Location: Ottawa, ON (on-site)
Employment type: Full-time
Salary range: $100,000 – $140,000 CAD per year
About Q-Block Computing: Q-Block Computing builds quantum systems that operate in the real world. The company develops quantum timing, quantum-secure communications, and quantum computing platforms engineered for the performance, reliability, and environmental resilience that mission-critical applications demand - systems designed to be deployed, maintained, and trusted by operators who cannot afford ambiguity about whether the technology works.
The long-term vision is deeper than any single platform. Q-Block is pursuing a mission to decode Nature's foundational model - to build instruments of sufficient precision and coherence that they become tools for understanding the physical universe at its most fundamental level. Commercialization and science reinforce each other by design.
About this role: The Platform & Infrastructure Engineer will design, build, and maintain the distributed computing and networking backbone that ties Q-Block's control hardware into coherent, observable, manageable systems. The work spans embedded Linux platforms on ARM compute modules, tiered network architectures that carry real-time control traffic, and the web-based management layer that makes the whole thing operable at scale.
The successful candidate is an engineer who moves fluently across at least two of three worlds - embedded Linux, networking, and full-stack applications - and has the judgment to make each one serve the others. This is a role for someone who reaches for Yocto, a managed switch, and a frontend framework in the same week and does not treat any of them as someone else's problem. The role reports into the Technical Lead and offers real ownership of the platform that every other system depends on.
Responsibilities
- Design, build, and maintain embedded Linux system images for ARM-based compute modules using Yocto, Buildroot, or comparable frameworks.
- Architect and implement multi-tier LAN environments with isolated address spaces, managed Ethernet switching, VLANs, and QoS policies for reliable, low-latency delivery of control payloads.
- Design and deploy core network services, including DNS, DHCP, NFS, and time synchronization, across tiered network topologies.
- Design, develop, and maintain a web-based management application providing real-time device monitoring, topology visualization, and command distribution.
- Develop Python, Bash, and Ansible automation for network provisioning, system deployment, and configuration management across a growing device fleet.
- Implement monitoring and observability tools to track network health, device status, and overall system performance.
- Develop and execute quality assurance procedures for infrastructure systems; validate throughput, latency, and failover behaviour under realistic load.
- Write and maintain documentation for network topology, IP addressing schemes, switch configurations, system build procedures, and operational runbooks.
- Participate in design reviews and contribute to the engineering standards of the platform team.
- Collaborate across firmware, hardware, scientific, and systems teams to translate system-level requirements into reliable platform deliverables.
- Contribute to a culture of continuous learning, rigorous engineering practice, and honest technical discussion.
Required qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
- 4+ years of professional experience spanning at least two of: embedded Linux development, network infrastructure design, or full-stack web application development.
- Strong Linux/UNIX systems expertise: kernel configuration, systemd, device trees, package management, and system image creation for embedded targets.
- Working knowledge of network architecture: TCP/UDP, VLAN design, DHCP/DNS, managed switch configuration, and baseline security hardening.
- Full-stack web development fluency: proficiency in at least one modern frontend framework and one backend framework.
- Strong Python proficiency; ability to design clean, maintainable automation and infrastructure code.
Preferred qualifications
- Hands-on experience with Yocto or Buildroot BSP development for ARM SoMs.
- Experience deploying and operating HPC clusters, including scheduler frameworks (Slurm, PBS, or comparable), parallel filesystems, and provisioning at node-count scale.
- Experience with MPI-based workloads, including tuning for message-passing performance, collective operations, and multi-node job orchestration.
- Familiarity with low-latency, high-bandwidth interconnects (InfiniBand, RoCE, OmniPath) and the diagnostic tooling that goes with them.
- Experience with scientific computing workflows, high-throughput distributed systems, or hardware-in-the-loop compute environments.
- Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools, container platforms, or systems automation frameworks.
- Familiarity with virtualization and storage platforms (bare-metal hypervisors, Ceph, or comparable).
- Exposure to precision timing protocols (PTP, NTP, white rabbit hardened deployments) or deterministic networking.
- Experience building observability stacks (Prometheus, Grafana, or comparable) in a production setting.
- Working familiarity with NIST SP 800-171 controls and the documentation practices required to demonstrate compliance in an R&D environment.
- Exposure to FIPS 140-validated cryptographic modules, FIPS-compliant system configuration, or equivalent high-assurance cryptographic deployment experience.
- Familiarity with NIST SP 800-53, CMMC, or ITSG-33 control frameworks as applied to engineering infrastructure.
- Experience implementing access control, audit logging, or secure boot/secure provisioning practices in a regulated environment.
- Experience in scientific, defense, or deep-tech hardware environments.
Security and compliance requirements
- Must be eligible to obtain and maintain Government of Canada security clearance, if required for assigned projects.
- Must be eligible to comply with requirements of the Controlled Goods Program, if required for assigned projects.
- Must be willing to participate in background screening, documentation, and compliance processes associated with security-sensitive work.
- Must be willing to follow secure infrastructure, access control, and documentation practices in support of security-sensitive programs.
Skills and attributes
- Strong attention to detail, authenticity, and a sense of responsibility in all tasks.
- Critical thinking and a problem-solving mindset grounded in measurement and evidence.
- Clear written and verbal communication; ability to produce platform documentation that holds up under rigorous review.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a dynamic, multidisciplinary team.
Benefits
- Extended health care (including dental and vision)
- Life insurance
Equal opportunity
Q-Block Computing is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to treating all employees and applicants with respect and dignity. Accommodations are available on request during the application and recruiting process.
Canadian citizens and permanent residents are strongly encouraged to apply. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply.
