Senior Software Engineer

Oxford Ionics; Oxford; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in quantum computing is seeking a skilled Senior Software Engineer to join a team of experts. The role involves diverse responsibilities from developing quantum compilers to embedded firmware, emphasizing programming in Python and Rust. With strong communication skills and problem-solving abilities, candidates will contribute to cutting-edge quantum technologies while enjoying a range of benefits including flexible working, private medical insurance, and generous annual leave.

Benefits

30 days paid annual leave plus bank holidays

Flexible working

Private medical and dental insurance for you and family

Business stock options

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software development experience.
• Experience with both scripting and systems programming languages.
• Knowledge of Python and Rust essential.

Responsibilities

• Developing quantum compiler and writing embedded firmware.
• Designing high-level APIs and improving development infrastructure.
• Collaborating with scientists on complex technical challenges.

Skills

Communication

Problem Solving

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Tools

Git

GitHub Actions

Artiq

FPGAs

SoCs

Job description

The future is quantum. Oxford Ionics is at the forefront of pioneering quantum computing, delivering world-leading innovation to create the most powerful, accurate, and reliable quantum systems. Quantum computing offers a radically new way of building computers that harnesses the power of quantum physics to outperform conventional supercomputers exponentially. Using our unique trapped-ion technology, we are leading the race to unleash quantum computing's unparalleled potential.

What to Expect:

We're looking for a skilled, motivated Senior Software Engineer with a high level of initiative who will thrive in our growing team of expert engineers and scientists.

The opportunity offers a wide variety of exciting work, from developing our quantum compiler to writing embedded firmware, from designing high-level APIs as part of our quantum computing stack to advancing our internal development infrastructure and process. It is okay if you are not an expert in all these fields, but you should be excited by the prospect of becoming one.

Our Technology Stack

• We code in Python and Rust. Much of our software is used by our scientists when executing routines on our quantum hardware. The APIs used by the scientists are all Python-based.
• We use the Artiq framework for programming our control hardware. Firmware components are implemented in Rust, higher level code is written in Python. We customise and extend all layers of this codebase to improve performance and add new features.
• We work with FPGAs and SoCs. We will develop custom hardware and gateware to extend our hard real-time (<1 ns) distributed control system.
• We use Git for version control. We use GitHub Actions for automated testing. We run custom GitHub Actions Runners locally, so tests can make use of our custom hardware.

You will need 5+ years of professional software development experience. You should have worked with both scripting and systems programming languages, and have extensive knowledge in one or more mainstream programming languages. You must be interested in working with Python and Rust.

Strong communication skills, both within software engineering and across interdisciplinary teams, are essential. You should be comfortable iterating quickly, adjusting requirements as needed, and maintaining high code quality through code reviews and an appropriate level of testing. Experience designing APIs, libraries and application code will all be valuable, and you should be excited about solving complex technical challenges while working closely with scientists.

We do not expect you to have any experience in quantum computing.

Oxford Ionics is leading the way in quantum technology, and we need skilled, innovative individuals like you. We offer a range of benefits, including opportunities to further your career with a world-class team, business stock options, 30 days paid annual leave (plus bank holidays), flexible 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.

Oxford Ionics is committed to equal opportunity for all.