About Xanadu:
Xanadu’s mission is to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere.
At Xanadu, we are learners, innovators, researchers, collaborators and problem solvers. We are creating something that has never been built before. What we are doing is extremely hard, the classic moon shot. Few people in their life will be able to be a part of something like this, where if we are successful, the technologies we develop will solve some of the world’s most challenging problems, and literally change the world. And that is something to be excited about!
Your role and responsibilities:
As a Senior Systems Engineer, you will work in close collaboration with the broad engineering team to:
- Translate high-level conceptual designs and operational goals into clear, measurable, and verifiable engineering requirements for each subsystem. Flow down requirements through appropriate system decomposition.
- Define and implement processes for documenting, tracking, and managing changes to these requirements throughout the product lifecycle.
- Establish best practices for documenting and maintaining the system architecture and its configuration. Identify tools needed to streamline company processes.
- Develop standardized methods to document interfaces across the elements of the system.
- Coach and train the broader team to the methods and tools detailed above.
Basic qualifications and experience:
- BSc in Engineering (Systems, Mechanical, Electrical, Materials, or a related field).
- 5+ years of experience in systems engineering.
- Demonstrated expertise in documenting requirements, architecture and interfaces of complex systems involving hardware, firmware and software.
- Working knowledge of industry standard tools and methods.
- Demonstrated ability to work with multi-domain teams.
Preferred qualifications and experience:
●Experience with quantum systems.
- Experience with modern requirements management software.
- Experience with model-based systems engineering.
- Ability to work in fast-paced R&D organization and adapt methods to the needs of the business
Our values are important. They are fundamental and lay the foundation for culture at Xanadu. Learn more about our values here.
We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We are committed to building an inclusive, safe, and equitable culture and fostering an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. We are committed to meeting the needs of all individuals and support a barrier-free workplace. Should you require accommodations at any point during the recruitment process please contact Recruiting at recruiting@xanadu.ai.
Please be advised that we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in the screening and assessment of applicants for this position. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
TECHNICAL & MARKET ANALYSIS | Appended by Quantum.Jobs
The transition of the quantum computing sector from experimental physics to industrial-scale engineering necessitates the emergence of Senior Systems Engineers specializing in Systems Definition. As the complexity of photonic and superconducting architectures increases, the structural requirement for rigorous system decomposition and requirement traceability becomes a primary determinant of technology readiness. This role type serves as the vital architectural bridge between abstract computational goals and the deterministic execution of hardware and software integration. By formalizing the interfaces between disparate technical domains, this function mitigates the systemic risks associated with scaling noisy intermediate-scale devices toward fault-tolerant utility. Market signals from the Quantum Economic Development Consortium highlight that this systems-level maturity is essential for moving beyond laboratory benchmarks into reproducible commercial products.
The quantum hardware landscape is currently navigating a decisive shift from component-level innovation to integrated system-level performance. While significant progress has been made in qubit coherence and gate fidelity, the primary bottleneck for the ecosystem has shifted toward the synchronization of complex sub-systems, including cryogenic control, high-speed classical electronics, and photonic interconnects. The lack of standardized architectural frameworks across the various hardware modalities creates a high degree of vendor fragmentation and integration friction, making the role of systems definition critical for establishing stable technology roadmaps.
Current industry dynamics are heavily influenced by the necessity of hybrid classical-quantum workflows, where the latency and throughput of the classical control stack often limit the overall computational advantage. As organizations move toward million-qubit targets, the dependency on robust model-based systems engineering (MBSE) becomes paramount. These methodologies allow for the simulation of system behavior and the early identification of cross-domain interference before physical assembly, which is crucial for protecting high-capital R&D investments in a globally competitive deep-tech market.
Furthermore, the quantum value chain faces a critical shortage of talent capable of applying classical systems engineering rigor to the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics. Workforce development strategies are increasingly prioritizing individuals who can translate between the language of theoretical physics and the requirements of enterprise-grade manufacturing. This structural layer of expertise is the primary mechanism for ensuring that emerging quantum processors can be seamlessly integrated into existing high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructures and standardized cloud environments.
The capability architecture for this role type centers on the synchronization of complex technical baselines through advanced requirement management and architectural modeling tools. Mastery of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is essential for maintaining a single source of truth across hardware, firmware, and software layers, ensuring that subsystem changes do not introduce catastrophic regressions. This requires a deep understanding of the coupling between physical parameters, such as optical loss or thermal loads, and the logical requirements of the quantum algorithm layer. These capabilities are fundamental to the throughput of technology organizations like Xanadu, as they enable parallel development cycles and reduce the time required for system verification and validation. By establishing standardized interface protocols, this function provides the leverage needed to manage external contract manufacturing dependencies and internal research transitions. Such expertise is critical for the long-term interoperability and scalability of photonic quantum computers within the emerging global infrastructure. - Accelerates the deterministic transition from experimental quantum prototypes to scalable industrial-grade products
- Mitigates systemic integration risks by formalizing requirement flow-down across complex hardware and software domains
- Facilitates the adoption of model-based engineering frameworks to enhance the predictability of R\&D outcomes
- Strengthens the reliability of technology roadmaps through rigorous change management and configuration control
- Reduces iteration friction between fundamental research breakthroughs and the deployment of stable system architectures
- Optimizes the synchronization of multi-domain teams through the standardization of technical interface documentation
- Enhances the scalability of quantum processors by identifying and resolving structural bottlenecks in the control stack
- Supports the integration of quantum systems into established high-performance computing and cloud infrastructures
- Improves the transparency of technology readiness level progression for institutional and private investors
- Protects capital-intensive research investments by ensuring architectural compatibility across successive system generations
- Enables the structural reproducibility of system performance through the implementation of verifiable engineering metrics
- Orchestrates the convergence of academic physics research with the practical demands of global manufacturing standardsIndustry Tags: Systems Engineering, Quantum Computing, Systems Definition, MBSE, Requirement Traceability, Photonic Architectures, Technology Readiness, Hardware-Software Integration, Deep Tech Scale-up
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