{"id":3546729,"url":"https://alion.io/job/vector-atomic-senior-engineer-firmware","title":"Senior Engineer - Firmware","company":{"id":8424,"name":"Vector Atomic","domain":"vectoratomic.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/vectoratomic","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workable","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":95,"open_postings":11,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":155,"computed_at":"2026-11-03T05:54:40Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Pleasanton, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":120000,"max":160000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":160000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"IonQ","optional":false},{"name":"Rust","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":true},{"name":"Linux","optional":true},{"name":"Python","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-30T21:04:24Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-30","last_verified_at":"2026-11-04T05:24:40Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":4,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":4},"description":"About IonQ:\nIonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world’s leading quantum company delivering solutions to solve the world’s most complex problems. IonQ’s newest generation quantum computers, IonQ Tempo and IonQ Forte Enterprise, are the latest in cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners such as Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, and NVIDIA achieve 20x performance results. The company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance in 2025.\nThe company is accelerating its technology roadmap and intends to deliver the world’s most powerful quantum computers with 2 million qubits by 2030 to accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. IonQ’s advancements in quantum networking position the company as a leader in building the quantum internet.\nAbout Vector Atomic:\nVector 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. If you're excited to work on breakthrough technology in a fast-paced, hands-on environment, we'd love to hear from you.\nThe Role:\n We are looking for a skilled Senior Firmware Engineer to join a cross-functional team of physicists, electronics engineers, and firmware developers building next-generation quantum sensing instruments. In this role, you will design, implement, and verify embedded software for ST microcontrollers - including COTS devices and MCUs on custom ASICs - and develop the low-level control algorithms that make precision measurement possible. You will work closely with hardware engineers throughout the full product development cycle, from schematic review to board bring-up and production.\n\nLocation: This role is based on site at our office in Pleasanton, CA.\nRequirements\nWhat You'll Do:\nProvide technical leadership and architectural direction for Rust-based quantum control systems across multiple projects.\nWrite production-quality code in C/C++ and establish coding standards and best practices for the team.\nWork with and mentor a cross-functional team of physicists, electronics engineers, and firmware engineers to create next-generation quantum instruments.\nDesign and architect system controllers on ARM SoC. Lead development of user-space drivers, data acquisition pipelines, and robust control loops with reliable error handling.\nDefine and implement control algorithms essential to operation of precision sensing instruments.\nArchitect libraries and frameworks for control of quantum systems that can be reused across projects.\nLead technical discussions with hardware engineers and drive board testing and hardware bring up strategies.\nMentor junior and senior engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and technical guidance.\nDrive continuous improvement of our development process, tooling, and infrastructure.\nRepresent the team in cross-functional technical reviews, architecture discussions, and strategic planning sessions.\nWhat We're Looking For:\nElectrical Engineering/Computer Engineering/Computer Science Graduate, BS/MS Degree with 8+ years of related work experience, or PhD with 5+ years of experience.\nTo comply with the US export control laws, Vector Atomic employees must be U.S. citizens (born or naturalized), lawful U.S. permanent residents (green card holders), and certain categories of refugees, and asylees.\nMust be comfortable working in a laboratory environment.\nProven ability to lead technical initiatives and influence engineering decisions across teams.\nExcellent communication skills with ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences, both written and verbal.\nDemonstrated expertise in system architecture and design of complex embedded systems.\nRequired Expertise:\nExtensive experience in developing production Rust systems, including async runtimes, concurrency patterns, and performance optimization.\nDeep understanding of hardware-software interfaces including TCP, UART, MMAP, and low-level system programming.\nProven ability to architect and design complex software systems from the ground up.\nStrong debugging and troubleshooting skills using various tools including debuggers, profilers, and simulation.\nExperience mentoring and leading other engineers in technical growth.\nNice-to-have expertise:\nExperience in Rust , on bare-metal or embedded Linux.\nExperience in Python, including common scientific libraries and building developer tools.\nExpert-level understanding of control algorithms such as PID, state-space controllers, and adaptive control.\nDesign training/expertise with fixed-point algorithms, DSP, and digital filters.\nExtensive experience interfacing with external devices through multiple protocols (TCP, UART, SPI, I2C, etc.).\nExperience in C/C++ and understanding of systems programming across multiple languages.\nStrong background working with SoC/FPGA devices and hardware-software co-design.\nExperience with Linux kernel development and device drivers.\nComfortable using test and measurement equipment to confirm coding performance. This includes oscilloscopes, function generators and voltmeters.\nExperience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, and development infrastructure.\nBenefits\nVector Atomic values teamwork, open and honest discourse, and work-life balance. We offer competitive compensation and benefits including:\nPlatinum-level family health coverage (medical, dental, vision)\nHealth and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)\nEmployer 401(k) contributions\n20 days of paid time off / 11 paid holidays\nPaid parental leave\nFully stocked kitchen\nPay Range\nThe approximate base salary range for this position is $120,000 to $160,000 per year. The total compensation package includes base, bonus, equity and benefits. It's atypical to be hired at the top end of this range for the role, as actual pay is based on several factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience level.\nVector Atomic is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or any other classification protected by law.\nVector Atomic does not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third-party recruiting agencies in response to job postings. 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