(Senior) Quantum Software Engineer - Control System

At planqc, we are building scalable quantum computers based on neutral atoms. Operating these systems requires sophisticated software that connects experimental hardware, distributed control infrastructure, and higher-level quantum computing applications. As a (Senior) Quantum Software Engineer – Control Systems , you will contribute to developing the software that operates and orchestrates planqc’s quantum computing systems. Your mission is to design and build robust control, monitoring, and analysis software that enables reliable operation of complex experimental hardware. Working at the intersection of software engineering and quantum hardware , you will help shape the architecture of our control platform, integrating distributed services, APIs, and system components into a cohesive framework. Your work will directly support the operation and scalability of our quantum computing systems, ensuring that our hardware can be controlled, monitored, and deployed reliably across multiple systems. This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy working on distributed systems, control software, and complex technical environments , and who are motivated by contributing to the software infrastructure behind next-generation quantum technologies.

What characterizes you

• You are a collaborative engineer who enjoys working closely with interdisciplinary teams.
• You take ownership of complex technical challenges and approach them with curiosity and persistence.
• You are comfortable working at the interface between software and experimental hardware .
• You are motivated to learn about quantum technologies and advanced experimental systems .
• You approach problems with pragmatism and strong engineering discipline , even in fast-moving R&D environments.
• You communicate clearly and value knowledge sharing and constructive feedback within a team.

What you'll do

• 01 Develop new features, tests, and improvements for the quantum control system and related software components.
• 02 Contribute to the architecture and design of the control platform, integrating different functionalities into a unified framework.
• 03 Design, implement, and maintain APIs and services that connect system components and internal tools.
• 04 Develop and deploy microservices using Python and Docker to support scalable and modular system architecture.
• 05 Collaborate closely with hardware engineers and experimental physicists to integrate software with laboratory and control systems.
• 06 Contribute to the development and maintenance of CI/CD pipelines to ensure reliable and reproducible software delivery.
• 07 Improve code structure, performance, and reliability to maintain production-quality software standards.
• 08 Document software components and features to support maintainability and internal knowledge sharing.
• 09 Continuously expand your understanding of quantum computing systems and the technologies that support them.

What they're looking for

• 3+ years of experience in software development for control systems, distributed systems, embedded devices, or experimental hardware environments.
• Strong experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Software architecture and distributed or real-time systems
• Control and automation software in physics or optics laboratories
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages such as Python, Rust, C++, or C.
• Experience designing and maintaining RESTful or gRPC APIs.
• Familiarity with automated testing frameworks (e.g., pytest).
• Experience working with Git and CI/CD pipelines.
• Ability to produce clear technical documentation and user guides.

Nice to have

• Experience working in optics or quantum physics laboratories, including software control of experimental setups (e.g., lasers, vacuum systems, atom or ion experiments).
• Experience with message brokers or asynchronous communication systems such as ZeroMQ, RabbitMQ, or Kafka.
• Familiarity with observability and monitoring tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, or Jaeger.
• Experience with container orchestration tools such as Docker Compose or Kubernetes.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing and integration with laboratory or industrial hardware.
• Contributions to open-source projects or personal technical software projects.
• Experience working in agile or Scrum-based development environments.

planqc is a German neutral-atom quantum computing company built on research from the Max-Planck-Institute for Quantum Optics. Its technology uses individual atoms confined in crystals of light as qubits, and the company has demonstrated scaling of neutral atoms to 1,200 qubits.

#J-18808-Ljbffr