Senior Software Engineering Leader

At Rigetti, our mission is to build the world’s most powerful computers to solve the world’s most challenging problems. Rigetti is a pioneer in superconducting Qubits and full stack quantum computing systems. In addition to introducing the first multi-chip quantum processor, Rigetti has led the way in software systems for quantum computing, with a distributed operating environment for hybrid quantum-classical computing, and a state-of-the-art streaming characterization and measurement development and execution platform.
We are seeking a Senior Software Engineering Leader to head the team responsible for software systems that enable the creation, delivery and maintenance of Rigetti’s quantum computers. This includes systems for device design, chip fabrication workflows, physics-informed data analysis, quantum gate-design, and quantum mitigation and error correction technologies. This also includes managing the team and supporting  the development of software systems for quantum QPU and system characterization. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives at the intersection of state-of-the-art software engineering, hardware, and scientific computing.
Role OverviewAs a Senior Software Engineering Leader, you will drive the creation of software platforms that enable the design, fabrication, characterization, and measurement of quantum systems, with a strong emphasis on integrating into the engineering process.
You will lead a team of professional software engineers, and collaborate closely with quantum hardware teams, quantum control systems designers, chip designers, fabrication engineers, and algorithm researchers. You’ll be responsible for engineering and system design that spans the entire gamut of our foundry operations through the delivery of an integrated quantum computing system, and delivery of characterization and measurement software to customers.
This is a unique opportunity to build software systems critical for the design and delivery of Rigetti’s computing systems, and, in some cases, delivered to customers to operate and maintain those quantum computers.

Key Responsibilities: Technical & Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute the software roadmap for tools that support quantum chip design, fabrication data management, and process analysis, with physics-informed models at their core
• Develop software frameworks to integrate design, simulation, fabrication, and characterization data into a unified pipeline
• Lead the development and support the acquisition of tools for design verification, device modeling (including electromagnetic and noise modeling), and process optimization, informed by real-world physics constraints
• Support the development of Rigetti’s quantum characterization and measurement platform
• Lead the on-going design and development of the environment that knits these systems into a comprehensive integrated set of tools to develop and deliver quantum computers

Key Responsibilities: Team Leadership & Mentorship

• Build and lead a high-performing, cross-disciplinary software team (including software engineers, physicists, and data scientists)
• Support a strong platform engineering and operational mindset to enable high quality delivery at scale and speed
• Mentor and develop team members in software engineering best practices, modern software systems architecture, platform engineering, and scientific software for research and development driven environments
• Foster a culture of collaboration between software engineers, physicists, and design and fabrication teams, ensuring all teams contribute to and benefit from shared software tools

Key Responsibilities: Cross-functional Collaboration

• Partner with quantum device physicists to build or acquire software that accurately models qubit behavior and fabrication variations
• Work with foundry teams to ensure software systems capture process data and link it directly to design and performance outcomes
• Collaborate with quantum engineers, quantum performance teams to develop software frameworks that accelerate experimental data analysis, linking test results back to QPU performance, design and fabrication parameters

Key Responsibilities: Technical Execution

• Oversee the development, and architecture of data platforms and modeling tools that combine design files, fabrication process data, and device performance metrics
• Drive the development and support for tools for design rule checking (DRC), layout-vs-schematic (LVS) checks, and process-aware design verification for quantum devices.

Qualifications

• BS or equivalent degree in Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Physics, or a related field
• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including at least 3 years in a senior technical leadership role. Ph.D. or Masters as a part of this
• Demonstrated experience building data systems that incorporate scientific models
• Demonstrated experience with software systems that manage large data sets, metadata sets, and scalable data pipelines
• Experience with streaming architectures and tools (E.g. Kafka, Kinesis, Spark Streaming)
• Proficiency and experience with Amazon’s AWS for development and production deployment and distributed computing
• Proficiency in Python and one of JavaScript or TypeScript

Exceptional Candidates Will Have One or More of the Following

• Knowledge of quantum device physics (superconducting qubits, trapped ions, or photonics), quantum information science
• Knowledge of quantum control systems and low-level hardware/software interfaces (cryogenic hardware, RF electronics, qubit calibration)
• Knowledge of fabrication processes in semiconductor or quantum systems
• Familiarity with EDA tools, process design kits (PDKs), and chip layout software (e.g., KLayout, Cadence)
• Proficiency and experience in scientific computing platforms, simulation tools, and scientific computing libraries and tools (NumPy, SciPy, PyTorch, etc.)
• Proficiency and experience in machine learning applied to scientific and operational systems for prediction and system optimization
• Proficiency and experience in a compiled language like go or rust

As engineering leaders, we value diversity and are committed to building a culture of inclusion to attract and engage innovative thinkers. Our technology, meant to serve all of humanity, cannot succeed if those who built it do not mirror the diversity of the communities we serve. Applications from women, minorities, and other under-represented groups are encouraged.
About RigettiRigetti Computing is a pioneer in full-stack quantum computing. The company has operated quantum computers over the cloud since 2017 and serves global enterprise, government, and research clients through its Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services platform. The company’s proprietary quantum-classical infrastructure provides ultra-low latency integration with public and private clouds for high-performance practical quantum computing. Rigetti has developed the industry’s first multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems. The company designs and manufactures its chips in-house at Fab-1, the industry’s first dedicated and integrated quantum device manufacturing facility. Rigetti was founded in 2013 and today employs more than 150 people with offices in the United States, U.K., and Australia. Learn more at www.rigetti.com.
Don't see the job you want? Apply here so we can keep in touch with you when the right role opens up in the future!
Export Licensing ComplianceRigetti is committed to full compliance with applicable anti-discrimination laws. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We strive to create an inclusive work environment and will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.