Staff/Principal Software Engineer, Control

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 to build the operating system for the world's first useful quantum computer!

Job Summary:

The OS Core Team at PsiQuantum works closely alongside engineers and scientists in the electronics, system architecture, and validation teams and is responsible for building the scalable, distributed, fault-tolerant control plane and operating system for utility scale photonic quantum computers. Our team is responsible for orchestration, scheduling, kernel architecture, co-design, calibration, validation, providing abstractions, systems, and operating software for the immense heterogenous fabric of co-processors, networks, and photonics that are critical to the success of our company’s goal of building the world’s first useful quantum computer. As a Senior Software Engineer, Calibration & Control you will design and implement algorithms, controls, and software that keep our quantum processors in spec 24×7x365.

Responsibilities:

Develop and implement software for control of photonic quantum computers in Rust.
Design and architecture of system software.
Participate in design and code reviews.
Collaborate across software, hardware, and research teams at PsiQuantum.
Testing and maintenance of control software.
Champion and serve as an exemplar of good software development practices at PsiQuantum.

Experience/Qualifications:

Required skills and experience:

15+ years experience with Rust or C++ in a system software context.
Architecture and implementation of system software for HPC, robotics, AI, quantum computing, semiconductor fabrication, or control systems.
Proven track record of developing and shipping reliable, performant software in a high scale or mission critical context.
Bachelors degree in a technical discipline preferred, or equivalent experience.

Ways to stand out:

Experience in high performance computing.
Experience in computer architecture.
Experience in high performance networking.
Experience building operating systems, compilers, or kernels.
Experience interfacing with ASICs and/or FPGAs in complex/high-performance systems or an edge-computing context.
Experience with Nix.
Experience with highly scalable distributed systems in a reliability and up-time critical environment.
Familiarity with quantum control.
PhD in a related technical discipline is a plus, but not required.

[We are open to adjusting the compensation to experience level]

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 View email address on jobs.jobcopilot.com .

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

$180,000 - $205,000 USD

Bay Area Pay Range

$200,000 - $220,000 USD