Head of Engineering

NOTE: THIS POSITION IS NOW CLOSED FOR APPLICATIONS.

Overview

Company: Coherence Engine
Location: United Kingdom
Role (Part-Time / Full-Time): Full-Time

• About Us

  Coherence Engine is building the Electronic Design Automation platform for the quantum era. Quantum computers today are enormous, delicate machines with only hundreds to thousands of qubits, yet the world needs millions for breakthrough applications in chemistry, materials, climate, and defence. The industry is stuck in an academic, manual design paradigm that can’t scale.

  We are changing that. Our platform automates the design and optimisation of quantum computing infrastructure, enabling the leap from handcrafted hardware to industrial-scale quantum systems. By providing simulation, validation, and automated optimisation tools across the analogue and digital layers of quantum architectures, we aim to accelerate the entire sector’s path to practical quantum advantage.

  We combine classical EDA principles with AI-driven optimisation and domain-specific simulation, giving quantum companies the ability to predict and solve scaling challenges years in advance. We are entering a phase of rapid technical build-out and roadmap execution. The role requires decisive, architecture-first engineering leadership as we move from prototypes to robust, scalable products. 

• The Opportunity

  We’re hiring a Head of Engineering to architect and build the software backbone of the Coherence Engine. This leader will translate product requirements into scalable system designs, grow an engineering organisation, and partner closely with the founder on strategy, delivery, and customer engagement. 

  This person will need to bring deep expertise across electronics engineering and software systems, with strong familiarity in CPU/SoC architectures, control systems, or EDA tooling. Quantum background is beneficial but not required, as the classical architecture layer is where we need heavyweight experience. The right candidate is pragmatic, fast-moving, and energised by building high-performance engineering teams and world-class technical infrastructure from scratch.

  This is a critical hire who will accelerate our prototype deployment and shape the technical trajectory of the company.

• Key Role Responsibilities

  • Own system architecture across the full Coherence Engine product suite, from simulation environments to AI-based optimisation tools 

  • Lead and scale the engineering team from the early-stage to a structured, high-performing organisation 

  • Partner closely with the founder on long-term product and technology strategy 

  • Drive the delivery of Analog Lab, Digital Lab, and Automate products on aggressive timelines 

  • Introduce engineering best practices, tooling, and workflows that maximise velocity and maintain quality 

  • Join customer discovery, technical sales, and early deployments to ensure tight feedback loops 

  • Translate complex product requirements into scalable, maintainable architectures 

  • Build a strong engineering culture defined by speed, clarity, and pragmatic use of AI and automation 

  • Collaborate with PMs to define roadmaps, milestones, and delivery processes 

  • Evaluate infrastructure, SaaS tools, and dev environments to keep the team lean and efficient 

• Required Skills

  • Deep background in electronics engineering and strong software engineering foundations 

  • Expertise in CPU/SoC architecture, control systems, or related system-level design domains 

  • Experience in EDA environments, HDL (Verilog/SystemVerilog/VHDL), or FPGA/SoC workflows 

  • Proven leadership of software teams in fast-paced environments 

  • Strong architecture-first mindset; able to design scalable systems rather than focus solely on coding 

  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including customer-facing technical conversations 

  • High urgency, delivery-driven mentality, and ability to unblock teams quickly 

  • Comfortable building structure within an early-stage company; bias toward action 

  • Effective people leadership with the ability to inspire, coach, and scale teams rapidly 

• Preferred Skills

  • Experience at leading EDA organisations or quantum full-stack companies  

  • Background in simulation platforms, complex tooling, or infrastructure-heavy engineering 

  • Exposure to quantum control architectures or quantum hardware/software integration 

  • Experience deploying commercial engineering products in B2B deep-tech environments 

• Why Join Us?

  Coherence Engine is entering a pivotal stage in scaling the first industrial-grade EDA platform for quantum computing. This role offers the opportunity to define and build the core technical infrastructure of a company poised to shape a foundational layer of the quantum ecosystem. Compensation will reflect early-stage senior leadership, including meaningful equity, high autonomy, and the ability to influence both product direction and organisational growth.

Notes

Applications for this position have now closed, but we’re always interested in hearing from exceptional people. Get in touch via our expression of interest form, join our mailing list or contact us directly - we’d love to hear from you.