Software Engineer, Non-Realtime Contollers

Oxford Ionics; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Annual performance bonus

Generous annual leave

Flexible hybrid working

Private medical and dental insurance

Job summary

Oxford Ionics, now part of IonQ, is pioneering the next generation of quantum computing. We are seeking a highly technical Software Engineer for our Non-Realtime Controllers team to build and operate software that controls hardware around quantum computers, enabling fault-tolerant computation.

You will work with software engineers, systems and quantum scientists to create reliable end-to-end control services across the fleet, improving observability and resilience in a cross-disciplinary,

Qualifications

• Strong programming skills in a systems programming language and hands-on experience interfacing with hardware.
• Proven ability to make software resilient against unreliable external dependencies.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end hardware controllers, from device protocol to fleet-spanning service.
• Improve observability, health checking and alerting for instrument failures.
• Onboard devices into the current framework and deploy fleet-wide without disrupting experiments.
• Collaborate with software, systems and science teams to ensure seamless integration.

Skills

Systems programming

Hardware interfacing

Rust

Observability

Reliability under unreliable systems

Tools

SCPI

Serial

TCP/IP

USB

Job description

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.

IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world’s leading quantum company delivering solutions to solve the world’s most complex problems. IonQ’s newest generation quantum computers, IonQ Tempo and IonQ Forte Enterprise, are the latest in cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners such as Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, and NVIDIA achieve 20x performance results. The company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance in 2025.

The company is accelerating its technology roadmap and intends to deliver the world’s most powerful quantum computers with 2 million qubits by 2030 to accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. IonQ’s advancements in quantum networking position the company as a leader in building the quantum internet.

What to expect:

We're looking for an enthusiastic and highly technical Software Engineer for our Non-Realtime Controllers team who will thrive in our dynamic cross-disciplinary environment.

In this role, you will be responsible forworking closely with our software engineers, our systems team, and our quantum scientists to build and operate the software that controls the hardware surrounding our quantum computers, contributing to the team’s mission of enabling our systems team to operate the physical quantum computers and our science teams to experiment building towards fault tolerant computation. Previous exposure to quantum systems is not required.

You’ll play an important part in shaping the non-realtime controllers, the system operations and services that support our work in building the world’s most advanced quantum systems.

What you'll be responsible for:

In this position, you will work hands-on with hardware control end to end, from the device protocol up to a service running reliably across our fleet, supporting the effective delivery of non-realtime controllers that ensure that the critical supporting hardware of a quantum computer is observable, controllable and reliable (from cryogenic compressors to lasers, wavemeters, and various sensors).

You’ll have the opportunity to own areas of the hardware control surface end to end, from the device protocol up to a service running reliably across our fleet, contributing directly to the success of building utility-scale quantum computers.

Key responsibilities include:

• Own a group of device controllers end to end, covering API design, implementation, rollout and ongoing operational health
• Make services robust against the ways real instruments fail and strengthen observability, health checking and alerting
• Bring devices onto our current framework, and roll the result out across the fleet without disrupting running experiments
• Work closely with the software. systems and science teams who depend on these services, and to ensure our work integrates seamlessly with the wider software architecture

What you’ll need:

To be successful, you will need strong programming skills in a systems programming language and hands-on experience interfacing with hardware, and a track record of making software behave well against unreliable external dependencies. We’re looking for someone who can quickly iterate on low-level code in a collaborative, cross-disciplinary, environment and contribute effectively within a fast moving, highly technical team.

You’d be a great fit with:

• Strong programming skills in one or more systems programming languages and the appetite to work in a Rust codebase
• Experience with some hardware instrument and communication protocols (e.g. SCPI, serial, TCP/IP, USB, or similar)
• Comfortable owning the production behaviour of what you build, not just its correctness in test
• Excellent communication skills both within software and across disciplines, and an interest in helping other engineers get better at the craft without wanting to stop building yourself

So why us?

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.