Control Stack Manager, Center for Quantum Computing

About the Role

The Amazon Center for Quantum Computing (CQC) is a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and technicians, on a mission to develop a fault-tolerant quantum computer. We are looking to hire a Control Stack Manager to join our growing software group. You will lead a team of interdisciplinary scientists and software engineers, focused on developing research software and infrastructure to support the development and operation of scalable fault-tolerant quantum computers. You will interface directly with our experimental physics and control hardware teams to develop and drive a vision for the experimental quantum computing software-hardware interface. The ideal candidate will (1) have strong technical breadth across low-level programming, scientific instrumentation, and computer architecture, (2) have excellent communication skills and a proven track record of collaborating with scientists and hardware engineers, and (3) be excited about empowering and growing a team of scientists and software engineers.

Inclusive Team Culture

Here at Amazon, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness.

Diverse Experiences

Amazon values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying.

Mentorship & Career Growth

We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.

Work/Life Balance

We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve in the cloud.

Export Control Requirement

Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be either a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be able to obtain a US export license. If you are unsure if you meet these requirements, please apply and Amazon will review your application for eligibility.

Key job responsibilities

• Develop a technical vision for the quantum software-hardware interface in collaboration w/ senior engineers
• Collaborate effectively with science and hardware teams to derive software needs and priorities
• Own resource allocation and planning activities for your team to meet the needs of (internal) customers
• Be comfortable “getting your hands dirty” (i.e. diving deep into architecture, metrics, and implementation)
• Regularly provide technical evaluation and feedback to your reports (i.e. via code review, design docs, etc.)
• Drive hiring activities for your team — develop growth plans, source candidates, and design interview loops
• Coach and empower your employees to become better engineers, scientists, and communicators

We are looking for candidates with strong engineering principles, a bias for action, superior problem-solving, and excellent communication skills. Thriving in ambiguity and leading with empathy are essential. As a manager embedded in a broader research science organization, you will have the opportunity to work on new ideas and stay abreast of the field of experimental quantum computation.

A day in the life

The majority of your time will be spent orchestrating, coaching, and growing the control stack team at the Center for Quantum Computing. This requires collaborating with other science and software teams and working backwards from the needs of our science staff in the context of our larger experimental roadmap. You will translate science needs and priorities into software project proposals and resource allocations. Once project proposals have been accepted, you will support and empower your team to deliver these projects on time while maintaining high standards of engineering excellence. Because many high-level experimental goals have cross-cutting requirements, you’ll need to stay in sync with partner science and software teams.

About The Team

You will be joining the software group within the Center of Quantum Computing. Our team is comprised of scientists and software engineers who are building scalable software that enables quantum computing technologies.

Basic Qualifications

• 3+ years of science or engineering team management experience
• Experience managing the full software development lifecycle and implementing software best practices
• Experience with one or more of the following: (1) Commercial, academic, or open-source quantum control systems; (2) RFSoC development platforms + FPGA development (e.g. AMD ZCU216); (3) Laboratory test and measurement equipment and drivers (e.g. Spectrum Analyzer, VNA)
• Proven track record of collaborating with scientists and/or hardware engineers to develop software
• Experience sourcing, interviewing, and hiring software engineers & scientists
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with one or more of the following: (1) Control software & techniques for quantum computing; (2) Programming language implementation or compiler development; (3) Embedded systems + strict timing constraints (e.g. bare metal, RTOS, custom Linux builds); (4) Software telemetry systems and standards (e.g. CloudWatch, OpenTelemetry); (5) High-performance networking technologies (e.g. RDMA, UltaEthernet, UALink); and (6) Distributed systems (e.g. distributed event streaming)

Key skills/competency

• Quantum Computing
• Control Systems
• Software Development Lifecycle
• Team Management
• Hardware Integration
• FPGA Development
• Scientific Instrumentation
• Research Software
• Embedded Systems
• Leadership