Senior FPGA Verification Engineer

IonQ; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

IonQ stock options

Annual performance bonus

Generous annual leave

Flexible hybrid working

Private medical and dental insurance

Job summary

IonQ in Oxford is seeking a Senior FPGA Verification Engineer to join the FPGA Team. You will lead the design and verification of FPGA test benches and contribute to robust control systems for quantum hardware.

You will own verification environments (SystemVerilog/UVM), drive constrained‑random testing and coverage, and help shape automated regression and CI pipelines. Hybrid work and competitive compensation are offered.

Qualifications

• 4–6 years of professional FPGA verification experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field.
• Translate technical specs into verification strategies and collaborate across design teams.

Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, and maintain advanced UVM/SystemVerilog verification environments for complex FPGA designs.
• Define and execute verification plans including constrained-random testing, functional coverage, and code coverage analysis.
• Collaborate with RTL design engineers to debug issues and ensure high‑quality design implementation.
• Develop and maintain automated regression suites and continuous integration pipelines.

Skills

SystemVerilog

UVM

Python

Requirements gathering

Verification plans

Debugging

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering

Tools

CI pipelines

Job description

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world's leading quantum platform and merchant supplier - delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. IonQ's newest generation of quantum computers, the IonQ Tempo, is the latest in a line of cutting‑edge systems that have been helping customers and partners including Amazon Web Services, and AstraZeneca achieve 20x performance results and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. In 2025, the company achieved 99.99% two‑qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance.

Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ has operations in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our quantum computing services are available through all major cloud providers, while we also meet the needs of networking and sensing customers across land, sea, air, and space. IonQ is making quantum platforms more accessible and impactful than ever before.

What to expect

We are looking for a Senior FPGA Verification Engineer to join our FPGA Team at IonQ. In this role, you will be responsible for supporting the FPGA team with verification test benches, contributing to the team's mission of delivering the best in class control systems. You'll play an important part in shaping hardware and RTL that support our work in building the world's most advanced quantum systems. You will collaborate closely with cross‑functional partners to ensure our control systems meet the highest standards of reliability and performance.

What you'll be responsible for

In this position, you will work on design and implementing FPGA test and simulation best practices, supporting the effective delivery of reliable and verified quantum control systems. You'll have the opportunity to own, architect, and develop critical simulation infrastructure, contributing directly to the success of the FPGA team.

Key responsibilities include

• Architect, develop, and maintain advanced UVM/SystemVerilog verification environments for complex FPGA designs.
• Define and execute comprehensive verification plans, including constrained‑random testing, functional coverage, and code coverage analysis.
• Collaborate with RTL design engineers to debug issues, identify root causes, and ensure high‑quality design implementation.
• Develop and maintain automated regression suites and continuous integration pipelines to ensure design stability throughout the development lifecycle.

Requirements

To be successful, you will need 4-6 years of professional experience in FPGA verification and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field. We're looking for someone who can effectively gather requirements, translate technical specifications into robust verification strategies, and work collaboratively across design teams to ensure high‑quality outcomes.

You'd be a great fit with

• Strong proficiency in SystemVerilog and UVM for architecting advanced verification environments.
• Experience using Python for test automation and scripting.
• Demonstrated ability to lead requirements gathering and define verification plans for complex designs.
• Excellent debugging skills and a proactive approach to solving technical challenges.

Benefits

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.

We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Compensation will vary based on individual factors such as education, qualifications, and experience of the final candidate(s), specific office location, and calibration against relevant market data and internal team equity. Posted base salary figures are subject to change as new market data becomes available. Our benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, matching 401(k), unlimited PTO and paid holidays, parental/adoption leave, legal insurance, and a home technology stipend. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided when a candidate receives an offer of employment.

At IonQ, we believe in fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all while striving to identify and eliminate barriers. We empower employees to thrive by fostering a culture of autonomy, productivity, and respect. We are dedicated to creating an environment where individuals can feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued.

We are committed to equity and justice. We welcome different voices and viewpoints and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

US Technical Jobs

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.

US Non-Technical Jobs

Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum. 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.