Staff Software Engineer - IAM, Cloud Platform

IonQ is developing the world's most powerful full-stack quantum computer based on trapped-ion technology. We are pushing past the limits of classical physics and current supercomputing technology to unlock a new era of computing. Quantum computing has the potential to impact every area of human society for the better. IonQ’s computers will soon redefine industries like medicine, materials science, finance, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cryptography, and more. IonQ is at the forefront of this technological revolution. 

We don’t just build the world’s best quantum computers—we sell them! We make our systems available via the cloud for customers all over the world, customers who have complex organizations and customer bases of their own in many cases.

We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer to lead developing our Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) systems, enabling our customers to federate their own identities and protect their organizations’ data. You’ll lead key components of the platform in collaboration with our product team and other engineers, to build the best quantum platform for our customers and partners.

Responsibilities :

• Own the technical vision and architecture for IAM and RBAC systems across the entire platform for multiple products. Design, evolve, and standardize scalable authorization models (RBAC, ABAC, policy-based access) that support complex enterprise use cases


• Drive cross-team initiatives that impact authentication, authorization, and identity lifecycle management. 


• Make high-impact architectural decisions around: 




• Role modeling and permission hierarchies


• Identity propagation and service-to-service authorization


• Act as the final technical authority on IAM/RBAC design reviews and critical security decisions.


• Ensure IAM and RBAC systems meet high availability, performance, and reliability requirements


• Establish operational standards for: Role changes and permission rollout


• Emergency access and break-glass procedures


• Monitoring and alerting for auth-related failures or abuse

 

You’d be a good fit with: 

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related field, or equivalent training, fellowship, or work experience


• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a history of technical leadership and shipping large-scale, mission-critical systems


• Deep, expert-level knowledge (4+ years) on designing, building, and operating IAM and RBAC systems in production environments at scale


• Past experience implementing SAML 2.0 in production


• Proven experience designing and leading large-scale, cross-team technical projects from inception to completion, especially track record of leading cross-team initiatives related to identity, access control, or security platforms


• Solid understanding of microservices architecture, event-driven systems, and data consistency patterns.


• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, demonstrated through a portfolio of technical design documents, architectural diagrams, or public presentations


• Expertise programming backends in Go or JavaScript


• A strong sense of ownership and the ability to navigate ambiguity to drive complex projects forward with a high degree of autonomy


• A practice of using AI in day to day coding

You’d be a great fit with:

• 10+ years software developer experience


• 5+ years experience writing microservices in a kubernetes environment


• Past experience with GCP


• Experience evolving or migrating legacy authentication/authorization systems to modern, scalable architectures


• Deep familiarity with enterprise security requirements, including least privilege, auditability, and compliance constraints


• Experience operating IAM systems that support high availability, low latency, and strict reliability SLOs


• Active participation in the broader tech community (e.g., open-source contributions, conference talks)


• Regular use of fully agent-based augmented coding

 

Location: This role will work onsite or hybrid at our office located in Bothell, WA.
Travel: Once per quarter
Job ID: 1409

The approximate base salary range for this position is $174,520 - $228,492 . The total compensation package includes base, bonus, and equity.

Compensation will vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Posted base salary figures are subject to change as new market data becomes available. Beyond base salary, total compensation includes a variable bonus and equity component and a range of benefit options found on our career site at  ionq.co/jobs . Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided when a candidate receives an offer of employment. Our US benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, matching 401K, unlimited PTO and paid holidays, parental/adoption leave, legal insurance, a home internet stipend, and pet insurance! 

IonQ's HQ is located in College Park, Maryland, just outside of Washington DC. We are actively building out our recently opened manufacturing and production facility in Bothell, WA (near Seattle). Depending on the position, you may be required to be near one of our offices in College Park, Seattle, Toronto, Canada, and Basel, Switzerland. However, IonQ will expand into additional domestic and international geographies, so don’t let this stop you from applying!

 
At IonQ, we believe in fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all while striving to identify and eliminate barriers. We empower employees to thrive by fostering a culture of autonomy, productivity, and respect. We are dedicated to creating an environment where individuals can feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued.

 
We are committed to equity and justice. We welcome different voices and viewpoints and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

US Technical Jobs.  The position you are applying for will require access to technology that is subject to U.S. export control and government contract restrictions. Employment with IonQ is contingent on either verifying “U.S. Person” (e.g., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum) status for export controls and government contracts work, obtaining any necessary license, and/or confirming the availability of a license exception under U.S. export controls. Please note that in the absence of confirming you are a U.S. Person for export control and government contracts work purposes, IonQ may choose not to apply for a license or decline to use a license exception (if available) for you to access export-controlled technology that may require authorization, and similarly, you may not qualify for government contracts work that requires U.S. Persons, and IonQ may decline to proceed with your application on those bases alone. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law.

US Non-Technical Jobs.  Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law.

If you are interested in being a part of our team and mission, we encourage you to apply!