Staff Software Developer [555]

Clutch Canada; United States; On-site; USD 167,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Disability and life insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid holidays

Wellness resources

Paid sick time

Flexible paid time off

Incentive programs

Job summary

D-Wave Quantum Inc. is seeking a Staff Software Developer to join the Processor Software team.

You will help develop core software interacting with quantum processors across production and lab environments, partnering with scientists and engineers to shape technical direction and deliver scalable, high-performance solutions. You will mentor developers, drive architecture, and contribute to best practices while supporting on-call rotations for QPU solvers on the Leap cloud platform.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics, Electrical, Computer Engineering, Physics or CS with hardware-integrated systems experience.
• 7+ years in software development delivering complex systems.
• Expertise in high-performance software using compiled languages and multithreaded environments.
• Strong architecture, concurrency and performance optimization knowledge.
• Experience designing software interfaces to hardware systems and control software.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full software lifecycle from requirements to decommissioning.
• Develop software for quantum processor calibration, hardware interfaces, and monitoring.
• Drive architecture direction for scalable, high-performance solutions.
• Analyze, optimize and improve software for reliability and scalability.
• Collaborate with scientists and engineers across teams to deliver complex initiatives.
• Mentor developers through architecture reviews and code reviews.

Skills

Software engineering

Linux

Git workflows

Multithreading

Performance optimization

Hardware interfaces

Scientific computing

C/C++

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering Physics

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Physics

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Tools

Emacs

Docker

Jenkins

Kubernetes

SQL

MongoDB

InfluxDB

Grafana

Redis

Job description

D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NASDAQ: QBTS) is a leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems, software, and services. It is the world’s first commercial supplier of quantum computers, and the first and only to offer dual-platform quantum computing products and services, spanning both annealing and gate-model quantum computing technologies. D-Wave’s mission is to help customers realize the value of quantum today through enterprise-grade systems available on-premises and via its Leap™ quantum cloud service, which offers 99.9% availability and uptime. More than 100 organizations across commercial, government, and research sectors trust D-Wave to address complex computational challenges using quantum computing. Learn more about realizing the value of quantum computing today and how D-Wave is shaping the quantum-driven industrial and societal advancements of tomorrow: www.dwavequantum.com.

About the role

D-Wave is Seeking a Staff Software Developer to join our Processor Software team, which develops and maintains software supporting our internal Processor Development (PD), Hardware Engineering (HWE), and Lab Operations (LabOps) teams. This role focuses on developing the core software and infrastructure that interacts directly with our quantum processors across production and laboratory environments.

The ideal candidate combines deep software engineering expertise with a strong understanding of physics, engineering, or hardware-integrated systems. You will partner closely with scientists, engineers, and software developers to define technical direction, design scalable software solutions, and solve complex technical challenges that enable the development and operation of our quantum computing systems. As a senior technical leader, you will drive architectural decisions, mentor other developers, and influence engineering best practices across the team.

What you'll do

• Lead the technical design and development of software throughout the full software lifecycle, including requirements definition, architecture, implementation, testing, validation, deployment, maintenance, and decommissioning

• Design, develop, and maintain software supporting quantum processor calibration, hardware interfaces, operational infrastructure, system testing, and monitoring

• Drive software architecture and technical direction, ensuring scalable, maintainable, and high-performance solutions across the processor software ecosystem

• Analyze, optimize, and improve existing software for performance, reliability, scalability, and maintainability

• Partner with scientists, engineers, and cross-functional stakeholders to deliver solutions for complex initiatives spanning multiple teams

• Lead technical investigations, solve challenging engineering problems, and provide guidance on software design, implementation, and performance optimization

• Mentor and coach developers through technical leadership, architecture reviews, code reviews, and knowledge sharing to strengthen engineering capability across the team

• Champion software engineering best practices, continuous improvement, and technical excellence while fostering collaboration across interdisciplinary teams

• Participate in an on-call rotation supporting ensuring the availability and performance of our QPU solvers on the Leap cloud platform

About You

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering Physics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or a related discipline with demonstrated experience working on hardware-integrated systems.

