Quantum Fault-Tolerant Architecture Specialist

About the role

We are seeking a Quantum Fault-Tolerant Architecture Specialist to lead development of the software stack that maps logical quantum circuits to executable fault-tolerant implementations. You will own the architecture roadmap, compilation methodology, and physical resource-estimation models across different codes and architecture paradigms. This high-ownership role sits at the boundary of quantum error correction, architecture, and software.

Responsibilities

• Own the roadmap for translating logical circuits into fault-tolerant operations, layouts, schedules, and costed physical implementations
• Develop code-aware lowering and resource models for surface, qLDPC, color, and emerging codes under explicit hardware, connectivity, and noise assumptions
• Lead software components and APIs for code geometry, logical operations, syndrome extraction, decoding, routing, scheduling, and magic-state factories
• Build reproducible estimators for physical qubits, runtime, space-time volume, throughput, failure probability, and uncertainty
• Benchmark decoders, QEC simulations, logical error rates, and architecture tradeoffs
• Define fault-tolerant IR constructs, backend passes, tests, and specifications with the compiler engineer on the team
• Co-design resource estimates with algorithm scientists for cryptographic, chemistry, and simulation workloads
• Track emerging codes, gates, decoders, and architectures; deliver recommendations through software, publications, technical reports, and program deliverables

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in a related field, with research focused on quantum error correction or fault-tolerant quantum computing
• Established record in code design, decoding, fault-tolerant logical operations, architecture, or compilation
• Deep command of stabilizer and subsystem codes, syndrome extraction, logical errors, and code-family tradeoffs
• Ability to derive physical qubit counts, runtime, and space-time volume from a logical workload and failure target
• Experience with Python and building research-quality QEC, compiler, simulation, or resource-estimation software
• Experience evaluating decoders via Monte Carlo simulation, logical-error analysis, and extrapolation
• Systems understanding of logical operations, feed-forward, routing, scheduling, magic-state supply, classical decoding, and hardware constraints
• Ability to set a roadmap, expose assumptions, collaborate across disciplines, and communicate clearly

Preferred Experience

• Substantive contributions to open-source QEC or fault-tolerant compilation tools such as tqec, Stim, Qualtran, Bench-Q, or comparable systems
• Expertise beyond a single code family, especially qLDPC or color codes, code switching or gauge fixing, transversal gates, lattice surgery, or modular fault-tolerant architectures
• Experience with hardware-aware QEC, real-time or accelerated decoding, and physical error models for superconducting, neutral-atom, trapped-ion, or photonic platforms
• Familiarity with compiler IRs and verification techniques (for example QIR/MLIR, equivalence checking, property-based testing, SMT, Lean, or Coq)
• Experience with government-funded research programs