Senior Rust Software Engineer

IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world’s leading quantum platform and merchant supplier, delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. IonQ’s newest generation of quantum computers, the IonQ Tempo, is the latest in a line of cutting‑edge systems that have helped customers and partners, including Amazon Web Services and AstraZeneca, achieve 20× performance results and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense.

In 2025, the company achieved 99.99% two‑qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance.

IonQ is headquartered in College Park, Maryland, with operations in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our quantum computing services are available through all major cloud providers, while we also meet the needs of networking and sensing customers across land, sea, air, and space.

About Vector Atomic

Vector Atomic, an IonQ company, is building quantum technology to transform navigation, timing, geophysical exploration, and telecommunications. Our team of engineers, scientists, software developers, and operations professionals works together to solve complex challenges and turn bold ideas into real‑world solutions. We value collaboration, curiosity, and diverse perspectives, and we give every team member the opportunity to make an immediate impact while growing their skills.

Location

Pleasanton, CA (Onsite)

Travel

Up to 5% domestic or international.

Job

1687.

The Role

Vector Atomic is building next‑generation quantum devices designed for real‑world applications, including GPS‑free navigation, high‑precision timing, geophysical exploration, and telecommunications. As a Senior Rust Software Engineer, you will serve as a technical leader within a rapidly growing, collaborative team of over 50 professionals delivering practical, transformative quantum technologies. In this high‑impact role, you will architect and write production‑quality Rust code, driving the software strategy for our advanced quantum instruments.

You will collaborate deeply across disciplines with physicists, electronics engineers, and firmware engineers, taking ownership of system controllers, data acquisition pipelines, and critical control algorithms on ARM SoCs from concept to deployment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of reliable, high‑performance, production‑quality software architectures in Rust.
• Architect and verify system controllers on ARM SoCs, designing robust user‑space drivers for complex peripherals (including mixed‑signal devices) and low‑latency data acquisition pipelines.
• Implement and optimize critical control loops and precision algorithms essential to the stability and operation of quantum sensing instruments.
• Partner closely with hardware teams to lead board testing, hardware bring‑up, and the implementation of fault‑tolerant error‑handling systems.
• Oversee the development and scaling of core software libraries used for the control and automation of next‑generation quantum systems.
• Champion continuous improvement within the development process—leading technical code reviews, project retrospectives, and mentoring junior engineers.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, with 6+ years of professional software engineering experience (with a proven track record in embedded or hardware‑adjacent environments).
• Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or eligible refugee/​asylee as required by U.S. export controls.
• Fully comfortable working hands‑on in a laboratory environment alongside physical hardware and complex test setups.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to bridge technical gaps between hardware engineers, software teams, and physicists.

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive background coding in C/C++ or utilizing Python and its scientific libraries for data analysis and modeling.
• Deep expertise in designing, modeling, and coding advanced…