Software Engineer - Compiler Services

Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC) is at the forefront of global efforts to build the world’s first commercial-scale quantum computer, while delivering quantum-enhanced AI and simulation products to customers today. Backed by over 25 years of technological excellence, SQC is a full-stack quantum computing company that leverages its proprietary manufacturing process to engineer atomic qubits in silicon with 0.13 nanometer precision. It is the most precise semiconductor manufacturing in the world, enabling systems with world-leading algorithmic fidelity, and a decisive advantage in the global quantum computing race. Our products are commercially deployed and generating revenue. Watermelon, our quantum-enhanced AI system, is delivering superior results on real-world problems across energy, telecom and finance. Quantum Twins, our simulation platform, provides unparalleled ability to model quantum systems, accelerating molecule and materials discovery. This is SQC: building the future of computing while delivering quantum impact today. About The Role We are hiring software engineers into Compiler Services, the team that builds the compiler for our quantum computers. OpenQASM comes in. SQC ISA instructions come out, as an executable program for the realtime control system. Placement and routing across the mK wafer is NP-hard, with a connectivity map the physics dictates. The objective is fidelity and time budget together rather than gate count. Fault tolerance changes the compilation model rather than adding a pass, so lattice surgery and bi-layer schemes are implemented here with the QEC theory team. Calibration duty cycles and noise models are compiler inputs. The team is growing around one deeply integrated system, so there is room to own a stage: logical compilation, optimisation, transpilation, or place and route. Specifications often arrive as a paper rather than a ticket, and Automated Calibration Services publishes the device state you compile against. Based at our Sydney facility, you will work with quantum information scientists, the QEC theory team and the engineers who build the control plane. This is a role for someone who wants to own a compiler stage end to end, and who is comfortable when the specification arrives as a paper. Role responsibilities Build and own stages of the compilation pipeline, from logical circuit compilation through to physical placement and routingImplement optimisation passes that matter on real hardware: gate reduction, depth minimisation and error rate improvementTarget the SQC instruction set architecture, and keep the compiler in step as the ISA and the control plane evolveSolve placement and routing across wafers and chiplets under connectivity, timing and fidelity constraintsImplement lattice surgery, bi-layer and future error correction schemes with the QEC theory teamTake noise models and calibration duty cycles as inputs to compilation, so the output suits the device it will run onBuild the transpiler path that takes OpenQASM down to pulse-level instructions for today's sub-200 qubit devicesVerify correctness of every transformation: equivalence checking, differential testing against reference implementations, and simulationBenchmark compiler output across fidelity, depth, runtime and compile time, rather than reporting the single metric that favours a given passWork with Control & Error Correction on the executable contract between compiler and control planeDesign the intermediate representations and document them, along with the passes that operate on them, so the next engineer can extend the pipelineTurn research results into implementable designs, and push back when a requirement and the hardware cannot both be satisfied Your experience Essential 4+ years in software engineering, with production work on a compiler, solver, optimiser or comparable transformation systemStrong computer science fundamentals: algorithms, data structures, complexity, and heuristics for problems where the exact answer is out of reachGraph algorithms, and the judgement to pick an approximation that holds up under the constraint that mattersA performance-oriented language, such as Rust or C++, and PythonCompiler construction in practice: intermediate representations, passes, rewriting, dataflow analysisProving a transformation correct in the ways that are available: equivalence checking, property-based testing, differential testing against a referenceThe circuit model of quantum computation, including gates, measurement and what a circuit costs on real hardware (no physics degree required)Working from research literature, and holding a technical conversation with a quantum information scientist about what a requirement meansMeasuring compiler output rather than reasoning about itGit workflow, code review, CI, and tests you trust on a codebase several people change dailyClear technical writing Nice to have Quantum error correction: surface codes, lattice surgery, magic state distillation, or decoder designTranspiler or compiler internals in Qiskit, TKET, Cirq or a comparable frameworkSolver experience: SAT, SMT, ILP, constraint programming, or writing your own searchPlace and route, EDA tooling, or hardware synthesis flowsLLVM, MLIR, or another production compiler infrastructureScheduling and resource allocation under hard constraintsQuantum circuit simulation, including stabiliser or tensor network methodsProfiling and optimising your own compiler's runtime, not only its outputPublications, open source contributions, or a compiler project you are willing to talk through Equal opportunity SQC is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse perspectives and experiences, and encourage applications from candidates who may not meet every listed requirement. If you’re excited about the role and believe you can contribute, we encourage you to apply. Export controls This position may require access to export-controlled information or technology. Employment may be subject to applicable export control laws and may require eligibility assessment based on factors such as nationality, citizenship, or residency, and, where necessary, obtaining relevant export licenses or approvals. About SQC SQC was founded by renowned physicist and materials scientist Michelle Simmons, who pioneered the field of atomic electronics, including the development of the world’s first single-atom transistor and the first integrated circuit built with atomic precision. Our Chair, Simon Segars, former CEO of Arm, is a leader in the semiconductor industry and was instrumental in developing the processors that powered the mobile computing revolution. As a full-stack company with in-house QPU manufacturing, SQC can design, produce and test new quantum chips in under a week, enabling rapid iteration and a decisive advantage in the race to build the world’s first commercial-scale quantum computer. SQC is a high-accountability environment built on a simple principle: Every Atom Counts. If you’re looking to play a meaningful role in building the next frontier of computing, we’d love to hear from you.