GDS Next Frontier - Quantum Senior Associate - India

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Discipline: GDS Enablement Services – Growth & Innovation

Role title: Quantum – Senior Associate

Position Summary:

The Quantum Senior Associate will play a hands-on delivery role across Quantum Technology initiatives, with stronger ownership for solution design, technical execution, stakeholder communication and delivery quality than an Associate role. The role requires practical experience in quantum-safe security and/or quantum computing, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business and delivery outcomes.

The role is expected to have a primary focus on quantum safety, including post-quantum cryptography readiness, and a secondary focus on quantum computing use cases such as optimization, machine learning and simulation.

Key responsibilities

• Support the development of quantum safety and quantum computing solutions, prototypes and demonstrations.
• Contribute to post-quantum cryptography readiness assessments, including data gathering, analysis and documentation.
• Develop and evaluate quantum algorithms and workflows for selected optimization, machine learning and simulation use cases.
• Build and maintain software tools, accelerators and proof-of-concept assets using established engineering practices.
• Prepare technical documentation, assessment reports and presentation materials for internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including cybersecurity, AI/ML, platform engineering and product teams.
• Participate in testing, validation and benchmarking activities to assess solution performance and applicability.
• Stay current on developments in quantum computing, post-quantum cryptography and related emerging technologies.

Quantum Specialist Responsibilities:

• Quantum Cyber / Safety:
  • Support quantum risk assessments and identify areas that may require future cryptographic modernization.
  • Assist in prototyping and benchmarking post-quantum cryptography algorithms within applications and services.
  • Contribute to analysis of quantum-safe and hybrid cryptographic approaches and document findings.
  • Support development of crypto-inventory and discovery capabilities to identify legacy cryptography dependencies.
  • Execute testing of hybrid key exchange mechanisms and document performance observations.
  • Assist with implementation and validation of crypto-agility patterns, certificate updates and key management enhancements.
  • Contribute to creation and maintenance of migration guides, standards documentation and operational runbooks.

• Quantum Compute & Algorithms:
  • Develop and evaluate quantum algorithms using industry-standard quantum development platforms.
  • Support experimentation and testing to assess the practicality of quantum use cases.
  • Build proof-of-concept solutions for optimization, simulation and emerging Quantum + AI use cases.
  • Perform basic resource estimation and analysis of quantum circuits and algorithm performance.
  • Compare classical and quantum approaches and document observations and recommendations.
  • Maintain reproducible experimentation environments using Python, Jupyter notebooks, containers and source control tools.

• Knowledge and Skills Requirements:
  • Foundational understanding of quantum computing concepts, including qubits, gates, quantum circuits and current hardware limitations.
  • •Basic understanding of post-quantum cryptography concepts, key encapsulation mechanisms, digital signatures and emerging standards.
  • Familiarity with cryptographic concepts such as public-key cryptography, certificates and secure communication protocols.
  • Experience with at least one quantum development platform such as Qiskit, PennyLane, Cirq, Azure Quantum or AWS Braket.
  • Proficiency in Python programming and familiarity with commonly used scientific and data analysis libraries.
  • Working knowledge of software development fundamentals, including version control and testing practices.
  • Ability to design and execute experiments, analyse results and communicate findings effectively.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to work collaboratively in global, cross-functional teams.
  • Interest in emerging technologies and willingness to continuously learn new concepts and tools.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Cybersecurity, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.
• 2–5+ years of relevant experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Software development or engineering
• Applied cryptography or cybersecurity
• Data science, machine learning or advanced analytics
• Quantum computing research or development
• High-performance or scientific computing
• Experience developing prototypes, proof-of-concepts or technical solutions using modern programming languages and frameworks.
• Familiarity with Python and scientific computing libraries such as NumPy, SciPy, pandas or similar tools.
• Exposure to quantum computing concepts, quantum software development kits or post-quantum cryptography is preferred but not mandatory.
• Understanding of cybersecurity and cryptography fundamentals is desirable.
• Experience working in agile, research or innovation-focused environments is advantageous.
• Ability to independently complete assigned deliverables while collaborating effectively with senior team members.
• Publications, hackathons, certifications, research projects or open-source contributions related to quantum technologies are beneficial but not required.
• Willingness to work with global teams and support overlap with US East Coast hours when needed.

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