Your mission
As Software Engineering Manager – Control System at planqc, you will lead and support a growing team of engineers working closely with the hardware development of our neutral-atom quantum computer. You will ensure their personal growth, technical excellence, and delivery impact while driving the development of the control system software stack. In close collaboration with cross-functional teams, particularly hardware engineers and senior leadership, you will align technical execution with company strategy and product priorities, while fostering a healthy and collaborative engineering culture.
Key responsibilities
People Management
- Lead and support a team of engineers.
- Run regular 1:1s, mentoring, and career development conversations.
- Provide performance feedback and conduct evaluations.
- Hire, onboard, and retain top engineering talent.
- Foster a healthy, diverse, and collaborative team culture.
Technical & Project Management - Drive execution through planning, prioritization, and delivery monitoring.
- Align team goals with company and product priorities.
- Ensure engineering quality standards (testing, reviews, documentation).
- Facilitate design discussions and guide technical decisions.
- Coordinate dependencies with hardware and software teams and proactively remove blockers.
- Communicate progress, risks, and needs to senior leadership.
- Support preparation and submission of new project and funding applications.
Your responsibilities
Necessary requirements: - 3–5 years of experience in engineering leadership, or strong track record as senior engineer with team coordination experience.
- Solid technical background in embedded systems, control software, software architecture, distributed systems, and industry experience in hardware-related development.
- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop tests and integration with experimental hardware.
- Experience working in or with optics labs.
- Strong leadership and communication skills, with proven ability to build trust and motivate teams.
- Experience with project management practices and agile workflows.
- Fluent in English (spoken and written); German is a plus.
- Valid work permit for Germany or the EU.
Supplementary skills: - Background in electronics, FPGA programming, or real-time systems.
- Prior experience in a startup or research-driven environment.
- Experience working with funding applications or R&D projects.
