---
title: 'Senior Navigation Scientist - Quantum Sensing at Q-CTRL'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-navigation-scientist-quantum-sensing-q-ctrl-sydney-xpck053wkdk6'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-07'
---

# Senior Navigation Scientist - Quantum Sensing at Q-CTRL

- **Company:** Q-CTRL
- **Location:** Sydney, Australia
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-11-02
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/q-ctrl/c37ecfcd-a083-496e-bffa-d31f9473bec1

## Job description

## About the team

Q-CTRL’s Quantum Sensing Research team performs basic and applied research in quantum sensing and quantum-enabled navigation. It is a highly dynamic team comprising approximately 30 specialists in theoretical and experimental atomic physics, cold-atom interferometry, navigation modeling, and modern Bayesian estimation and signal processing techniques.

The Quantum Sensing Research and Quantum Sensing R&D teams work closely together, translating novel quantum sensing research into a useful capability and product. We are focussed on pushing the boundary of what is possible in quantum sensing and ensuring our R&D has real-world impact.

## About the role

We are seeking a new Senior Navigation Scientist to help improve navigation performance in GPS-denied or contested environments by making the best use of information provided by Q-CTRL’s quantum sensors. You will work closely with experts in quantum sensing to deliver novel navigation capabilities that solve pressing challenges in maritime and aeronautical positioning and navigation. A key focus of the role will be developing robust navigation algorithms that extract the maximum value from our highly sensitive quantum sensors, including methods to suppress magnetic and vibrational noise generated by the host platform. The algorithms, signal processing, automation, and data analytics you develop will inform the design, build, and operation of our quantum sensors for a given navigation end-user or application.

What you’ll be doing:

- Be part of an established and growing team focused on quantum sensing for a variety of industry sectors such as aerospace, defence, geophysical exploration and Earth observation
- Develop new navigation algorithms, sensor fusion strategies, and modeling capability for different navigation scenarios, including those involving unaided dead reckoning and position fixing via gravitational and magnetic map-matching
- Plan, participate in, and analyse data from field trials on maritime and airborne platforms to test, validate, and refine our navigation technology in real-world conditions
- Translate quantum sensor performance into capabilities that solve pressing challenges for current and prospective navigation end-users and customers (and similarly, identify quantum sensor requirements and concepts of operation for a given navigation application)
- Develop, document, and review high-quality software using Python
- Share your insights and results with the broader Quantum Sensing Division, company, external stakeholders and customers through verbal presentations and written outlets (e.g. academic publications, technical reports, blog posts)
- Liaise as needed with our academic and industry partners in order to perform the above duties and support new business and product development.

Ideally you’ll have:

- A PhD (or equivalent industry experience) in physics, engineering, or a closely related discipline
- Experience in navigation theory and numerical navigation modelling (e.g. navigation system modelling, navigation signal processing, navigation fusion for alternative navigation systems, quantum sensing for navigation)
- Experience working in an interdisciplinary context with R&D scientists and engineers
- A strong desire to work with a world leading team and a company that is fundamentally building the future of the quantum technology industry

It would be fantastic if you have these skills/experience but not essential:

- Experience communicating technical results to a wide and varied audience
- Experience in modern signal processing methods (e.g. Bayesian methods, particle filtering, sequential Monte Carlo methods)
- Robotics experience relevant to navigation, such as SLAM, factor-graph estimation, or sensor integration and field trials on autonomous platforms
- Experience with machine learning approaches to state estimation, such as deep state-space models, hybrid model-based/learned filters or sequence models
- Familiarity with the Python programming language for scientific computing
- Familiarity with quantum and/or atomic physics at an undergraduate level
- Experience with version control e.g. Git

## About Q-CTRL

Q-CTRL is the global leader in AI-powered quantum control infrastructure software. We build the tools that make quantum technology useful, solving the hardest challenges in quantum computing and quantum sensing to deliver real-world impact.

Founded in 2017, we operate globally with offices in Sydney, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Huntsville, Berlin, and Oxford. Our teams bring together technical and multi-disciplinary expertise across the product lifecycle, and we’re hiring talent to help scale every part of the business. We work quickly to turn cutting-edge science into deployable technology.

