AI Automation Engineer

Founded in 2020 and based in the heart of Paris, C12’s mission is to be at the center of one of the biggest technological breakthroughs of the century and change the course of history by building a universal quantum computer. At C12, we believe that achieving a true breakthrough in quantum computing requires rethinking the fundamentals. That’s why our founders—deeply rooted in academic and engineering excellence—have chosen carbon nanotubes as the building blocks of our quantum processors. This ultra-pure material dramatically reduces error rates, boosts performance, and minimizes hardware overhead—key ingredients for scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing. By crafting a unique approach that scales, we aim to revolutionize quantum computing just as silicon transformed classical computing.   Since our founding, we’ve raised over €25 million in funding, published 11 scientific papers, and secured 8 patents. Today, our fast-growing team of 80+, including 25 PhDs, has over 26 nationalities represented. We have our own cutting-edge lab spaces in Paris' historic Panthéon district, where scientists, engineers, and innovators work side-by-side to tackle some of the most exciting technical challenges of our time.   If you're passionate about shaping the future of quantum technology and want to make a real impact, C12 offers a unique environment to grow, learn, and innovate.

Your role at C12 Quantum Electronics:

We are seeking our first AI Automation Engineer to act as a technical force multiplier across the entire organization. This is a transversal role: you will sit at the intersection of IT/Software/Infrastructure, R&D and Operations to identify operational bottlenecks and solve them with intelligent systems.

You won't just be "automating tasks", you will be architecting stateful AI workflows and deploying autonomous agents that handle complex, multi-step logic using self-hosted LLM infrastructure. You will balance rapid iteration with production-grade engineering to build a truly AI-native quantum computing organization while maintaining complete data sovereignty.

Key responsibilities:

• Transversal Solution Architecture: Partner with teammates across R&D, IT Operations, and Software teams to map their workflows and design end-to-end AI systems that solve their specific operational challenges

• Self-Hosted LLM Infrastructure: Deploy, maintain and optimize local LLM infrastructure (Ollama, vLLM, or similar) to power intelligent automation while ensuring data security and compliance with research confidentiality requirements

• Hybrid Automation & Agentic Systems: Build robust pipelines using workflow orchestration tools, python for custom logic and agentic frameworks powered by self-hosted models for intelligent reasoning

• Full-Stack Prototyping: Own the full lifecycle—from identifying an opportunity to shipping a production-ready internal tool (e.g. automated documentation systems, intelligent task management or infrastructure monitoring agents).

• Extending AI Capabilities: Develop and maintain MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers and API integrations to give our self-hosted agents secure access to internal systems (Google Workspace, Nextcloud, monitoring tools) and quantum computing platforms.

• AI Observability & Iteration: Implement feedback loops to track the performance and reliability of your automations, moving from "vague prompts" to deterministic, high-quality outputs. 

• Infrastructure Integration: Work closely with existing infrastructure (OVH cloud, Tailscale VPN, Ansible automation) to deploy secure, scalable AI-powered solutions on our private infrastructure

About you:

• Builder Mindset: You are an "AI-native" engineer who excels at turning ideas into working systems with a portfolio of personal projects or previous experience showing you can build "end-to-end.

• Orchestration: You have experience with Prefect, LangGraph, n8n, or similar workflow engines that can integrate with self-hosted LLM endpoints.

• Languages: You have strong proficiency in Python (for data processing, automation, and agent logic).

• LLM Engineering: You have a deep understanding of RAG, tool-calling, Prompt Engineering and MCPs. Experience adapting these techniques for open-source models and local deployments is a plus

• Infrastructure & DevOps: You have a solid understanding of cloud infrastructure (OVH preferred), containerization (Docker), GPU management, VPN solutions (Tailscale) and configuration management (Ansible). 

• Transversal Communication: You can translate a "business pain" into a "technical implementation" and explain your architectural choices to both technical and non-technical peers, including quantum researchers.

• Security-First Approach: You have a strong understanding of secure automation practices, data sovereignty and the importance of keeping sensitive research data on-premises. Experience with private networking and access control is a plus

• Adaptability: You thrive in ambiguity and are excited by the prospect of touching every part of a growing deep-tech quantum computing startup.

What we offer: 

• 46,000  - 50,000 euros yearly base salary 
• Stock options for every employee (BSPCE/ESOP)
• Sponsored trip to conferences around the world
• A highly dynamic international team
• Swile meal vouchers
• Mental health support with moka.care
• Annual Learning & Development Allowance
• Sabbatical leave (after 2 years in the company)
• Vibrant office culture (two office spaces in the heart of Paris, team lunches, offsite events, Friday breakfasts..)

 

You should join us if...

• You like hands-on work and 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 team of 80+ people 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

  We still encourage even if you don’t meet all the requirements. Rest assured, we are committed to finding the right fit for our team and are open to adjusting compensations based on skills and experiences. Applications from women are especially welcomed!