Quantum Hardware Control Team Lead

About Qilimanjaro

Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech is a Barcelona-based quantum computing company building full-stack analog quantum computers on superconducting fluxonium qubits. Founded in 2019 as a spin-off from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Institute of High-Energy Physics (IFAE), the company exists to make quantum computing useful in the near term, rather than in a distant error-corrected future.

Qilimanjaro designs, builds and operates the complete stack: the quantum hardware, the control layer, and the software that orchestrates it.

What we are looking for

We are looking for a Team Lead to manage and develop the software engineers who build the control layer for our quantum hardware. You will combine direct people management and delivery planning with hands-on expertise in quantum hardware and the software used to control and operate it.

You will report to the Head of Software Division and work alongside a dedicated Tech Lead. You will own the team’s people management, capacity and execution; the Tech Lead retains responsibility for department technical direction and architecture. The role includes technical contribution, with time allocated according to the management load.

🫡Key Responsibilities:

• Set clear expectations, run regular one-to-ones, give actionable feedback and support performance and career reviews with People.
• Build the team’s capacity plan, coordinate execution and remove blockers across product development and research work.
• Agree feasible delivery plans with the relevant Product Owners, making dependencies, scope choices and resource constraints explicit.
• Partner with the Tech Lead on technical risk, architecture and the research backlog, ensuring difficult decisions have clear ownership and time for validation.
• Contribute your quantum hardware expertise to control and measurement workflows, and coach engineers on the relationship between software behavior, physical systems and experimental evidence.
• Coordinate interfaces and handovers with engineers developing software development kits, firmware, quantum hardware and operating infrastructure.
• Ensure delivery plans include software verification and the appropriate hardware and scientific validation, with named acceptance owners.
• Lead QHC's adoption of the division's AI-assisted ways of working, backing the engineer who drives them and holding the department's work to the resulting quality bar.
• Support hiring and onboarding with the Head of Division and People, and distribute knowledge across the team.

📝Minimum requirements:

• Proven direct people-management experience, including feedback, development, performance conversations and team planning.
• Demonstrated hands-on expertise in quantum hardware, including its control, operation or measurement; ability to connect software and control choices to physical behavior and experimental validation.
• Strong software engineering knowledge and practical experience with low-level control or hardware/software integration.
• Evidence of delivering complex technical work while managing capacity, dependencies and uncertainty.
• Ability to collaborate with an established Tech Lead and distinguish technical authority, line management and product ownership.
• Ability to explain technical risk and give clear, constructive feedback to engineers and stakeholders.
• Commitment to AI-assisted engineering as the team's way of working: adopts it, backs the engineer driving it and holds the department's work to the resulting quality bar.

🤹Preferred Skills:

• Experience with superconducting quantum systems and their control or calibration workflows.
• Experience with instrumentation, timing and synchronization constraints, reproducibility or experimental automation.
• Experience leading a small technical team with both product delivery and R&D responsibilities.
• Familiarity with Qilimanjaro's libraries and control stack; product-specific knowledge can be learned on the job.
• A relevant scientific or engineering education, or equivalent applied experience. A particular degree title is not a substitute for demonstrated competence.

❤️ Diversity and Inclusion:

At Qilimanjaro, inclusion and equal opportunities are part of our people-centric value. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute, learn, and belong.

Why don’t you join us? 🥇

We offer:

• A unique opportunity to work on real superconducting quantum hardware
• Career path
• Strong mentorship and technical growth
• Competitive salary

Benefits:

• 🏥 Private health insurance
• 💳 Cobee flexible compensation (transportation, meals, and childcare support)
• ⏰ Flexible working hours
• 🏡 Hybrid work model

You will:

🚀 Get the opportunity to build something amazing and unique, something that hasn't been done before

🌍 Work on ground-breaking projects and possibly solve massive challenges on a global scale

💻 Be at the intersection of research and industry, where biggest innovations happen

🎯 Make an enormous impact in a dynamic scale-up rather than being a small cog in a big machine

💫 Work with super smart, knowledgeable and yet, very friendly people in Barcelona, one of the best cities in the world (picture a lot of sun, amazing food and friendly locals)

😊 Get to be part of a start-up where growth on a company and individual level is the default

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation):

DATA CONTROLLER: QILIMANJARO QUANTUM TECH S.L., B67429670, Carrer de Veneçuela, 74, 08019 Barcelona (BARCELONA), Data Protection Officer: qilimanjaro@delegado- datos.com.PURPOSES: Participation in recruitment processes and reference verification.LEGAL BASIS: Implementation of pre-contractual measures.DISCLOSURES: None are an ticipated.DATA RETENTION: For the duration of the selection process.RIGHTS: You may exercise your rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, and data portability with the data controller. In case of any disputes, you may contact the AEPD (www.aepd.es).