Staff Engineer, QEC Open-source Software

Seattle, WA, USA | Full-time | Permanent |  

Salary: $175,000 - $200,000 USD, DOE 
 

The salary range for this role is broad as we are able to consider varying levels of experience.  Any offer made will carefully take into account level of experience (including relevant industry experience), transferable relevant skills and previous relevant achievements.    

We will also consider part-time applications for this role. Please indicate your preferred working schedule in your cover letter.   

About us  

Riverlane’s mission is to make quantum computing useful, sooner. From advances in material science to complex chemistry simulation for drug design and discovery, quantum computers will help solve some of the world’s most important challenges. Riverlane is building the quantum error correction stack, Deltaflow, to make this happen. It’s a complex problem that requires a range of skills, talent and passion.  

We recently raised $75M in Series C funding to accelerate our cutting-edge R&D in quantum error correction (QEC), and are partnering with many of the world’s leading quantum hardware providers and government agencies to make fault-tolerant quantum computing a reality. We’re making remarkable progress and growing fast.  

About the role 

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced SDK Engineer to join our rapidly growing open-source software team, as we embark on a brand-new program to create, build and develop a suite of engaging educational tools to support the wider quantum ecosystem. 

As quantum computing enters a new “QEC era” marked by significant advancements in quantum error correction and fault tolerance, it presents new technical challenges and a growing need to empower the next generation of learners and innovators. 

Riverlane has committed to leading the QEC community into fault-tolerant quantum computing by making a substantial investment in a new open-source tools strategy, complemented by scalable education and enablement.  We aim to accelerate advances in QEC research by building Riverlane’s open-source software (OSS) libraries and developer APIs to provide critical tools for QEC workflows, such as logical circuit generation, simulation, decoding and noise modelling.  As Riverlane integrates Deltaflow QEC data streaming capabilities into QPU providers, the community will need to upskill to prepare for working with logical qubits and error corrected systems. 

Today, QEC research is dominated by three software tools: Stim, PyMatching and BP-OSD.  Various combinations of these allow rapid simulation of QEC protocols, particularly variants of the surface code. 

As a Staff OSS Engineer at Riverlane, you will be a founding member of our OSS team, helping with the hands-on development and delivery of new software tools to contribute to this ecosystem, based on learnings from Riverlane’s world-class QEC science mission. 

What you will do  

Reporting to the Senior Engineering Manager, Open-source Software, as Staff Engineer, you will be a founding member of a team of engineers dedicated to rapidly building and iterating on the open-source software tooling needs of the QEC user community. This exciting role is a fantastic opportunity to help pioneer and build software products that will empower the next generation of learners and innovators in QEC. 

In this role, you will: 

• Help execute Riverlane’s open-source and developer API strategy for QEC experiment workflows and decoders 

• Collaborate with cross-functional science and engineering teams on documenting and testing our latest software components and integrating them into an open-source SDK for quantum error correction 

• Build comprehensive automated functional and end-to-end tests that test performance, scientific accuracy and integration points with other parts of the SDK 

• Be responsible for open-source community management, including issue triage, code review and support 
• Lead and mentor a small team of OSS developers as we grow

Requirements

What we need  

• Proficiency in Python, familiarity with modern C++ 

• Experience contributing to, or maintaining, open-source software projects, and leading open-source community efforts (including mentoring and encouraging both new and established community members to contribute) 

• Experience designing and building comprehensive and automated test suites, including functional, end-to-end and performance tests in continuous integration and deployment 

• Ambition and excitement to enable the QEC user community with useful tools 

• Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to effectively discuss and champion complex ideas with both internal teams and the open-source community in a hybrid work setting, in a clear and simple way 

• An effective team leader, mentor and collaborator, with the ability to work well with others, both in person, and virtually 

• A passion for learning and a curious mindset 

Even better if you have  

• Experience with build, packaging and distribution tools for Python and C++ software 

• Knowledge of QEC protocols and their implementation in practice 

• Proven ability to design, drive and complete technical projects and major collaborative code changes and documenting them in a comprehensive, clear and beginner-friendly way 

• Experience with quantum computing ecosystem tools, such as Stim, and the ability to develop software to compile quantum circuits 

• Experience in scientific research in one or more of the following areas: quantum error correction, quantum computing, quantum simulation, quantum information, physics, engineering or related fields 

• Proficiency in Rust 

Benefits

What can you expect from us  

• A comprehensive benefits package that includes an annual bonus scheme, private health insurance, life insurance and a contributory retirement fund 

• Equity, so that our team can share in the long-term success of Riverlane  

• Generous annual leave, and enhanced family leave  

• A diverse work environment that brings together experts in many fields (including software and hardware development, quantum information theory, physics and maths) and over 20 different nationalities   

• A learning environment that encourages individual, team and company growth and learning, including training and conference budget s 

How to apply  

Please upload a CV and covering letter by clicking 'Apply Now'. Your covering letter should explain why you are applying for the job and what skills and experience you can bring to the role.  

We review CVs as we receive them and interview as soon as we have applications that look like a good match (usually within one week). We do not use closing dates. So, please apply as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this role.  

If you have any queries, please contact jobs@riverlane.com.  

Everyone is welcome at Riverlane. We are an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from eligible and suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender reassignment, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity/paternity.  

Women and other underrepresented groups may be less likely to apply for a role unless they meet all or nearly all of the requirements.  If this applies to you, we still encourage you to apply - you may be a great fit, even if you don’t meet every single qualification. We’d love to hear from you. 

If you need any adjustments made to the application or selection process so you can do your best, please let us know. We will be happy to help.