Senior Software QA Engineer

PsiQuantum'smission is to build the first useful quantum computers-machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum systems.

Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that even the most advanced supercomputers or AI systems will never reach. Their impact will span energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries.

Our architecture and approachisbased on silicon photonics. Byleveragingthe advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry-including partners like GlobalFoundries-we use the same high-volume processes that already produce billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics. Photonics offers natural advantages for scale : photonsdon'tfeel heat, are immune to electromagnetic interference, and integrate with existing cryogenic cooling and standard fiber-optic infrastructure.

In 2024,PsiQuantumannounced government-funded projects to support the build-out of our first utility-scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining-and that now is the time to scale.

PsiQuantumalso develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable. Our application, software, and industry teams work directly with leading Fortune 500 companies-including Lockheed Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical-to prepare quantum solutions for real-world impact.

Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. Itrepresentsa fundamental shift-and a path to mastering challenges that cannot besolvedany other way. The potential is enormous, and we have a clearpathto make it real.

Come join us.

Team Overview

PsiQuantum's Applications Software Engineering Team (ASET) is dedicated to creating a software environment where quantum application developers can discover, build, utilize, optimize, and visualize large-scale quantum algorithms for classically intractable problems. As we continue to scale, we're building out a QA function that bridges classical software QA best practices with cutting-edge quantum software development.

Role Summary

We are seeking a Senior Software Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer with strong technical skills and business awareness to establish our test automation practice. You'll take our Playwright-based testing PoC to production, building frameworks and tooling that enable our development teams to own quality long-term.

This is a hands-on IC role reporting to the Director of Engineering, working across our Application Software Engineering Team (ASET) which includes our Construct platform crew and REx module crew. You'll spend 80% of your time building test automation infrastructure and frameworks, and 20% coordinating testing efforts, triaging results, and providing quality metrics to leadership. You'll work autonomously, influence without authority, and have significant impact on our product quality as we approach our general availability launch.

Responsibilities :

Test Automation and Integration Frameworks

Test Framework & Infrastructure : Design and build test automation frameworks (using tools like pytest, Playwright, Robot) that enable developers to own and maintain their own tests. Focus on creating scalable, maintainable infrastructure rather than writing every test yourself-think framework builder, not test author.

Test Development Mentor : Write initial automated test scripts (e.g., Playwright for UI, pytest for APIs) that demonstrate best practices and serve as templates for developers to follow. These examples help others adopt the frameworks you build, but you won't be writing all tests long-term.

Rapid Implementation : Take existing test automation PoCs to production-ready CI / CD integration within the first 60 days, delivering automated critical user journeys with clear reporting and retry logic.

Cross-Functional Collaboration : Work with product, platform engineers and quantum domain experts to develop integration, functional, and system tests in a highly technical environment-potentially involving HPC or containerized infrastructure.

Define and Enhance QA Strategy

Improve QA Processes : Develop quality touchpoints and metrics within the software development lifecycle (SDLC), including defining key quality metrics (e.g., defect density, coverage, mean time to detect / fix).

Integrate test automation in CI / CD : Partner with platform engineers to embed test automation into GitLab CI / CD pipelines, ensuring automated execution, clear reporting, and fast feedback on every merge request.

Performance, Scalability, and System Testing

Performance & Scalability : Define performance benchmarks, stress-testing protocols, and scalability testing strategies for large-scale or domain-specific workloads (quantum simulations, HPC, etc.).

System End-to-End Testing : Over time, build test automation to validate an increasing volume of the software ecosystem, from front-end interfaces to back-end computational layers.

Continuous Improvement & Agile Coordination

Iterative Development : Collaborate with development teams who follow agile development techniques, increasing quality by helping the team refine goals and scope each sprint.

Multi-Team Coordination : Work across multiple product teams (platform and feature teams) as a QA partner to all, balancing priorities and delivering value to different stakeholders simultaneously

Quality Reporting and Metrics : Generate executive-level quality reports and dashboards that provide visibility into test coverage, defect trends, and release readiness. Translate testing results into actionable insights for both engineering teams and leadership.

Required Experience / Qualifications :

8+ years in QA experience : Experience in hands-on manual testing and test automation development with frameworks like Selenium, Cypress, or Playwright.

4+ Years as a Senior QA Engineer or QA Lead : Experience establishing quality practices in full-stack, highly technical environments. Comfortable presenting quality metrics to leadership, collaborating with product teams, and understanding business objectives-without necessarily managing direct reports.

Proven QA Strategy & Automation Track Record : A history of establishing scalable QA processes, implementing test automation frameworks, and integrating test automation in CI / CD pipelines.

Cross-Functional Collaboration : Demonstrated success working within cross-disciplinary teams, with the ability to translate classical testing methods into domain-specific contexts.

Software Engineering Foundations : Solid understanding of software engineering principles (OOP, version control, branching strategies) and proficiency in scripting languages (e.g., Python).

Front-End & Back-End Testing : Experience testing web UIs, REST APIs, microservices, data validation, and output verification.

Complex Systems & R&D : Comfortable operating in a research-oriented or emerging technology setting, adapting QA processes to novel and sometimes ambiguous requirements.

Bachelor's Degree : In Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

Bonus / Preferred

Quantum Domain Exposure : Familiarity with quantum software tools, frameworks, and SDKs (e.g., Qiskit, Cirq), or a willingness to learn and adapt best practices for quantum systems.

AI-Driven QA : Experience with AI / ML-driven test automation tools (e.g., Applitools, Testim.io, Sealights) to enhance test generation, predictive analytics for flaky tests, or adaptive test maintenance in complex systems.

Startup or Early-Stage Experience : Background in fast-paced environments where you've taken ideas from PoC to production quickly, worked across multiple teams simultaneously, and balanced building infrastructure with delivering immediate value.

HPC or Large-Scale Testing : Experience with HPC cluster testing, container orchestration (Docker / Kubernetes), or large-scale performance testing is a plus.

Agile / Scrum Experience : Background in establishing QA practices within agile teams.

DevOps Processes : Experience with CI / CD platforms (e.g., Gitlab, GitHub Actions) or cloud-based testing (AWS / Azure / GCP).

PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.

Note : PsiQuantum will only reach out to you using an official PsiQuantum email address and will never ask you for bank account information as part of the interview process. Please report any suspicious activity to recruiting@psiquantum.com .

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.

The ranges below reflect the target ranges for a new hire base salary. One is for Chicago, Illinois, the second one (if applicable) is for elsewhere in the US (beyond 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto). Actual compensation may vary outside of these ranges and is dependent on various factors including but not limited to a candidate's qualifications including relevant education and training, competencies, experience, geographic location, and business needs. Base pay is only one part of the total compensation package. Full time roles are eligible for equity and benefits. Base pay is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

Chicago, Illinois Pay Range

$110,000 — $130,000 USD

U.S. Pay Range

$110,000 — $130,000 USD