About the team
At Q-CTRL, Quantum Computing Engineering is a global team of software engineers and infrastructure experts, combining deep technical expertise with a startup mindset to deliver real impact through software innovation. Our work is underpinned by robust standards, and by embracing the three virtues. Our team excels in areas across back-end, front-end, machine learning, and platform engineering.
We transform Q-CTRL’s world-leading technological breakthroughs into commercial software products with applications across defense, research, and industry. We work closely with Product, Design, and Research teams to accelerate the path to quantum advantage worldwide.
About the role
As a Back-end Engineer on the Boulder Opal Scale Up team, you’ll be at the forefront of building the software backbone that powers the future of quantum technology. You’ll work side by side with brilliant engineers and researchers, designing and delivering scalable, high-performance systems that bring groundbreaking science into the real world.
From SDKs to cloud-based platforms, your work will shape the tools researchers and customers use every day. You’ll not only develop world-class backend systems but also help translate cutting-edge research into production-ready solutions, bridging the gap between quantum experiments and reliable software.
Suppose you’re excited about building robust systems, tackling complex problems, and exploring the edge where software meets quantum physics. In that case, this is your opportunity to make a real impact in one of the most exciting fields in technology today.
What you'll be doing:
Build impactful systems: Design, develop, and optimize scalable backend applications in Python that power real-world quantum technology.Engineer for performance: Create high-efficiency service-to-service communication using modern protocols.Bridge science and engineering: Work hand-in-hand with researchers to translate cutting-edge research code into production-ready solutions, while sharing engineering best practices.Deliver end-to-end solutions: Partner with product, frontend, and infrastructure teams to ship integrated features used across Q-CTRL’s products.Champion quality: Implement and enforce best practices for code quality, security, and operational excellence.Solve tough problems: Troubleshoot, optimize, and enhance system performance and reliability at scale.Shape reusable architectures: Develop product features that promote flexibility, reuse, and scalability across multiple business cases.Contribute broadly: Take on other responsibilities aligned with your skills and experience and grow into new ones with support and training.Other duties within the Employee's skills and experience, or with reasonable training.
Ideally you'll have:
5+ years of backend engineering experience with Python, Rust, C++, or similar.A track record of collaborating across research and engineering to solve hard technical challenges.Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive, ownership-driven mindset.Strong understanding of domain driven design, service oriented architecture, asynchronous processing, and software testing.Excellent communication and teamwork skills across agile, cross-functional groups.Experience designing, implementing, and maintaining efficient algorithms and statistical models.
Bonus points (not essential, but exciting if you bring them!)
Hands-on experience with modern APIs (gRPC, GraphQL, REST).Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and infrastructure management.Knowledge of database optimization, distributed systems, or microservices.Familiarity with Python web frameworks like Django, Flask, or FastAPI.Experience building frameworks or tools for complex computational systems (e.g., calibration, signal processing, or scientific computing).Understanding of data modeling for scalable and efficient processing.Proficiency with CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, CircleCI) and container orchestration tools like Kubernetes.Hands-on experience in observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, Tempo, AWS CloudWatch) for monitoring metrics, traces, and logs.Exposure in data orchestration and warehousing (e.g., Airflow, Snowflake, dbt, or comparable platforms)Curiosity or knowledge of quantum physics/quantum computing.A background in start-up or scale-up environments where speed and agility are key.Skills in data visualization using Plotly, Dash, or Jupyter.
