Principal Software Engineer, Atom Computing
Control Systems
$165-200k
+ Equity + Bonus
3-5 days a week in office
Building scalable quantum computers
Be an early applicant
Building scalable quantum computers
101-200 employees
Be an early applicant
$165-200k
+ Equity + Bonus
3-5 days a week in office
101-200 employees
Company mission
To deliver the most scalable quantum computers that can solve some of the most daunting computational problems ever attempted.
Role
Who you are
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field. Advanced degree a plus
- At least 8 years of relevant postgraduate professional experience
- Proficiency in software development using C++, Python, Rust, or Go; experience with NVIDIA CUDA toolchains and ability to apply these skills in rapid prototyping and production systems
- Knowledge in one or more of the following areas: computer architecture, signal processing, algorithm development, quantum error correction, distributed systems, or compilers, with a willingness to learn across disciplines as needed
- Organizational, coordination, and multi-tasking expertise
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills involving large-scale systems
- Strong interpersonal skills and commitment to teamwork
What the job involves
- We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to help design and build the high-performance control systems that drive our next-generation quantum computing platforms
- In this role, you’ll work across embedded software, real-time systems, GPU/FPGA acceleration, and hardware orchestration to deliver deterministic, high-throughput control pipelines
- Your work will directly shape how our quantum processors operate, scale, and perform
- This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who loves deep systems work, understands hardware/software co-design, and thrives at the intersection of physics, architecture, and performance engineering
- Due to the need for collaboration with Atom’s theory, software and hardware teams, this role is required to be in the office in Boulder or Austin at least 3 days per week
- Build and test embedded firmware and software powering high-speed software defined radios (SDRs), imaging pipelines, precision scientific instrumentation, and real-time digital feedback loops
- Design and optimize deterministic, low-latency software for quantum hardware — including device drivers, Linux kernel modules, and custom subsystems
- Evaluate and architect real-time execution strategies across Linux and RTOS environments; drive design decisions around determinism, throughput, and system scalability
- Develop orchestration layers coordinating GPUs, FPGAs, and custom electronics for high-bandwidth, tightly synchronized quantum control operations
- Rapidly prototype and iterate using Rust, Python, C/C++, and CUDA
- Collaborate with quantum theorists, hardware engineers, and platform software teams to translate quantum control flows into fast, reliable, production-ready code
Our take
Quantum computers are largely defined by their qubit type and coherence times. Atom Computing creates spin qubits by using the neutral atom Strontium-87, which, in one of its nuclear spin states, can coherently remain in that state for a very long time, allowing computers to run deeper quantum circuits.
Qubits are fragile and susceptible to errors, but the company’s unique system yields a record-setting coherence time of 40 seconds which is monumentally faster than other systems, allowing more time for quantum error correction research to detect and correct errors without completely degrading purposeful computation.
The company raised $60 million of capital in its 2022 Series B round and a further $10 million extension in 2024. That same year, Atom Computing announced a partnership with Microsoft, which will see the two companies collaborate on a range of commercially viable quantum computers, containing 1000 qubits each. It appears, then, that Atom Computing is well positioned to provide the leading quantum computing power behind life-changing breakthroughs.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Funding (last 2 of 8 rounds)
Jun 2026
$100m
SERIES C
Sep 2024
$10m
LATE VC
Total funding: $201.2m
Company HQ
Southwest Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Leadership
Dr. Ben Bloom
(Co-Founder, CEO & CTO)Previously worked for Rigetti Quantum Computing as a Senior Quantum Engineer, and PTD Module & Yield Integration Engineer at Intel Corporation.
Dr. Jonathan King
(Co-Founder & Chief Scientist)Former Postdoctoral Researcher at Berkeley Lab. Received their BS in Chemical Engineering from Kansas State University, and their PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Salary benchmarks
We don't have enough data yet to provide salary benchmarks for this role.
Submit your salary to help other candidates with crowdsourced salary estimates.
Share this job
View 9 more jobs at Atom Computing