Quantum Engineer - Superconducting Amplifiers & RF Design

Entangled Future; Reading; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxford Quantum Circuits in Reading, England, invites a mid-level Quantum Engineer to join the Device Scaling team. You\'ll own development, modelling and optimisation of superconducting amplifier technologies and their integration into our quantum processor readout systems, spanning circuit simulation through cryogenic testing.

This hands-on role emphasizes evidence-based engineering, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and building reusable tools to accelerate future quantum hardware development.

Qualifications

• Strong practical experience in RF and microwave circuit design, analysis and experimental characterisation.
• Experience with superconducting amplifier technologies or related low-noise microwave systems.
• Proven experience with circuit and EM simulations, understanding modelling assumptions and limitations.
• Experience designing or characterising electronic or microwave devices with fabrication, packaging and integration constraints.
• Strong scientific programming skills, preferably Python.
• Experience developing or improving scientific simulation, measurement or optimisation workflows.
• Hands-on experience using RF and microwave instrumentation to validate designs and resolve issues.
• Knowledge of microwave networks, impedance matching and device layout for fabrication.
• Track record delivering complex technical projects with sound engineering judgement.
• Strong communication and collaboration across disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Design, simulate and optimise superconducting amplifier circuits and microwave environments.
• Develop and characterise amplifier devices, investigating gain, bandwidth, noise, saturation and stability.
• Design RF and microwave networks for impedance matching, coupling, filtering, pumping and signal routing.
• Develop physical device layouts and collaborate with fabrication and packaging teams to optimise manufacturability and performance.

Skills

RF design

Microwave design

Superconducting amplifiers

Experimental characterisation

Python

Data analysis

Simulation tools

Job description

Quantum Engineer - Superconducting Amplifiers & RF Design at Oxford Quantum Circuits, Reading, England, United Kingdom. A mid-level full time position in the Materials Science & Device Engineering team, listed under hardware engineering.

As a Quantum Engineer specialising in Superconducting Amplifiers & RF Design, you'll develop the technologies that enable high-performance readout of OQC's quantum processors. Combining RF and microwave engineering with advanced simulation, device design and experimental characterisation, you'll turn complex technical challenges into reliable hardware solutions that help push our quantum computing capabilities forward.

The Role

Joining our Device Scaling team, you'll take ownership of developing, modelling and optimising superconducting amplifier technologies and their integration into OQC's quantum processor readout systems. This is a hands-on technical role where you'll work across the full development lifecycle, from circuit simulation and microwave design through to device fabrication, cryogenic testing and performance optimisation. You'll have the autonomy to investigate complex challenges, make evidence-based engineering decisions and develop reusable tools and methodologies that accelerate future development. Working closely with specialists across readout, experimental engineering, software, fabrication and packaging, you'll help translate innovative amplifier concepts into practical, high-performance technologies.

What You'll Be Working On

• Design, simulate and optimise superconducting amplifier circuits and microwave environments, using electromagnetic and circuit modelling to improve performance.
• Develop and characterise amplifier devices, investigating gain, bandwidth, noise, saturation and stability to identify and overcome performance limitations.
• Design RF and microwave networks for impedance matching, coupling, filtering, pumping and signal routing, translating technical requirements into practical hardware solutions.
• Develop physical device layouts and collaborate with fabrication and packaging teams to optimise manufacturability, integration and device performance.

Requirements

• Strong practical experience in RF and microwave circuit design, analysis and experimental characterisation.
• Experience working with superconducting amplifier technologies, superconducting circuits or closely related low-noise microwave systems.
• Proven experience developing and interpreting circuit and electromagnetic simulations, including understanding modelling assumptions and limitations.
• Experience designing, developing or characterising electronic or microwave devices, with an understanding of fabrication, packaging and integration constraints.
• Strong scientific programming skills, preferably Python, for simulation, numerical optimisation, automation and experimental data analysis.
• Experience developing or improving scientific simulation, measurement or optimisation workflows within a research or engineering environment.
• Hands-on experience using RF and microwave instrumentation to validate designs, investigate device performance and resolve technical challenges.
• Knowledge of microwave networks, impedance matching and device layout for fabrication.
• A track record of independently delivering complex technical projects or work packages, using sound engineering judgement and evidence-based problem-solving.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work across specialist technical disciplines, document findings and share knowledge.

Nice to Have

• Experience designing or characterising Josephson parametric amplifiers, travelling‑wave parametric amplifiers or other superconducting nonlinear devices.
• Knowledge of nonlinear circuit modelling, parametric mixing or amplifier stability analysis.
• Experience developing microwave filters, broadband impedance‑matching networks or related RF technologies.
• Experience working with cryogenic microwave measurement systems or superconducting quantum computing hardware.
• Experience integrating amplifier technologies into superconducting qubit readout systems.
• Experience developing shared scientific software, automated measurement systems or reusable analysis frameworks.
• Experience mentoring colleagues, providing specialist technical guidance or contributing to technical reviews.