Principal Quantum System Architect

About the role

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. The Microsoft Quantum team is redefining what is possible with technology, creating unprecedented possibilities to solve humanity’s most complex challenges. Our team combines hardware innovation with software technologies and Azure services to build scalable quantum technologies in an industry-leading quantum ecosystem.

This Senior Quantum Architect position offers an opportunity to have a meaningful impact on the design of future scalable quantum computers. We are seeking a Principal Quantum System Architect to play a central role in conceptualizing, designing, and evaluating quantum computing systems that may be based on many different qubit technologies from the novel to the well-established.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate different quantum computing qubit technologies to identify system bottlenecks and key trade-offs
• Construct performance models and determine optimal system requirements
• Develop advanced toolsets for modeling quantum components
• Determine novel quantum applications and evaluate the quantum resources needed to execute them on a quantum system architecture
• Drive cross-group and cross-disciplinary collaboration within Microsoft Quantum’s qubit device modeling, quantum error correction, and quantum applications teams
• Conceptualize and design the subsystems of the complex architecture that defines the quantum machine

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Physical Sciences, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years experience, including research and/or development of commercial software, compilers, scientific computing applications, or multi-component systems OR Master’s degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Physical Sciences, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years experience, including research and/or development of commercial software, compilers, scientific computing applications, or multi-component systems OR Doctorate in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Physical Sciences, Software Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years experience, including research and/or development of commercial software, hardware engineering, compilers, scientific computing applications, or multi-component systems OR equivalent experience.

Additional requirements include 4+ years of experience in one or more of the following areas: high-performance computing, quantum algorithms, quantum error correction, quantum simulation, hardware accelerator simulation and/or modeling. Demonstrated ability to work effectively across internal and external organizations, with strong communication and leadership skills.

Skills

• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements
• Ability to leverage AI tools to drive innovation and efficiency
• Ability to evaluate agentic solutions with measurable metrics and human-in-the-loop safeguards following Microsoft Responsible AI requirements for generative AI
• Experience developing and implementing algorithms for quantum applications, preferably for fault-tolerant quantum systems
• Experience with classical computer performance modeling and architecture including accelerators (GPUs, TPUs, or coprocessor designs)
• Experience with high-performance classical computing methods
• Skills in applied mathematics or related disciplines
• Methodical problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities
• Proficient written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a dynamic multi-disciplinary team environment

Pay

The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $274,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year.