DevOps Engineer

We're growing our DevOps team and are looking for skilled and motivated Senior DevOps Engineers to join us at Oxford Ionics. This is an opportunity to shape the future of our quantum computing infrastructure as we scale our cutting-edge quantum systems.

As part of a newly formed team, you will have a significant impact on how we commission, deploy, and operate quantum systems. You'll work to enhance system commissioning, implement comprehensive observability across distributed systems, and build deployment pipelines that work in both connected and air-gapped environments.

This is an exciting opportunity to work alongside scientists, engineers, and technicians building the world's most advanced quantum computers. See vacuum chambers, cryostats, superconducting magnets, and precision lasers in action at our on-site laboratories.

What makes this role unique:

• Infrastructure for quantum computers - a cutting-edge domain with unique challenges
• Mix of cloud-connected and isolated/air-gapped deployments
• Direct impact on scientific research and commercial quantum computing

What you'll be responsible for:

As a Senior DevOps Engineer, you'll collaborate closely with our software, IT, systems, and science teams to build and maintain the infrastructure that powers our quantum computers. Your responsibilities will fall into four main areas:

Infrastructure & System Commissioning:

• Automate the provisioning and configuration of quantum system infrastructure
• Implement infrastructure-as-code using tools like Terraform, Packer, and configuration management (Ansible)
• Build and maintain immutable VM images and containerised services
• Manage deployments to both networked and air-gapped/isolated environments

CI/CD & Release Management:

• Maintain and improve GitHub Actions CI/CD pipelines running on self-hosted runners
• Implement artifact management and versioning strategies (CalVer/SemVer)
• Enable nightly automated deployments with health checks and automatic rollback
• Optimise build times and caching for Rust and Python codebases

Observability & Monitoring:

• Deploy and configure OpenTelemetry collectors across all quantum systems
• Integrate with centralised observability platform (Grafana stack: Loki, Mimir, Tempo)
• Maintain local Grafana instances as backup for isolated systems
• Implement drift detection and configuration compliance monitoring
• Create dashboards and alerts for system health, quantum hardware metrics, and experiment execution

Platform Evolution:

• Help design and create a hybrid cloud / on-premise platform architecture for managing Quantum systems
• Enable the migration of existing workloads to container orchestration
• Further secure credential management and authentication

You'll take ownership of critical infrastructure components including Artifact Management, self-hosted GitHub Actions runners, OpenTelemetry collectors, and work closely with IonQ's infrastructure team to leverage shared services and best practices.

To be successful, you will need previous DevOps/SRE experience and a background in managing and scaling complex infrastructure environments is essential for success in this role. You will bring technical depth, problem-solving ability, and the ability to work as part of a team to manage critical systems supporting cutting-edge research.

We are looking for someone with strong expertise in administering and maintaining Linux-based systems (Ubuntu preferred). You will also have proven experience with configuration management and infrastructure-as-code tools such as Ansible or Terraform, as well as strong programming and scripting ability, ideally in Python and shell scripting.

A sound understanding of security principles and best practices is essential, particularly around credential management, observability, and compliance. You should be proactive and detail-oriented with strong communication skills, as you'll often bridge the gap between software engineering, IT infrastructure, and research teams.

You'll be a great fit with:

• Experience with container technologies (Docker/Podman) and an understanding of orchestration (Kubernetes, Nomad).
• Familiarity with Git workflows and CI/CD systems (GitHub Actions or similar).
• Experience with observability and monitoring systems (e.g. Grafana, Prometheus, OpenTelemetry).
• Understanding of artifact and package management for software deployments.

It would be beneficial if you have additional experience with any of the following: Rust build systems, deploying air-gapped or isolated network environments, immutable infrastructure patterns. A background with hardware integration or embedded systems would also be a plus.

Prior experience in quantum computing is not required - we'll teach you about the unique aspects of quantum infrastructure., We have recently recruited for several positions, including quantum scientist, optical scientist, packaging engineer and software engineer

Desired degree disciplines/class Physics, computer science, quantum physics and engineering

Be part of a team that's shaping the future of quantum. We offer more than just a role, you'll join a world class community of scientists, engineers and innovators working to unlock the full potential of quantum computing.

We offer a range of benefits, including opportunities to further your career alongside industry leaders, a competitive salary with IonQ stock options, an annual performance bonus, generous annual leave, flexible hybrid working, private medical and dental insurance for you and your family, and much more.

Join us and be part of the future of quantum computing.

We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Quantum is now, and it's built here. Oxford Ionics, now part of IonQ, is pioneering the next generation of quantum computing. Using our world-leading trapped-ion technology, we're building the most powerful, accurate and reliable quantum systems to tackle problems that today's supercomputers cannot solve. Joining Oxford Ionics means becoming part of a global IonQ team that is transforming the future of quantum technology - faster, at scale, and with real world impact., At Oxford Ionics, an IonQ company, we're building the world's most powerful quantum computers - revolutionizing how organizations solve era-defining challenges. We've pioneered a patented technology that controls trapped-ion qubits with electronics instead of lasers, allowing us to combine the might of the semiconductor industry with record-breaking quantum performance. Why work for us We've never let the precedent of "how things used to be done" define us. Every day, our team is innovating new solutions and tackling complex problems. This philosophy is the foundation of our success, yielding the highest-performing quantum computing platform in the world - produced entirely on mass-manufacturable technology. Along with a highly competitive package, joining us means working alongside an ambitious team of experts across a range of disciplines as we raise the pace and reshape the future of the industry. Training and development Our people are at the heart of everything we achieve. As we work towards our mission to unlock fault-tolerant quantum computing, we are passionate about investing in our employees' learning and development throughout their journey with us. We offer a comprehensive range of benefits designed to support you both professionally and personally. This includes an annual budget for learning opportunities, whether that's through attending or presenting at industry conferences or through funded training programmes. What we are looking for We're looking for dedicated individuals operating at the cutting edge of their fields, whether that's in physics, engineering, software, or go-to-market. Our employees are focused on unleashing the power of quantum computing to solve real-world challenges for our customers. We work with clarity of vision, clear communication, and ruthless prioritization to go where no one has gone before - delivering record-breaking technology along the way. If you're passionate about forging a new path in quantum computing, we want you to join us. Our mission is to revolutionise quantum computing by harnessing the unrivalled precision of trapped-ion technology. We are building the world's most powerful, accurate, and reliable quantum systems, which will address the world's most important, once impossible-to-solve problems. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of science and shaping the future of quantum. Our goal is to create scalable, accessible, and noiseless quantum technology. Our team is the foundation of our success, and we're seeking talented, enthusiastic individuals who share our vision and passion. Join us to work alongside world-class scientists and engineers, tackling the biggest challenges in quantum computing.