Software Developer Intern Jobs in Poughkeepsie, NY

Introduction
Qiskit is IBM Quantum's flagship open-source software development kit for quantum computing, enabling the development, compilation, and execution of quantum programs for a broad community of researchers, developers and industry partners. As part of IBM Quantum, the Qiskit SDK team is building the foundations of a high-performance, open, and platform-neutral quantum compiler and SDK, with the long-term vision of becoming the standard library and toolchain for quantum computing. Qiskit emphasizes production-grade quality and performance, offering a platform with Python and C APIs and a design that accommodates future language bindings.
Your role and responsibilities
We are looking for an experienced Software Developer to join the core Qiskit SDK team. In this role, you will work at the intersection of systems programming, compiler infrastructure, and open-source development, contributing to software that shapes the future of quantum computing. You will be a core contributor to the Qiskit SDK and its underlying compiler and runtime infrastructure, designing and implementing performance-critical components, evolving public APIs, and collaborating closely with researchers, product teams and the open-source community. The role requires a strong sense of software ownership, technical rigor, and open-source best practices.
Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain core Qiskit SDK components and APIs.
• Develop high-quality, well-tested, performance-critical code, with strong attention to usability, extensibility, and backward compatibility.
• Contribute to compiler and transpilation infrastructure, including IRs, optimization passes, and compilation pipelines.
• Review and mentor contributions from internal engineers and external open-source contributors.
• Participate actively in open-source workflows, including design discussions, code reviews, documentation, and releases.
• Collaborate closely with research, HPC, hardware, and product teams, and support external users and partners.
• Debug and resolve complex issues across a large, evolving codebase.

Required education
Bachelor's Degree
Preferred education
Master's Degree
Required technical and professional expertise

• Strong proficiency in Rust, with experience writing production-quality, performance-aware code.
• Working knowledge of Python to support Python-facing APIs and collaborate in mixed Rust/Python systems.
• Solid software engineering fundamentals, including modular design, testing, CI/CD, and maintainability.
• Experience contributing to open-source projects, including code reviews and collaborative development.

Preferred technical and professional experience

• Familiarity with quantum computing and quantum SDKs (e.g., Qiskit, tket, Cirq).
• Exposure to compiler or transpiler concepts (e.g., IRs, passes, transformations).
• Experience developing Python extension modules or FFI-based integrations backed by Rust.

ABOUT BUSINESS UNIT
IBM Research is the organic growth engine of IBM and an innovation engine for our customers and partners. As part of this mission, IBM Research anticipates and examines 'What's Next in Computing' to ultimately create and integrate the technologies the world relies upon to solve big challenges and unlock new opportunities. We create and pioneer new markets for IBM, our partners and customers as exemplified in our ongoing quest to reach practical and large-scale quantum computing. Across IBM Research, we realize the power and potential to accelerate discovery with our partners and clients by combining the power of high performance computing, AI, and Quantum, all integrated through the hybrid cloud.
YOUR LIFE @ IBM
In a world where technology never stands still, we understand that, dedication to our clients success, innovation that matters, and trust and personal responsibility in all our relationships, lives in what we do as IBMers as we strive to be the catalyst that makes the world work better.
Being an IBMer means you'll be able to learn and develop yourself and your career, you'll be encouraged to be courageous and experiment everyday, all whilst having continuous trust and support in an environment where everyone can thrive whatever their personal or professional background.
Our IBMers are growth minded, always staying curious, open to feedback and learning new information and skills to constantly transform themselves and our company. They are trusted to provide on-going feedback to help other IBMers grow, as well as collaborate with colleagues keeping in mind a team focused approach to include different perspectives to drive exceptional outcomes for our customers. The courage our IBMers have to make critical decisions everyday is essential to IBM becoming the catalyst for progress, always embracing challenges with resources they have to hand, a can-do attitude and always striving for an outcome focused approach within everything that they do.
Are you ready to be an IBMer?
ABOUT IBM
IBM's greatest invention is the IBMer. We believe that through the application of intelligence, reason and science, we can improve business, society and the human condition, bringing the power of an open hybrid cloud and AI strategy to life for our clients and partners around the world.
Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are not only one of the largest corporate organizations in the world, we're also one of the biggest technology and consulting employers, with many of the Fortune 500 companies relying on the IBM Cloud to run their business.
At IBM, we pride ourselves on being an early adopter of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Now it's time for you to join us on our journey to being a responsible technology innovator and a force for good in the world.
IBM is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, or other characteristics protected by the applicable law. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.
OTHER RELEVANT JOB DETAILS
IBM offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program. Eligible employees may have access to:
- Healthcare benefits including medical & prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and mental health & well being
- Financial programs such as 401(k), cash balance pension plan, the IBM Employee Stock Purchase Plan, financial counseling, life insurance, short & long- term disability coverage, and opportunities for performance based salary incentive programs
- Generous paid time off including 12 holidays, minimum 56 hours sick time, 120 hours vacation, 12 weeks parental bonding leave in accordance with IBM Policy, and other Paid Care Leave programs. IBM also offers paid family leave benefits to eligible employees where required by applicable law
- Training and educational resources on our personalized, AI-driven learning platform where IBMers can grow skills and obtain industry-recognized certifications to achieve their career goals
- Diverse and inclusive employee resource groups, giving & volunteer opportunities, and discounts on retail products, services & experiences
We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.
This position was posted on the date cited in the key job details section and is anticipated to remain posted for 21 days from this date or less if not needed to fill the role.
IBM will not be providing visa sponsorship for this position now or in the future. Therefore, in order to be considered for this position, you must have the ability to work without a need for current or future visa sponsorship.
The compensation range and benefits for this position are based on a full-time schedule for a full calendar year. The salary will vary depending on your job-related skills, experience and location. Pay increment and frequency of pay will be in accordance with employment classification and applicable laws. For part time roles, your compensation and benefits will be adjusted to reflect your hours. Benefits may be pro-rated for those who start working during the calendar year.