IC Layout Automation Software Engineer

Rigetti; Fremont (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Rigetti is seeking an IC Layout Automation Software Engineer to develop and maintain software systems for the design and fabrication of superconducting quantum circuits. This interdisciplinary role requires strong software skills and familiarity with IC design and semiconductor fabrication.

Your main responsibilities include designing production-quality software, working with IC layout formats, and collaborating closely with various teams. A strong background in Python and EDA tools like KLayout is essential.

Qualifications

• Strong proficiency in Python, with experience in production-quality software.
• Ability to own and improve complex codebases, including testing and documentation.
• Experience with IC layout data and formats, including GDSII.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain production-quality software systems.
• Translate design requirements into layout-ready implementations.
• Collaborate with design, fabrication, and research teams.

Skills

Python

IC design workflows

EDA tools

Cross-functional collaboration

Software architecture

Education

B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field

Tools

KLayout

Cadence

gdspy

Job description

About the Role

Rigetti is seeking an IC Layout Automation Software Engineer to develop and maintain software systems that support the design and fabrication of superconducting quantum circuits.

This role sits at the intersection of software engineering, IC layout, and semiconductor fabrication, enabling the translation of device and process requirements into manufacturable layouts. You will work closely with cross-functional teams across design, fabrication, and research to build and evolve tools that are critical to how quantum devices are designed and produced.

This is a highly interdisciplinary role that requires strong software fundamentals alongside familiarity with IC design workflows and fabrication processes. You will play a key role in improving the reliability, usability, and scalability of layout generation and design tooling used in a cutting‑edge R&D environment and, over time, in shaping what that tooling becomes.

Software Development & Architecture

• Design, develop, and maintain production-quality software systems for IC layout generation and design workflows.
• Refactor and improve existing codebases to increase maintainability, usability, and performance.
• Build scalable and extensible software architectures that support evolving design and fabrication requirements.
• Ensure code quality through best practices in testing, documentation, and version control.

IC Design & Layout Integration

• Translate design and fabrication requirements into layout‑ready implementations.
• Work with GDSII and IC layout formats to generate, manipulate, and validate layout data.
• Develop and maintain tooling that supports layout generation, verification, and iteration.
• Integrate software workflows with existing EDA tools and design environments.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with design, fabrication, and research teams to understand requirements and deliver effective solutions.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define workflows and improve how design requests are translated into implementation.
• Support users across multiple technical domains, improving usability and reducing friction in tooling.
• Contribute to prioritization discussions across competing stakeholder needs.

Tooling & Workflow Improvement

• Improve usability and accessibility of internal design tools to reduce errors and increase efficiency.
• Identify and address gaps in current workflows, proposing more robust and user‑friendly solutions.
• Support the evolution of tooling from ad hoc usage toward more structured and scalable systems.
• Balance reactive work (stabilization, bug fixing) with proactive development of new capabilities.

Qualifications

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Applied Physics, Materials Science, or a related technical field.
• Strong proficiency in Python, with experience developing and maintaining production-quality software in a real-world engineering or technical environment.
• Proven ability to own and improve complex, long‑lived codebases, including refactoring, architecture decisions, testing, documentation, and maintainability.
• Experience working with IC layout data and formats, including GDSII.
• Familiarity with EDA / IC layout tooling such as KLayout, gdspy, Cadence, or similar platforms.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to operate across teams that use different technical language and workflows.
• Working knowledge of semiconductor fabrication workflows, with exposure to lithography processes.
• Familiarity with lithography required; experience with e‑beam lithography a strong plus.
• Ability to translate design, fabrication, or process requirements into reliable software implementations.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross‑functionally with stakeholders across software, hardware, design, fabrication, and research teams.
• Ability to manage ambiguity, prioritize competing requests, and bring structure to evolving technical systems.
• Comfortable working closely with cleanroom, fab, or lab‑based teams in an R&D environment.

Rigetti is committed to full compliance with applicable anti‑discrimination laws. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We strive to create an inclusive work environment and will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.