In 2024 we raised US$113 million in Series B funding, the largest aggregate investment for a quantum software company. Six months later we delivered the first commercial quantum advantage with Ironstone Opal, our field-validated quantum navigation solution for defense and industry.

At Q-CTRL, we prioritize outcomes over hours. We offer flexibility, equity potential, and competitive benefits that reflect our high-performance culture. If you’re ready to help shape the future of quantum, we’d love to hear from you!

Please be advised that our communications will only come from the @q-ctrl.com domain. All our active job postings are available on our company website.

To recruitment agencies, we do not accept unsolicited branded profiles and are not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

## About Q-CTRL

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Q-CTRL builds AI-powered infrastructure software to make quantum technology useful today, delivering performance gains in quantum computing and quantum sensing for enterprise, government, and defense.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Privately held; $133M total funding across 12 rounds, including seed and venture rounds)
- **Headquarters**: Sydney, Australia
- **Founded**: 2017
- **Founders**: Not publicly available

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Quantum technology infrastructure software, AI-for-quantum, quantum computing and quantum sensing
- **Target customers**: Enterprise and government organizations, data center and HPC providers, defense and aerospace, learners and researchers (B2B, B2G)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “We make quantum technology useful” – bridging the gap between quantum hardware and real-world applications through AI-driven control software.

## Products & Services
- **Boulder Opal**: AI-powered quantum computing infrastructure software that provides error suppression, automated calibration, performance management, and compilation tools to maximize qubit utility.
- **Ironstone Opal**: Quantum sensing solutions for GPS-denied navigation, delivering the first true quantum advantage in real-world navigation scenarios.
- **Educational & Workforce Tools**: Interactive learning platforms and professional toolkits for students, researchers, and hardware teams to upskill and accelerate quantum adoption.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of $5M (LinkedIn estimate); total funding of $133M (as of latest rounds)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Horizons Ventures, Main Sequence Ventures, DCVC, HSG, IQT (led various rounds)
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount of 176 employees (+36.7% YoY); LinkedIn followers 30,064 (+40.3% yearly); global expansion to six offices (Sydney, Santa Monica, Huntsville, Oxford, San Francisco, Berlin); multiple open positions across engineering, research, product, and sales.

## Competitive Advantages
- Unique AI-for-quantum approach that directly addresses hardware error and instability – the toughest problems in quantum technology.
- Proven world records in quantum computer performance and first demonstration of quantum advantage in GPS-free navigation.
- Deep expertise in quantum control, compilation, and error correction, combined with proprietary infrastructure software that no competitor replicates.
- Strong government and defense relationships, with solutions tailored for the most demanding environments.

## Strategic Focus
- Scale adoption of quantum computing and sensing across enterprise and government by making the technology useful today.
- Continue to invest in AI-driven automation and compilation to lower barriers for non-experts.
- Expand into data center and HPC integration, providing pre-validated architectures for seamless quantum utility.
- Grow workforce and global footprint to meet increasing demand from defense, aerospace, and research sectors.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture highlights**: Multidisciplinary teams united by curiosity and ambition; collaborative environment focused on real-world impact; strong emphasis on personal development and career growth.
- **Remote/hybrid/office policy**: Hybrid model (e.g., roles in Los Angeles, San Francisco listed as hybrid); flexible workplace policies; offices in six cities across three continents.
- **Notable perks**: Highly competitive, innovative, and inclusive benefits; comprehensive personal development programs; streamlined interview process with technical discussions and cross-functional collaboration.
- **Engineering culture**: Work on cutting-edge quantum control, AI, and infrastructure software; teams span engineering, research, product, and design.
- **Employer rating**: 4.6/5.0 on LinkedIn (15 reviews), with 4.9 for work-life balance and culture, 4.6 for compensation, 4.7 for career opportunities.

## Sources
1. [q-ctrl.com](https://q-ctrl.com/) – Company overview and product descriptions
2. [q-ctrl.com/careers](https://q-ctrl.com/careers) – Careers page, culture, interview process, locations
3. [q-ctrl.com/about](https://q-ctrl.com/about) – About page, AI-for-quantum focus
4. [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/q-ctrl) – Open positions (Senior Software Engineer, Scientist, etc.)
5. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/q-ctrl) – Company details, revenue, funding, headcount, reviews

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