Staff Firmware Engineer

PsiQuantum; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 208,000 - 245,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401(k) with company match

Equity grants

Wellness benefits

Paid leave programs

Company-designated holidays

Discretionary time off

End-of-year shutdown

Job summary

PsiQuantum is seeking a Staff Firmware Engineer to lead firmware architecture for quantum computing control systems within the Electronics organization. The role collaborates with hardware, systems, and software teams to deliver robust firmware for next-generation devices.

You will contribute hands-on development, set technical direction, and mentor engineers, focusing on C/C++, RTOS/Linux environments, and TCP/IP interfaces to enable scalable, reliable firmware for commercial quantum systems.

Qualifications

• 10+ years hands-on firmware development and architecture
• Experience architecting solutions for multiple products/control boards
• Expert level firmware development in C/C++
• Intermediate/advanced Python for control and test interfaces
• Familiarity with build systems and version control
• Schematic review and hardware debugging tools and techniques
• RTOS, bare metal, and Linux development experience
• TCP/IP protocol implementations
• Excellent communication across audiences

Responsibilities

• Define system architecture in partnership with hardware and systems teams; select components to meet requirements
• Lead firmware-focused schematic reviews and ensure hardware supports firmware needs
• Architect, develop, and validate firmware for quantum control systems and R&D programs
• Set technical direction for firmware design and implementation; mentor the team
• Define and drive software interface specifications across firmware, hardware, and systems teams

Skills

C/C++ firmware

Python

RTOS/Linus?

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/EE

Tools

Git

Build systems

Version control

Job description

PsiQuantum's mission is to build the first useful quantum computers: machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum systems.

Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that even the most advanced supercomputers or AI systems will never reach. Their impact will span energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries.

Our architecture and approach is based on silicon photonics. By leveraging the advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry, including partners like GlobalFoundries, we use the same high-volume processes that already produce billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics. Photonics offers natural advantages for scale: photons don't feel heat, are immune to electromagnetic interference, and integrate with existing cryogenic cooling and standard fiber‑optic infrastructure.

That approach has since been tested at the highest level of scrutiny the U.S. government applies to emerging technology, and it has held up. In 2025, PsiQuantum closed a $1 billion funding round that valued the company at $7 billion. In 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce signed a $100 million Letter of Intent under the CHIPS and Science Act, followed by a $125 million agreement with DARPA under Stage C of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, PsiQuantum's most valuable U.S. government agreement to date. This year, we also broke ground on our utility‑scale quantum computer in Brisbane, Australia, and continued building out our Chicago site. Victor Peng, our CEO, and co‑founder Jeremy O'Brien, now Executive Chairman, lead a team and board that reflects how seriously the world is taking this build, joined this year by Intel's Lip‑Bu Tan and Atomico's Niklas Zennström.

PsiQuantum also develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable. Our application, software, and industry teams work directly with leading Fortune 500 companies, including Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Mercedes‑Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical, to prepare quantum solutions for real-world impact.

Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. It represents a fundamental shift, and a path to mastering challenges that cannot be solved any other way. The potential is enormous, and we now have the funding, the government validation, and the sites under construction to make it real.

Job Summary

The Staff Firmware Engineer is a hands‑on technical leader and firmware developer on PsiQuantum’s Firmware team, within the Electronics organization. The role leads firmware architecture and development for quantum computing control systems, working closely with hardware, systems architecture, and software teams.

Responsibilities

• Define system architecture and design in partnership with hardware and systems architecture teams; evaluate and select components to meet system requirements.
• Lead firmware‑focused schematic reviews, identifying design risks and ensuring hardware supports system and firmware needs.
• Architect, develop, and validate firmware for quantum computing control systems and other research and development programs.
• Set technical direction for firmware design and implementation, and raise the quality of the team’s work through design reviews and technical mentorship.
• Define and drive software interface specifications and deliverables across firmware, hardware, and systems teams.

Experience/Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years hand‑on firmware development and architecture experience leading to a successful commercial product.
• Experience architecting solutions for multiple products and/or sets of control boards.
• Expert level firmware development in C/C++.
• Intermediate or advanced Python for control and test interfaces.
• Familiarity with build systems, version control, and test driven development.
• Schematic review and hardware debugging tools and techniques.
• RTOS, bare metal, and linux development experience.
• Communications protocol development and TCP/IP protocol implementations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with an ability to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences ranging from senior leadership and technical experts to entry‑level staff.

PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.

Note: PsiQuantum will only reach out to you using an official PsiQuantum email address and will never ask you for bank account information as part of the interview process. Please report any suspicious activity to [e-mail].

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.

Base pay is one part of the total compensation package. Full‑time roles are eligible for equity and benefits. Our compensation ranges reflect the cost of labor across multiple U.S. geographic markets, and we pay based on defined geographic zones. This position may be filled within one of the following U.S. geographic zones, each with its own salary range.

• Zone 1 - Bay Area and NYC
• Zone 2 - Examples include Los Angeles and Washington DC
• Zone 3 - Examples include Austin, Chicago, and Sacramento
• Zone 4 - Examples include Nashville and Phoenix/Tempe and many remote locations

This position includes the following benefits:

• competitive health coverage for you and your dependents
• 401(k) with company match
• equity grants
• access to financial wellness tools and planning resources
• wellness benefits
• family support programs
• life and disability insurance
• paid leave programs
• company‑designated paid holidays
• discretionary time off (DTO)
• an end‑of‑year company shutdown

Some of these benefits have eligibility requirements and may vary based on location, role, or employment status.

Many of these benefits are subsidized or fully paid for by the company.

The estimated annual base salary range for this role is:

• Zone 1: $208,300—$244,700 USD
• Zone 2: $187,400—$220,200 USD
• Zone 3: $166,000—$195,800 USD
• Zone 4: $145,800—$171,300 USD