted: decide what is easy, what is hard, and what will hurt later, backed by quantified budgets on noise, latency, bandwidth and
• Leverage our collaboration with external partners and our participation in major programs to accelerate control system progress.
• Identify hidden dependencies and technical risks where different systems interact, before such issues become expensive.
• Review and guide the work of the FPGA, electronics and embedded teams against the architecture, and mentor engineers across those teams.

Required qualifications and experience

• Deep hands-on experience in control of complex physical systems: feedback and measurement and budgeting, and the electronics behind them.
• A track record of architecting a system that several teams built against, including writing interfaces and requirements documents, and multiple rounds of improvements through system-wide tradeoffs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and being comfortable coordinating across teams and partners with competing constraints.
• PhD or equivalent experience in physics, electrical engineering or a related field, typically with 8+ years of subsequent experience in quantum or photonic hardware, precision instrumentation, gravitational-wave or accelerator controls, semiconductor equipment, aerospace/defense controls, or comparable large-scale systems.

Preferred qualifications and experience

• Continuous-variable optics: fibre and free-space interferometry, homodyne detection, laser phase and frequency locking, piezo and electro-optic actuators.
• FPGA development for real-time control or DSP, including high-speed ADC/DAC data paths.
• Familiarity with analog or digital ASIC design flows.
• Instrument-control and lab-automation software (Python; frameworks such as ARTIQ, EPICS or QCoDeS).
• Experience taking a research control system to a production-quality, multi-unit deployment.
• Experience in leveraging artificial intelligence for system architecture and software or
• Empathy for how scientists, engineers, system operators, and users interact with

This is for a new position. Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and internal benchmarks.

In addition to these tangible benefits, you obtain something far more valuable for your career and personal development in the long term:

• Ownership of the control architecture of a fault-tolerant quantum computer, alongside the teams who build the software and hardware.
• Access to a state-of-the-art photonics laboratory, custom integrated photonic devices and custom electronics.
• A collaborative environment in which a well-argued technical case changes the plan.

Our values are important. They are fundamental and lay the foundation for culture at Xanadu.

Learn more about our values here.

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.

We are committed to building an inclusive, safe, and equitable culture and fostering an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. We are committed to meeting the needs of all individuals and support a barrier-free workplace. Should you require accommodations at any point during the recruitment process please contact Recruiting at [e-mail].

Please be advised that we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in the screening and assessment of applicants for this position. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.