Senior Embedded (ARM) Engineer - Quantum Computing (m/w/d)

eleQtron develops and operates full-stack quantum computers based on trapped-ion technology. Quantum computing is a new computing paradigm rapidly approaching commercial viability. Our unique approach combines laser-cooled trapped ions with microwave control and tailored magnetic fields. Our next-generation computing machines under development will be able to find solutions to problems that are out of reach today, thus enabling new innovative products and services for a brighter future. We are looking for a Senior Embedded (ARM) Engineer (m/f/d) to join us in Hamburg or Siegen and own the real-time firmware that turns our control electronics into a working quantum computer. You will work on our next-generation system, where the control electronics are being integrated into a single, highly integrated chip. You sit at the heart of the machine, between the hardware that generates the pulses and the higher-level software that describes the experiments. Timing is not a detail here; it is the product. You are the person who makes sure the right signal reaches the ions at the right nanosecond, reliably, run after run.

Responsibilities:

• Own the embedded firmware on our ARM-based control platform, from architecture through implementation to on-hardware debugging
• Develop and maintain the real-time software layer that coordinates pulse sequencing, timing, and data flow across our highly integrated control chip
• Write and maintain the low-level drivers and board support the hardware relies on
• Guarantee deterministic, low-latency behaviour under hard real-time constraints
• Lead firmware bring-up together with our electronics and physics teams, and debug at the boundary where software meets signal
• Define the firmware architecture and engineering practices - build, test, and release processes for the embedded layer as the system matures
• Contribute to the interfaces between the embedded layer and the rest of the stack, so experiments defined in software run correctly on the machine

Required Skills:

• 5+ years of professional embedded software development for real-time or timing-critical systems
• Deep command of C (and ideally C++) on ARM platforms, working close to the hardware
• Experience with bare-metal and/or RTOS environments, and a clear understanding of when each is appropriate
• Comfortable reading schematics and datasheets, and debugging real hardware with oscilloscopes, logic analysers, and JTAG
• Strong grasp of real-time concepts: interrupts, DMA, timing, concurrency, and determinism
• A track record of bringing up firmware on new hardware, not only maintaining existing systems
• Ability to collaborate effectively with experimental physicists and engineers, and to turn imprecise physical requirements into robust firmware
• Strong adaptability and a quick learning mindset
• Good proficiency in English (written and spoken)

Nice to have (Bonus)

• Experience on highly integrated SoCs, particularly ARM+FPGA platforms such as Xilinx Zynq / RFSoC
• Working alongside FPGA/