Senior Software Engineer - Developer Tools

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE: IONQ) is the world’s leading quantum platform and merchant supplier, delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. Our newest generation of quantum computers, the IonQ Tempo, is at the front of a line of cutting‑edge systems used by partners such as Amazon Web Services and AstraZeneca to achieve 20× performance gains and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense.

In 2025, we set a world record with 99.99% two‑qubit gate fidelity.

This role can be based at our office in Bothell, WA (U.S.) or in Oxford, England (U.K.).

Approximately twice per year.

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As a Senior Software Engineer, Developer Tools, you will be a key contributor to the software that connects quantum developers to IonQ’s hardware. Your focus will be on building and improving quantum compiler tools and features that our users and internal research teams depend on to run applications. You will design tooling that provides deep insights into circuit optimisation, create intuitive interfaces for hardware‑specific compiler passes (including error mitigation and error correction), and ensure our tools are robust, well‑documented, and easily integrated into quantum software applications.

• Design, build, and maintain compiler tool chains, optimisation tools, and circuit transformation libraries for developer‑facing applications.
• Work with the Compiler and Applications teams to package, test, and document new compilation features for both internal and external developers.
• Architect and implement interfaces for hardware‑specific compilation features, giving developers deeper control and visibility.
• Integrate advanced compilation strategies—such as automated error mitigation, quantum error correction, and others—into our cloud platform and SDKs.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation, examples, and tutorials for compilation workflows.
• Support testing and validation of compilation features across different IonQ backends and system configurations, including mid‑circuit measurement and branching.
• Collaborate with the Applications Engineering team to understand and address customer needs related to compilation and circuit optimisation.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or a related field, or equivalent training, fellowship, or work experience.
• 6+ years of professional software‑engineering experience in team environments.
• Deep proficiency in Python, our primary language.
• Experience with quantum computing, with an understanding of quantum gates and circuits.
• Familiarity with the fundamentals of quantum compilation, error mitigation and quantum error correction.
• Experience with software maintenance, user community stewardship, and engineering best practices.
• Experience working with research or academic concepts and integrating them into scientific software workflows.
• Familiarity with Agentic AI coding tools and techniques such as skills, docstring generation, code review, and software engineering best practices.
• A track record of creating clear, comprehensive technical documentation.
• Experience with automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, and scientific software validation.
• Strong collaboration skills, with experience working across research and engineering teams.

• 8+ years of professional software experience.
• An advanced degree (Ph.D. or Master’s) in Physics, Computer Science, or a related field with a focus on quantum computing.
• A background in compiler development for either classical or quantum systems.
• An interest or experience with hardware‑level and hardware‑specific compilation, such as pulse‑level control or dynamic circuits.
• System‑level programming experience with C++ or Rust for performance‑critical code.
• Deep experience with quantum compilers, circuit optimisation, or quantum error correction.
• Experience with quantum computing SDKs (Qiskit, Pennylane, Cirq).
• Understanding of trapped‑ion quantum computing systems and their specific noise characteristics.
• Proficiency with or strong interest in open‑source compiler tools…