Director of Systems Software

IonQ; Oxford; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

IonQ in Oxford, UK, is seeking an enthusiastic Director, Systems Software to lead a software team of around twenty engineers and scientists, shaping the stack and long-term roadmaps.

You will define and evolve internal processes, drive DevOps and release practices, mentor engineers, and partner with the VP of Engineering to plan future growth while delivering high-quality software for internal and external customers.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a software organisation containing tens of engineers.
• Proven ability to set priorities and deliver results.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Experience establishing and evolving development, devops, release processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the software team and develop long-term roadmaps.
• Capture feature requests and align with company priorities.
• Own the backlog and ensure delivery against timescales.
• Mentor engineers and conduct performance reviews.
• Collaborate with VP of Engineering to plan growth.

Skills

Team leadership

Software management

Roadmap planning

Stakeholder communication

Performance reviews

People development

Job description

• You’d be working closely with our skilled software engineers and our world-leading quantum scientists to plan and manage the development of software that powers our quantum computers
• You will initially be leading a software team of around twenty software engineers with future growth of the team expected
• We develop a full stack solution ranging from the real-time control & monitoring of our systems through an IR and quantum compiler layer to application demonstration
• Your role will be critical in both specifying the stack as components that can be individually developed and released, and growing the team into a world-class organisation capable of developing and supporting the stack for internal and external customers
• A critical part of this will be to establish and drive suitable development, devops, release, and 3rd line support processes
• The quantum core of our hardware is built from trapped-ion qubits, controlled by devices designed and made by a partner tier 1 fab
• We control the ions using electrical signals and laser light, driven by real-time FPGA systems and networked equipment
• The required sequences and operations are derived both by low-level experiments that our science teams produce, and by a compilation flow from quantum algorithms
• Our software stack is a combination of Python and Rust
• In this position, you’ll have the opportunity to accelerate the delivery of our software projects, contributing directly to the success of our research and development roadmap
• A focus in this role will be leading the definition and evolution of any internal team processes and the devops processes as our stack matures
• You will work collaboratively with other teams to develop stronger cross-team interfaces and processes
• Your key responsibilities can be split into two categories:
• Product management:
• Lead the software team and work with other technical teams to build and maintain long-term roadmaps for our various software projects
• Capture feature requests from internal conversations and external requirements
• Understand conflicting priorities and manage the team to deliver according to company needs and timescales
• Drive detailed software solutions, working with the software team
• Provide clear updates on issues and progress to all stakeholders
• Own the software team’s backlog, working with the team members and project management group to keep it up to date
• Be the first point of call for others in the company to understand how the software fits together at a high level
• Team management:
• Ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the software team and ensuring the team maintains the right balance of delivery speed and quality
• Support members of the software team, including looking out for their wellbeing
• Conducting the performance reviews for the team and supporting their career development at IonQ
• Work with the VP of Engineering to plan future growth of the software team

We’re looking for an enthusiastic and highly technical Director, Systems Software who will thrive in our dynamic cross-disciplinary environment

We are looking for an experienced full-stack software manager, previous exposure to quantum systems is not required

To be successful, you will need proven experience managing a software organisation containing tens of engineers and subject matter experts in their respective fields

You will have a track record in setting priorities, giving clear expectations and ensuring results are suitable for the internal and external customers, with a clear understanding of critical versus urgent items

Detailed technical background in more than one of the following areas: real time embedded software, compiler development, assembler development, graph algorithmic representations, system monitoring, data centre deployments

It would also be beneficial to have an understanding of branching and release practices and when to use them and/or how to organise internal triage and support as our external customer base grows

Clear understanding of standard software development processes and a pragmatic approach to their use in a growing organisation

Excellent technical and organisational communication skills, both across the organisation and to external stakeholders

Additional desirable experience would be experience in tracking team delivery of new features, including scoping, estimation, release planning and tracking

Proven ability to delegate at the appropriate level while maintaining good quality output at the pace needed in a high-tech startup

The position you are applying for will require access to technology that is subject to U.S. export control and government contract restrictions. Employment with IonQ is contingent on either verifying “U.S. Person” (e.g., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum) status for export controls and government contracts work, obtaining any necessary license, and/or confirming the availability of a license exception under U.S. export controls. Please note that in the absence of confirming you are a U.S. Person for export control and government contracts work purposes, IonQ may choose not to apply for a license or decline to use a license exception (if available) for you to access export-controlled technology that may require authorization, and similarly, you may not qualify for government contracts work that requires U.S. Persons, and IonQ may decline to proceed with your application on those bases alone. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law