DevOps Engineer

Oxford Ionics; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading quantum computing firm in Oxford is seeking a skilled DevOps Engineer to join their growing team. You will be responsible for managing and improving CI/CD pipelines while collaborating with software and science teams to enhance development workflows. The ideal candidate must have solid Linux expertise, programming skills in Python, and experience with tools like Ansible and Kubernetes. This role offers a competitive salary and various benefits, including stock options and flexible work arrangements.

Benefits

Competitive salary with stock options

Annual performance bonus

Flexible hybrid working

Private medical and dental insurance

Qualifications

• Solid expertise in administering and maintaining Linux-based systems.
• Technical depth with a background in managing complex infrastructure.
• Knowledge of configuration management and infrastructure-as-code tools.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with software and science teams to enhance development workflows.
• Manage and improve CI/CD pipelines.
• Implement deployment procedures for quantum systems.

Skills

DevOps experience

Linux administration

Python programming

Scripting abilities

Communication skills

Tools

Ansible

Kubernetes

Docker

Git

Grafana

InfluxDB

Job description

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 growing our DevOps team and are looking for skilled and motivated DevOps Engineers to join us at Oxford Ionics. This is an opportunity to shape the future of our development and deployment infrastructure as we scale our cutting-edge quantum systems.

As part of a newly formed team, you will have the chance to have a significant impact on how we build, deliver and scale our technology through improving our development infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines.

This is an exciting opportunity to work alongside scientists, engineers, and technicians. See vacuum chambers, cryostats, lasers, and more in action at our on-site laboratories and play your part in making quantum computing happen.

What you'll be responsible for:

As a DevOps Engineer, you’ll collaborate closely with our software, IT, and science teams to enhance our development workflows, improving quality, security and efficiency across the board. This includes managing our build toolchain, automating testing and continuously refining our development infrastructure.

Your work will span:

• Managing and improving our development infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines
• Designing and implementing deployment procedures for both on-site and off-site quantum systems
• Maintaining and extending our monitoring infrastructure, covering the health of our systems, services, and key operational parameters of our quantum computers

You’ll take ownership of our internal systems, such as the local Python package index and GitHub Actions Runners and play a key role in maintaining and improving our monitoring infrastructure. This involves tracking server and service health, monitoring software performance and overseeing operational parameters of our quantum computing systems.

Our Technology Stack

• Languages: Rust and Python
• Version Control & CI/CD: Git with GitHub Actions (running on local custom runners for hardware-based testing)
• Deployment: Ansible, Kubernetes, ArgoCD
• Monitoring: InfluxDB and Grafana, self-hosted on our on-premises servers
• Infrastructure: PostgreSQL, RabbitMQ, and Mosquitto across various components
• Environment: Microsoft-based IT infrastructure, with servers/VMs on Ubuntu Linux. Developers work across native Windows, WSL, and Linux.

A strong background in managing and scaling complex infrastructure environments is essential. You’ll bring technical depth, problem solving ability, and the ability to work as part of a team to manage critical systems.

You’ll need previous DevOps experience, with solid expertise in administering and maintaining Linux-based systems, and strong programming and scripting abilities, ideally in Python and shell scripting.

Additionally, you should have proven experience with:

• Configuration management / infrastructure-as-code tools (Ansible preferred)
• Git workflows
• Containerisation tools (Docker or Podman)
• Monitoring systems, such as Grafana or InfluxDB

A sound understanding of security principles and best practices is essential. You should be proactive and detail-oriented. Strong communication skills are key, as you’ll often bridge the gap between engineering and infrastructure. Prior experience in quantum computing isn’t required.

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.