Systems Software Engineer

Job Description

Job Title: Systems Software Engineer. Location:

• Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• In-person at the Toronto downtown location at least 4 days per week

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain software for hardware control and measurement infrastructure used to build utility-scale quantum computers.
• Work closely with physicists, electrical engineers, and hardware designers, including supporting experiments directly in the lab.
• Develop software that connects custom control boards, instruments, and data acquisition systems to higher-level experimental frameworks.
• Write and integrate device drivers using protocols such as SCPI, IVI, VISA, serial/USB, and TCP/IP;
• Maintain clean, consistent software interfaces so experiments remain reliable and portable as hardware evolves.
• Bring up new hardware and troubleshoot problems across the hardware-software stack.
• Improve the capture and management of measurement data.
• Safely deploy software changes across multiple active experimental setups.
• Turn prototype-stage software into dependable, maintainable production-quality systems.
• Follow software development best practices and contribute to clean, well-structured code;
• Contribute to shared tooling and team initiatives that improve engineering practices across the company.
• Support scientists and hardware engineers in developing and effectively using software tools.

Qualifications:

• Understanding of the complete software development lifecycle, including version control, code review, testing, continuous integration, logging, documentation, maintenance, and user support.
• At least 2 years of experience with Python programming for automation of tools and processes.
• Ability to use object-oriented and functional programming paradigms and appropriate design patterns.
• Experience developing software that communicates with laboratory instruments or hardware, such as lab equipment, sensors, or measurement devices, preferably using Python;
• Familiarity with protocols including SCPI, IVI, VISA, serial/USB, or TCP/IP, or strong willingness to learn them.
• Ability and willingness to troubleshoot and resolve problems across complex hardware-software systems.
• Familiarity with Linux command line and shell scripting.
• Familiarity with containerization technologies such as Docker.
• Understanding of basic networking concepts including TCP/IP, SSH, ports, and firewalls.
• Exposure to asynchronous or concurrent programming, including async/await, threading, or multiprocessing.
• Curiosity about new and unfamiliar technologies;
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced research environment.
• Willingness to work in person in downtown Toronto at least 4 days per week.

Preferred:

• B.S., M.S., or PhD in computer science, electrical engineering, physics, or a related field.
• More than 2 years of experience writing instrumentation drivers or similar software.
• Experience with laboratory instrumentation frameworks.
• Contributions to open-source software projects;
• Experience with embedded software development, testing, and debugging.
• Exposure to robotics.
• Basic familiarity with photonics and optical physics.
• Familiarity with quantum mechanics or quantum computation is an advantage but is not required.

Benefits And Compensation:

• Base salary range of CAD $110,000 to $150,000 per year.
• Equity eligibility.
• Employee benefits.
• Opportunity to work on software and hardware infrastructure for utility-scale quantum computers.
• Inclusive, safe, and equitable workplace culture;
• Workplace accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process.