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.
In 2024, PsiQuantum announced government-funded projects to support the build-out of our first utility-scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining—and that now is the time to scale.
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 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 have a clear path to make it real.
Come join us.
Job Summary At PsiQuantum we are developing and testing prototype quantum computer systems with complex software and hardware including integrated photonics, optics, electronics, and cryogenics subsystems. The Quantum Systems Validation team is responsible for characterizing the performance of integrated quantum optical systems and subsystems. As a Software Engineer on this team, you will design, build, and maintain the software tools that enable physicists and engineers to configure, test and validate system designs efficiently. You will work closely with validation engineers to write and improve software for acquiring, analyzing storing, and visualizing data on quantum computer prototypes.
Responsibilities - Design and implement software tools that focus on internal user needs and allow for a long-running, ever-evolving system.
- Enable physicists and engineers to develop test scripts, share data, and validate photonic quantum computer systems performance.
- Provide technical leadership including code reviews, pair programming, and mentoring, to promote high-quality, well-documented software from contributors from a variety of backgrounds.
- Build robust unit, integration, and hardware-in-the-loop tests to ensure system stability.
- Collaborate across teams to debug issues, provide rapid solutions, and contribute to long-term design improvements.
- Partner with design teams to define validation objectives and ensure system designs meet those requirements.
- Write requirements for data, APIs, and hardware features that will be provided by other teams.
Experience/Qualifications - Bachelor’s degree in computer science, mathematics, physics, engineering, or a related field.
- Advanced knowledge of Python including libraries for data analysis, unit testing, and Web APIs.
- Extensive experience using Git for version control in a collaborative software environment.
- Ability to work independently with limited direction and manage responsibility and ownership for delivering validation objectives.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with an ability to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences including senior leadership and technical experts.
- Demonstrated interest in PsiQuantum’s mission and vision for quantum computing, with an ability to contribute within a fast-paced start-up environment consistent with PsiQuantum’s values of communication, collaboration, respect, results, and challenge.
Ways to stand out - Experience teaching or mentoring software development skills, especially for colleagues with academic or scientific backgrounds.
- Familiarity with quantum physics, photonic integrated circuits, digital electronics, fiber networking, or related domains.
- Experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau, PowerBI, Python Dash, or JMP.
- Experience with relational or document-based databases such as: PostgreSQL, SQLite, Mongo, and S3.
- Experience with CI/CD tools such as GitLab, GitHub, or Jenkins.
- Experience managing Linux servers with tools such as Ansible, Bash, or Chef.
- Experience with cloud infrastructure management and automation such as: AWS, GCP, Terraform, CloudWatch, and Kubernetes.
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 [email protected] . We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.
The ranges below reflect the target ranges for a new hire base salary. One is for the Bay Area (within 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto), the second one (if applicable) is for elsewhere in the US (beyond 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto). If there is only one range, it is for the specific location of where the position will be located. Actual compensation may vary outside of these ranges and is dependent on various factors including but not limited to a candidate's qualifications including relevant education and training, competencies, experience, geographic location, and business needs. Base pay is only one part of the total compensation package. Full time roles are eligible for equity and benefits. Base pay is subject to change and may be modified in the future.
U.S. Base Pay Range
$140,000—$160,000 USD
Bay Area Pay Range
$160,000—$180,000 USD
Job Tags
Full time, Shift work,