• 7+ years of relevant software development experience designing and delivering complex software systems

• Expertise developing high-performance software using compiled programming languages and multithreaded environments

• Strong understanding of software architecture, algorithms, concurrency, and performance optimization techniques

• Experience designing, implementing, and optimizing software interfaces to hardware systems

• Experience developing reliable, maintainable software for complex engineering or scientific applications

• Experience with Git workflows including branching, merging, and pull requests

• Experience working in Linux environments

• Demonstrated experience leading technical initiatives and mentoring software developers

• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills

• Ability to influence technical direction while working effectively across interdisciplinary teams

• Self-motivated, adaptable, and passionate about solving complex technical challenges and learning new technologies

Bonus Points

• Experience with Common Lisp (SBCL) or similar functional languages such as Scheme, Clojure, or Scala

• Experience with Emacs, Docker, Jenkins, Kubernetes, SQL, MongoDB, InfluxDB, Grafana, or Redis

• Experience developing software for hardware control systems, scientific computing, or distributed infrastructure

• Familiarity with quantum computing, embedded systems, or high-performance computing environments

• Experience leveraging AI-assisted development tools (e.g., code generation, code review, testing, or documentation) and building AI-powered solutions to improve engineering productivity or automate workflows

Additional Requirements

• Candidates must be willing and able to work from our office in Burnaby, Canada, for six weeks during the onboarding process

• Travel to the Burnaby, Canada, office is required a minimum of two weeks per year, as the software organization convenes for in-person discussions, collaboration, and our yearly hackathon

A D-Waver's DNA

• We look at the future and say “why not”; we see possibilities where others see problems or routines. We show the way ahead and are committed to achieving ambitious goals.

• We practice straight talk and listen generously to each other with empathy. We value different opinions and points of views. We ensure that we connect outside as well as inside to learn from others and inspire each other.

• We hold ourselves accountable for delivering results. We make decisions & take responsibility so that we can act & support each other.

• As leaders we motivate & engage our teams to undertake beyond what they originally thought possible, by developing our teams & creating the conditions for people to grow and empower themselves through enabling & coaching.

Inclusion:

We celebrate diverse perspectives to drive innovation in our pursuit. Our employees range from distinguished domain experts with decades of experience in their respective fields, to bright and motivated graduates eager to make their mark. Our diverse and innovative team will make you feel appreciated, supported and empower your career growth at D-Wave.

Export Controls

This position may include access to controlled information or technology under U.S. export control laws. Employment may be contingent on either the applicant verifying falling under the "U.S. Person" definition (including U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, and those granted U.S. asylum or refugee status) or the employer timely obtaining any necessary export license under federal laws. D-Wave evaluates export licensing on a case-by-case basis and may decline to proceed with a job application in its sole discretion as export license applications can take many weeks to process.

Security Clearance

This position requires the ability to pass a Tier 2 background investigation. This position also requires an active U.S. government security clearance or the ability to qualify for a U.S. government security clearance (U.S. citizenship required).

Our Compensation Philosophy is Simple but Powerful:

We believe providing D-Wavers with company ownership, competitive pay, and a range of meaningful benefits is the start of creating a culture where people want to give the best they’ve got, not because they’re simply making money, but because they’ve fallen in love with our vision, mission, values, and team.

The anticipated salary range for this position is between $167,000 and $230,000. Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors including a candidate’s experience, skills, qualifications, work location, and alignment with the responsibilities of the role.

• medical, dental, and vision coverage

• disability and life insurance

• a 401(k) retirement plan

• paid holidays

• wellness and well-being resources

• paid sick time

• flexible paid time off to support rest and well-being

• Employees may also be eligible to participate in short-term and/or long-term incentive programs.

The Fine Print:

No 3rd party candidates will be accepted

It is D-Wave Systems Inc. policy to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial, local law.