Software Engineer (SDK), Developer Tools

Job Description

Job Title: Staff Software Engineer (SDK), Developer Tools. Location: Bothell, Washington, USA

Responsibilities:

• Define the technical strategy and roadmap for IonQ's public-facing quantum SDKs, including native SDKs and integrations with Qiskit, Cirq, and PennyLane.
• Ensure SDKs are maintainable, performant, intuitive, and designed for broad developer adoption.
• Lead the productization and open-sourcing of internal quantum developer tools.
• Establish release processes, licensing, packaging, and community contribution workflows;
• Serve as the primary architect for the programming paradigms and abstractions exposed through IonQ's SDKs.
• Design and implement robust, well-documented SDK interfaces for quantum circuit construction, compilation, simulation, and hardware execution.
• Manage public repositories, review community contributions, establish contribution guidelines, and build a healthy open-source contributor ecosystem.
• Collaborate with Applications Research and Compiler teams to prototype and introduce advanced quantum capabilities, including error mitigation and optimization techniques, as SDK features.
• Oversee documentation, examples, tutorials, and quickstart guides to provide a strong developer experience.
• Establish best practices for API design, software architecture, testing, and open-source maintenance.
• Mentor engineers and help improve the technical capabilities of the engineering team;
• Support the Applications Engineering team by translating customer and partner requirements into SDK features and improvements.
• Drive improvements in automated testing, CI/CD, and validation standards across the SDK ecosystem.
• Work across Applications, Compiler, and Engineering teams to align SDK development with IonQ's quantum hardware and research capabilities.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or a related field, or equivalent training, fellowship, or professional experience.
• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, including significant experience in technical leadership or architecture.
• 7+ years of experience designing, developing, and maintaining public-facing SDKs or developer libraries.
• Strong focus on API design and developer experience.
• Deep expertise in Python and large-scale developer-facing software systems.
• Experience managing or contributing to open-source projects with external contributors;
• Experience with release management, community engagement, and contribution governance.
• Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional engineering projects from concept through production.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring engineers and improving the technical capabilities of engineering teams.
• Familiarity with Agentic AI coding tools and techniques and their use in modern software development workflows.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience creating technical documentation, specifications, and developer guides.

Preferred:

• Master's or PhD in Physics, Computer Science, or a related field, particularly with a focus on quantum computing or programming language design.
• Expert-level understanding of quantum computing principles, quantum circuits, optimization techniques, and compiler fundamentals.
• Deep expertise in C++ or Rust for high-performance computing or hardware interaction.
• Significant open-source contributions to the quantum computing ecosystem, including Qiskit, PennyLane, or Cirq;
• Experience with quantum error mitigation, quantum error correction, quantum compilers, or circuit optimization.
• Direct experience with programming language or API design for scientific or technical users.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across organizational boundaries and gain support for strategic initiatives.

Benefits and Compensation:

• Approximate base salary: $174,520 to $228,492 per year.
• Total compensation includes base salary, bonus, and equity.
• Compensation varies based on education, qualifications, experience, office location, market data, and internal equity.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) matching;
• Unlimited paid time off and paid holidays.
• Parental and adoption leave.
• Legal insurance.
• Home technology stipend.

Other Information:

• Work arrangement: On-site or hybrid in Bothell, Washington.
• Travel: Approximately once per quarter.
• Job ID: 1105.
• IonQ is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace.
• The position involves access to technology subject to U.S. export control and government contract restrictions;
• For certain technical work, employment may require verification of U.S. Person status, an applicable license, or confirmation of a license exception.
• Candidates will be asked additional immigration-status questions for export-control and compliance purposes.