Quantum Systems Architect

Our mission: Qblox is a deep-tech scaleup headquartered in Delft, the Netherlands, with a second office in Boston. We provide advanced quantum control stacks to research labs, quantum startups, and industry leaders. Our hardware and software sit close to quantum chips, giving experimentalists precise control and readout capabilities across complex quantum systems. Your mission: Architecting the Quantum Control Stack We are seeking a Quantum System Architect with a dedicated focus on the Quantum Control Stack. In this role, you will be the mastermind behind the critical bridge connecting high-level quantum algorithms to the precise physical pulses that manipulate qubits. You will contribute to the architecture of our control hardware and software layer, ensuring low-latency execution, precise pulse shaping, and real-time feedback loops. A core responsibility will be defining rigorous system requirements and utilizing modeling frameworks to predict control stack behavior, ensuring our classical infrastructure scales seamlessly with expanding qubit counts. Key Responsibilities Architecture & Performance Control Stack Architecture: Support the design and optimization of the end-to-end quantum control stack, spanning from the quantum compiler/runtime environment down to the digital-to-analog converters (DACs). Real-Time Latency: Architect ultra-low-latency feedback and execution paths, allocating strict timing budgets to support various quantum applications. Control Scaling & Signal Distribution: Drive the strategy for channel scaling and signal multiplexing across various environments, solving channel density, thermal load, and cabling bottlenecks. 2. Systems Engineering & Co-Design Requirements Management & Flowdown: Capture, author, and flow down top-level system performance targets into verifiable sub-system requirements for RF/microwave hardware, FPGA firmware, and software teams. Cross-System Boundaries: Define cross-system boundaries and co-design strategies across hardware, firmware, and software. Cross-Functional Co-Design: Partner closely with firmware leads, quantum physicists, and software teams to determine the optimal partitioning of execution logic across classical runtimes and real-time FPGA hardware. System Evolution: Guide the validation, integration, and continuous evolution of scalable quantum computing platforms. The Stack You Will Architect & Model You will be responsible for defining the requirements, interfaces, and data flow across the following layers: The Software/Compiler Layer: Translating quantum circuits into precise timing and pulse schedules. The Digital Control Layer: FPGA/ASIC microarchitectures handling instruction decoding and sequencing. The Analog/RF Layer: Up/down conversion, IQ mixing, and routing of microwave signals to the QPU. Required Experience & Competencies Experience: 8+ years of experience in system architecture, with a minimum of 2 years directly embedded in quantum computing control infrastructure or other RF test and measurement-related domains. System Architecture: Deep expertise in system architecture fundamentals, data movement, interconnects, and hardware/software co-design. Real-Time Systems & FPGA Firmware: Experience designing low-latency, real-time architectures, including FPGA/SoC micro-architectures, deterministic interconnects, and real-time execution runtimes for feedback loops. High-Speed Mixed-Signal Hardware: Expertise in high-speed digital/analog systems, including AWGs, ADCs/DACs, phase-locked loops (PLLs), phase noise, jitter, and signal integrity. Requirements & Modeling: Experience in systems engineering frameworks, requirements management tools, and system modeling software. Cross-Domain Fluency: Ability to work credibly and bridge gaps across multiple technical domains (electronics, FPGA, embedded/host software, networking, signal processing). Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to align diverse stakeholders and drive consensus without formal authority. Education: Master’s or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline. Nice to Have Quantum Physics & Gate Execution: Understanding of quantum information processing, qubit control modalities (superconducting, neutral atom, trapped ion, spin), pulse design, and decoherence. RF & Microwave Engineering: Strong grasp of RF/microwave architectures, signal generation, low-noise amplification, frequency synthesis, and transmission line theory. Deep-Tech Background: Experience in cryogenic environments or high-speed signal processing. Lifecycle Awareness: Experience in product development environments involving strict compliance, regulatory standards, advanced manufacturing, and full lifecycle considerations. Why Join Qblox? Impact: Take on a central technical leadership role with direct influence on product quality, system reliability, and delivery outcomes. Innovation: Thrive in an interdisciplinary, cutting-edge environment at the intersection of hardware, software, and quantum technology. Benefits: Enjoy competitive compensation, a strong holidays package, flexible working arrangements, and a base in the historic tech hub of Delft.