The Role
C12 develops quantum computers, to solve highly complex computing tasks, currently out of reach of even the most powerful supercomputers. Building a quantum computer still needs innovators ready to tackle exciting challenges. C12’s founders are convinced that only a new material for the qubit will bring a technological breakthrough. C12 uniquely uses carbon nanotubes as the fundamental building blocks of its quantum processor. This high-purity material minimises errors, radically improves performance and reduces hardware overhead for fault-tolerant computing. Combined with well-established semiconductor techniques, carbon nanotubes will help scale quantum computing, just as silicon revolutionised classical computing. Our unique & innovative quantum computing technology enables us to address use cases, solving intractable problems our industrial customers are facing.
Founded in 2020, C12 is a fast-growing start-up, having raised EUR 18 million in 2024 to further its research in its own lab in the heart of Paris (Panthéon).
Your role at C12 Quantum Electronics
- As a direct report to the CEO, you will play a critical role in building a resilient and scalable engineering organisation. You will leverage our R&D teams as they address the core scientific and technical challenges of developing a utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer. You will be responsible for defining and documenting how we conceive, design, and build our final, long-term quantum computer - a large-scale quantum processing unit (QPU) consisting of hundreds of thousands of high-quality, highly connected physical qubits and incorporating quantum error correction. In our job description, this is referred to as "the system." You will introduce tools and practices that foster a high-performance engineering culture and work closely with our multidisciplinary team of engineers and physicists to bridge the gap between system architecture and practical implementation. Additionally, you will develop our near-term quantum production line, designing and optimising manufacturing process flows to support the production of future QPU products. Our product roadmap is structured around a clear set of engineering requirements for each generation of product. You will also establish advanced measurement and testing facilities essential for hardware validation and long-term reliability. This role will eventually include team management responsibilities. Your responsibilities will include:
- Guiding “the system” through its entire lifecycle - from initial conceptualisation and design through detailed development and rigorous validation
- Collaborate with product, design & R&D teams to define, refine, and document system requirements that align with technical and business goals
- Maintaining a system-level perspective, integrating cross-functional & external inputs and identifying technological barriers to industrialisation
- Acting as a communication hub for technical decision-making and documentation, ensuring that the R&D knowledge is captured, understood, and applied throughout development
- Defining and documenting validation test plans of components/sub-systems/systems to verify that each of them meets its specifications and performance targets
- Collaborating with partnerships and supply teams to support informed make-or-buy decisions
- Designing, developing, and deploying a new quantum production line optimised for carbon nanotube-based quantum chips, building on processes developed by the R&D teams; to establish a stable, scalable process that enables high-throughput production.
- Overseeing the conception, construction, and commissioning of advanced measurement and testing facilities
- Collaborating with research and product teams to translate prototypes into scalable and manufacturable designs
- Implementing best practices in project management, design control, and quality assurance across all engineering activities
- Communicating engineering plans, progress, and risks to executive leadership and key stakeholders
- Introducing “Design for Manufacturability” strategies for new products and drive process standardisation initiatives to facilitate production scale up
Systems engineering:
Manufacturing & advance testing facilities:
Engineering excellence:
About you:
- Master’s degree and/or Ph.D. in physics, engineering or a related technical field
- 10+ years of engineering leadership experience in high-tech industries such as semiconductors, advanced instrumentation, or quantum technologies
- Proven experience in systems engineering of highly complex, large-scale technologies (e.g.quantum computers, spacecraft, aircraft, or multidisciplinary hardware systems)
- Familiarity with Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), experience with an MBSE software platform and knowledge of system modelling, simulations, and analysis tools
- Knowledge of quantum devices, cryogenic systems and RF/microwave systems or precision measurement tools (experience in at least one is required)
- Thorough understanding of semiconductor design, integration & process modules including e-beam lithography, dry etch, wet etch, chemical vapour deposition (CVD), sputtering, and atomic layer deposition (ALD)
- Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams and integrating mechanical, electrical, and software systems
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Fluency in English is mandatory, fluency in French is preferred
You should join us if...
You want to have a key role in a growing startup with challenges at the frontier of the technology.
You want to contribute to achieving landmark results in quantum computing, making a difference in the emerging quantum technologies.
You want to work within a 50-people team with various backgrounds in nanofabrication, quantum electronics, and carbon nanotube science to create a revolutionary quantum computing processor.
You want to thrive in an exceptional scientific environment with several industrial and academic partners.
You share our values (excellence, scientific integrity, diversity, curiosity, and care) and want to help us define our product-focused culture and ambition to accelerate.
C12 Quantum Electronics’ unique technology
At C12, a qubit, the fundamental functional unit of a quantum computer, is built from an isotopically ultra-pure 12C nanotube suspended above a silicon chip containing control electrodes and a quantum communication bus. Our spin qubits hold great promise in terms of individual control and manipulation as well as for the circuit architecture. A suspended isotopically-pure 12C nanotube holds great promise in terms of stability, as it reduces all sources of decoherence (charge noise, nuclear spin noise and phonon relaxation).
C12 encourages all who feel qualified to apply. Recruitment decisions are based solely on qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience. Applications from women are particularly welcomed.
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The Company
What We Do
C12 is building reliable quantum computers.
The company is a spin-off from ENS launched in January 2020 by twin brothers Matthieu and Pierre Desjardins to supercharge the development of the lab’s promising new quantum technology.
Quantum computing has the potential to change our lives. But frequent errors limit the technology’s viability. We are tackling the fundamental issue: the nature of the hardware itself. We are tapping into the simplest material–carbon–to drive a technological breakthrough in the field. Unlike other quantum computers, we use carbon nanotubes as the fundamental building block of our processor. By combining the power of an ultra-pure material with an easy-to-manufacture semiconductor device, we are building a scalable platform for quantum computing.
Our executive co-founders bring a unique combination of scientific excellence and business skills to the company. Our team is made up of the world’s most accomplished experts in quantum electronics and carbon nanotube science. Our scientific advisors are renowned scientists and pioneers in spin qubits: Dr. Takis Kontos, Dr. Matthieu Delbecq and Dr. Jérémie Viennot.
In June 2021, C12 secured a $10 million seed round with funding from 360 Capital, Bpifrance (Digital Venture Fund), Airbus Ventures, BNP Paribas Développement, and Octave Klaba (OVHcloud), and additional grants from Bpifrance and the Ile-de-France Region.
We are leading quantum’s next material breakthrough, and we are just getting started. Silicon enabled the emergence of classical computing – it’s time for carbon to do the same for quantum !
