Senior Staff Software Engineer - Compiler Tools

IonQ

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

IonQ is developing the world's most powerful full-stack quantum computer based on trapped-ion technology. We are pushing past the limits of classical physics and current supercomputing technology to unlock a new era of computing. Quantum computing has the potential to impact every area of human society for the better. IonQ’s computers will soon redefine industries like medicine, materials science, finance, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cryptography, and more. IonQ is at the forefront of this technological revolution. As Senior Staff Software Engineer for Compiler and Simulation Tools, you'll serve as the technical lead and primary architect of IonQ's compiler and simulation tooling, partnering closely with the Compiler and QEC teams to drive the strategy and quality of customer-facing tools that quantum developers depend on. You'll own the long-term architecture and maintenance strategy for compilation APIs, SDK integrations, and simulator packages, while setting the engineering bar for how quantum compilation and simulation capabilities are developed, packaged, and delivered. The Developer Tools team builds the software layer connecting quantum developers to IonQ's quantum computers. In this role, you'll maintain an ecosystem of tooling and shape its direction. You’ll develop an effective open sourcing strategy to make our tools available to the broader quantum ecosystem. You'll translate real-world developer pain points into architectural improvements, define standards for how the team ships production software, and mentor engineers across the team. You'll also serve as a key voice in cross-organizational decisions, protecting the Compiler team's innovation bandwidth while ensuring that their advances reach developers reliably and with exceptional quality. What You'll Do You'll lead the architecture and implementation of compiler premium configurations, OpenAPI-based SDK foundations for compilation workflows, and compiler transparency features that give developers deep insight into how their circuits are optimized. You'll own the strategy for packaging and deploying IonQ's noisy simulator as standalone, distributable products for enterprise customers and partner integrations. You'll drive the technical direction for error mitigation production tooling, fault-tolerant quantum computing programming model integrations, and end-to-end testing infrastructure across IonQ's evolving quantum systems. This role demands both deep technical expertise in quantum compilation and simulation, and the leadership to define how world-class innovations become reliable, well-documented, production-grade software. You'll author formal RFCs and design documents, set architectural precedents, and work across organizational boundaries to align the compiler and simulation roadmap with IonQ's broader strategic goals.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or related field, or equivalent training, fellowship, or work experience
10+ years of professional software engineering experience working in team environments
5+ years leading design and architecture of scientific libraries, compiler tooling, or production SDK infrastructure
Deep proficiency in Python, our primary language
Strong experience with C++ or Rust for system-level programming and performance-critical code
Understanding of quantum circuits, gates, and compilation fundamentals
Proven track record taking research implementations and turning them into production-ready, maintainable software at scale
Experience authoring technical specifications, RFCs, and design documents that drive organizational alignment
Experience identifying and resolving systemic technical challenges spanning multiple teams
Experience mentoring and guiding engineers of all levels to ensure high standards for code quality and performance
Ability to build consensus across organizational boundaries in complex, multi-stakeholder environments
Experience with automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, and release engineering
Demonstrated ability to leverage AI coding assistants (GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude, etc.) to enhance productivity and code quality

Nice To Haves

12+ years of professional software experience
Deep experience with quantum compilers, circuit optimization, or quantum error correction
Background in compiler development for classical or quantum systems
Proficiency with quantum computing SDKs (Qiskit, Pennylane, Cirq)
Experience with quantum simulation, noise modeling, or resource estimation
Understanding of fault-tolerant quantum computing and logical qubits
Experience packaging and deploying scientific software (Docker, containers, distribution platforms)
Experience maintaining open-source software with outside contributors and building developer communities
Previous work in scientific computing, HPC, or physics simulation
Experience working with major technology partners or research institutions on complex technical integrations
Significant contributions to or leadership roles in major open-source projects
Publications or contributions to quantum computing research

Responsibilities

Own the technical vision and architecture for compiler and simulation tooling, authoring RFCs and design documents that drive organizational alignment
Lead the compiler innovation tooling pipeline: taking new features from the Compiler team through testing, documentation, packaging, and release
Design and maintain compilation toolchains, optimization tools, and circuit transformation libraries at scale
Define the strategy for packaging and distributing IonQ's noisy simulator as deployable enterprise products (Docker containers, standalone packages, on-premise deployments)
Architect interfaces for compiler transparency features, giving developers deep visibility into optimization decisions
Establish standards for noise model configurations and simulator versioning across deployed packages
Lead the technical direction for error mitigation production tooling and quantum error correction infrastructure
Drive fault-tolerant quantum computing programming model compiler integrations
Own comprehensive end-to-end testing architecture for compilation jobs across backends and gate sets
Mentor senior and junior engineers, establishing high standards for code quality, reliability, and performance
Engage proactively across organizational boundaries to represent developer needs, shape API design, and influence feature prioritization with the Compiler team
Collaborate with SDK engineers to ensure seamless integration of compilation and simulation capabilities into developer workflows