Senior Systems Software Engineer

The Role The Senior Systems Software Engineer will be a member of the core team building the Quantum Key Distribution system. The focus is on high-performance Python services on Linux, algorithm optimization and acceleration (also via hardware offload), and the role spans defining software architecture, integrating with FPGA/embedded subsystems, and turning requirements into reliable, observable software. The Senior Systems Software Engineer leads and co-owns the overall internal QKD software architecture and client-facing software API. By setting engineering standards, mentoring, and unblocking delivery, they ensure predictable releases and a strong execution cadence. The Responsibilities The Senior Systems Software Engineer should expect to work in the following activities. System architecture Leading and co-owning the QKD software architecture: control plane services, key sifting/postprocessing integration, configuration management, monitoring, and external interfaces Defining module boundaries and service APIs; evolving the system toward clear data/control-plane separation Efficient implementation and hardware/software integration Designing and implementing high-performance Python services on Linux (asyncio, WebSockets, NumPy); profiling and tuning for latency and throughput Developing, profiling, and optimizing QKD sifting and postprocessing algorithms (signal handling/processing, error correction/information reconciliation, LDPC, privacy amplification) to maximize key rate and minimize end-to-end latency; applying algorithmic improvements and implementation techniques (vectorization, concurrency/async, memory/layout tuning, C/C++ extensions, SIMD/CUDA/GPU/FPGA offload where appropriate) Defining and maintaining robust interfaces with embedded/FPGA system components over UART/USB/PCIe/Ethernet; respecting realtime constraints and failure modes Guiding downstream system integration (WebSockets/gRPC/REST) and ensuring clear contracts and backward compatibility Designing for test – building mocks/simulators and automated test systems DevOps Building and maintaining CI/CD with Docker and GitHub Actions; automated tests, static analysis, artifact management, and release pipelines Establishing observability (structured logging, metrics, tracing) and operational runbooks; improving reliability and debuggability with SLOs/alerts Embedding security and crypto hygiene by default: secure transport, secrets management, key handling, and coordination with cryptography stakeholders Adding performance benchmarking and regression tracking for key rate and end-to-end latency; integrating profiling/flame graphs into CI and enforcing performance budgets The Requirements The Senior Systems Software Engineer is expected to have the following qualifications and experience. 5+ years of Python development; 3+ years leading or co ‑ owning service/system architecture for a hardware ‑ first product Strong Linux async Python (asyncio, WebSockets), concurrency (threads/processes), profiling/tuning Proven custom hardware integration (MCU, FPGA) over UART/USB/PCIe/Ethernet CI/CD with Docker and GitHub Actions; automated testing, static analysis, artifact management Experience with GPU & CUDA acceleration/optimization; SIMD familiarity Production observability (logging/metrics/tracing) and incident/debug practices Working knowledge of relational/key-value/time-series stores (PostgreSQL/Redis/Prometheus) Security by Default mindset: secrets, secure transport, key/crypto hygiene Proficiency in written and spoken English Ability to be on-site in Munich office several times per week Applicants must have the right to work in Germany at the time of application. We do not provide visa sponsorship. Must be eligible to obtain and maintain either (a) a U.S. Secret (or higher) security clearance or (b) an EU S