Quantum Hardware Control Team Lead

About Qilimanjaro Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech is a Barcelona-based quantum computing company building full-stack analog quantum computers on superconducting fluxonium qubits. Founded in 2019 as a spin-off from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Institute of High-Energy Physics (IFAE), the company exists to make quantum computing useful in the near term, rather than in a distant error-corrected future. Qilimanjaro designs, builds and operates the complete stack: the quantum hardware, the control layer, and the software that orchestrates it. What we are looking for We are looking for a Team Lead to manage and develop the software engineers who build the control layer for our quantum hardware. You will combine direct people management and delivery planning with hands-on expertise in quantum hardware and the software used to control and operate it. You will report to the Head of Software Division and work alongside a dedicated Tech Lead. You will own the team’s people management, capacity and execution; the Tech Lead retains responsibility for department technical direction and architecture. The role includes technical contribution, with time allocated according to the management load. 🫡Key Responsibilities: - Set clear expectations, run regular one-to-ones, give actionable feedback and support performance and career reviews with People. - Build the team’s capacity plan, coordinate execution and remove blockers across product development and research work. - Agree feasible delivery plans with the relevant Product Owners, making dependencies, scope choices and resource constraints explicit. - Partner with the Tech Lead on technical risk, architecture and the research backlog, ensuring difficult decisions have clear ownership and time for validation. - Contribute your quantum hardware expertise to control and measurement workflows, and coach engineers on the relationship between software behavior, physical systems and experimental evidence. - Coordinate interfaces and handovers with engineers developing software development kits, firmware, quantum hardware and operating infrastructure. - Ensure delivery plans include software verification and the appropriate hardware and scientific validation, with named acceptance owners. - Lead QHC's adoption of the division's AI-assisted ways of working, backing the engineer who drives them and holding the department's work to the resulting quality bar. - Support hiring and onboarding with the Head of Division and People, and distribute knowledge across the team. 📝Minimum requirements: - Proven direct people-management experience, including feedback, development, performance conversations and team planning. - Demonstrated hands-on expertise in quantum hardware, including its control, operation or measurement; ability to connect software and control choices to physical behavior and experimental validation. - Strong software engineering knowledge and practical experience with low-level control or hardware/software integration. - Evidence of delivering complex technical work while managing capacity, dependencies and uncertainty. - Ability to collaborate with an established Tech Lead and distinguish technical authority, line management and product ownership. - Ability to explain technical risk and give clear, constructive feedback to engineers and stakeholders. - Commitment to AI-assisted engineering as the team's way of working: adopts it, backs the engineer driving it and holds the department's work to the resulting quality bar. 🤹Preferred Skills: - Experience with superconducting quantum systems and their control or calibration workflows. - Experience with instrumentation, timing and synchronization constraints, reproducibility or experimental automation. - Experience leading a small technical team with both product delivery and R&D responsibilities. - Familiarity with Qilimanjaro's libraries and control stack; product-specific knowledge can be learned on the job. - A relevant scientific or engineering education, or equivalent applied experience. A particular degree title is not a substitute for demonstrated competence. ❤️ Diversity and Inclusion: At Qilimanjaro, inclusion and equal opportunities are part of our people-centric value. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute, learn, and belong. Why don’t you join us? 🥇 We offer: - A unique opportunity to work on real superconducting quantum hardware - Career path - Strong mentorship and technical growth - Competitive salary Benefits: - 🏥 Private health insurance - 💳 Cobee flexible compensation (transportation, meals, and childcare support) - ⏰ Flexible working hours - 🏡 Hybrid work model You will: 🚀 Get the opportunity to build something amazing and unique, something that hasn't been done before 🌍 Work on ground-breaking projects and possibly solve massive challenges on a global scale 💻 Be at the intersection of research and industry, where biggest innovations happen 🎯 Make an enormous impact in a dynamic scale-up rather than being a small cog in a big machine 💫 Work with super smart, knowledgeable and yet, very friendly people in Barcelona, one of the best cities in the world (picture a lot of sun, amazing food and friendly locals) 😊 Get to be part of a start-up where growth on a company and individual level is the default GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): DATA CONTROLLER: QILIMANJARO QUANTUM TECH S.L., B67429670, Carrer de Veneçuela, 74, 08019 Barcelona (BARCELONA), Data Protection Officer: qilimanjaro@delegado- datos.com.PURPOSES: Participation in recruitment processes and reference verification.LEGAL BASIS: Implementation of pre-contractual measures.DISCLOSURES: None are an ticipated.DATA RETENTION: For the duration of the selection process.RIGHTS: You may exercise your rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, and data portability with the data controller. In case of any disputes, you may contact the AEPD (www.aepd.es).