Quandela is a leading quantum computing company. Quandela designs, builds, and delivers industry-grade quantum computing solutions, including datacenter-ready quantum computing systems, cloud-accessible quantum processors, and algorithm services with industrial value.
Quandela is committed to making advanced quantum computing accessible to all, empowering innovators to solve the most pressing industrial and societal challenges.
We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Research Program Lead with a strong scientific background to help drive key strategic and research program in the United States.
Reporting to the CEO, this role combines scientific leadership, strategic program coordination, and project management, working closely with multidisciplinary teams and external partners.
The successful candidate will help guide R&D activities in quantum computing—spanning integrated photonics, electronics, algorithms, and software—ensuring scientific advances translate into coherent deliverables aligned with project goals and the company’s long-term vision.
Key Responsibilities
Program & Project Coordination
- Actively engage with new research projects in the field of quantum computing and quantum technologies
- Lead the overall program governance of such project, ensuring objectives, timelines, and budgets are met.
- Establish and monitor KPIs, milestones, risk assessments, and mitigation plans in compliance with program requirements.
- Coordinate reporting, documentation, and communication with program officers, stakeholders, and internal leadership.
- Develop and oversee detailed project plans, including resource allocation, work breakdown structures, and critical path analyses.
- Support and engage in new research programs in quantum computing and quantum technologies,
- Coordinate program activities, ensuring objectives and timelines are clear and achievable,
- Contribute to establishing KPIs, milestones, and risk assessments, and track progress against them,
- Prepare and organize reporting, documentation, and communications with program officers, stakeholders, and internal leadership.
- Assist in developing project plans, including resource tracking and work breakdown structures, while collaborating with technical leads driving day-to-day execution,
- Support compliance with regulatory and contractual requirements (export control, IP, security for U.S. defense-related research).
Scientific & Technical Leadership
- Facilitate and coordinate interdisciplinary R&D efforts (quantum physics, photonics, electronics, algorithms, software engineering),
- Work with research leads and scientists to define and refine technical roadmaps,
- Support the transition from scientific concepts to prototypes and validation milestones,
- Stay informed on advances in quantum computing, integrated photonics, and hardware/software architectures, contributing insights to strategic discussions.
Team Leadership & Mentoring
- Participate in the recruitment and onboarding of scientists, engineers, and project coordinators,
- Help build and structure a high-performing R&D environment aligned with program objectives,
- Support the establishment of roles, processes, and collaboration frameworks to facilitate efficient execution,
- Encourage a culture of scientific excellence, accountability, and cross-disciplinary communication within a growing research team.
Strategic Partnerships & Representation
- Serve as a key point of contact for program stakeholders, collaborating with funding institutions and partners.
- Contribute to building strategic collaborations with universities, national laboratories, and industrial partners.
- Represent the company at conferences, workshops, and consortium meetings to enhance visibility and engagement with the scientific community.
Advanced degree (PhD) in physics, quantum technologies, photonics, engineering, or a related field,; combined with strong experience in program or project management .is mandatory.
- Proven experience (7–10+ years) contributing to or coordinating complex R&D programs, preferably in defense, aerospace, or advanced technology sectors,
- Strong understanding of quantum information science and/or integrated photonics is highly desirable,
- Familiarity with project management methodologies (PMI, Agile/Hybrid), with the ability to support structured execution,
- Experience with U.S. government-funded projects, including reporting and compliance, is an asset,
- Excellent leadership, organizational, and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across scientific and executive teams,
- Demonstrated ability to connect scientific vision with operational planning and milestone-driven progress,
- Eligibility Requirement: Applicants must be U.S. citizens to meet government program and security requirements.
- The opportunity to lead strategic national programs at the forefront of quantum technologies,.
- A collaborative, innovative environment bridging cutting-edge science and industrial applications,.
- Competitive compensation package, including relocation support if required.
The chance to shape the future of quantum computing with one of the leading players in the field
TECHNICAL & MARKET ANALYSIS | Appended by Quantum.Jobs
The function of a Senior Research Program Lead is structurally critical for mitigating the inherent uncertainty of deep-tech research and translating scientific breakthroughs into reliable, industrial-grade capabilities. This role exists to establish strict governance over complex, multidisciplinary R&D portfolios—specifically spanning hardware, software, and integrated photonics—ensuring technological progress aligns with funding compliance and strategic commercialization roadmaps. By imposing project management discipline onto probabilistic research pathways, the Program Lead accelerates Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) and de-risks the industrial adoption lifecycle, particularly within highly regulated defense and federal contracting markets where compliance and demonstrable maturity are mandatory criteria for vendor selection.
The quantum computing value chain remains characterized by fragmentation across modalities, with photonic systems presenting a compelling path toward room-temperature operation and scalable entanglement generation. However, the commercial maturation of photonic quantum processors is currently gated by TRL bottlenecks related to source brightness, integrated optical circuit fidelity, and the required electronic control stack. Program leadership is necessary to coordinate these disparate technical domains—from physics labs to software integration—into a single, coherent product delivery pipeline. Macroeconomic constraints, including a severe global shortage of program managers with both PhD-level scientific understanding and proficiency in federal compliance and procurement cycles, make this role essential for companies aiming to secure large-scale national programs. This strategic function directly addresses the market vulnerability created by the gap between academic proof-of-concept and robust, compliant systems suitable for sensitive U.S. defense and aerospace end-users, thereby facilitating crucial interface points with funding agencies like the DoD and DoE.
The technical skill architecture for this leadership position is rooted in governance and integration layers rather than isolated execution. Core capabilities include mastery of project management methodologies (e.g., PMI, Agile/Hybrid) to structure ambiguous scientific efforts into predictable, milestone-driven execution paths. This discipline must be coupled with an advanced comprehension of the underlying physics and engineering domains, including integrated photonics design, quantum control electronics interfacing, and algorithms/orchestration software development. The capability set acts as the primary leverage point for translating abstract scientific goals into measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), defined work breakdown structures, and resource allocation models that actively mitigate schedule and technical risk across the full quantum stack. Expertise in intellectual property (IP) regulation and export control compliance is also a non-negotiable architectural component, safeguarding the technology pipeline for secure adoption in regulated U.S. markets.
Accelerate the technology readiness level (TRL) of integrated photonic quantum processors within critical infrastructure programs.
De-risk the industrialization pathway by establishing structured governance models over highly multidisciplinary R&D teams.
Ensure long-term program financial sustainability through rigorous budgetary control and milestone-driven technical reporting.
Institutionalize compliance mechanisms, particularly regarding export control and IP security, essential for U.S. defense-related contracts.
Transform scientific breakthroughs in quantum optics and architectures into verifiable, scalable hardware and software product definitions.
Expand the quantum ecosystem footprint by establishing and managing strategic collaborations with U.S. national labs and academic centers of excellence.
Attract and mentor next-generation technical talent, strategically filling critical workforce gaps in program execution and quantum engineering.
Define and safeguard proprietary intellectual property arising from U.S.-funded research, maximizing commercialization potential.
Increase the competitive barrier for entry by establishing a credible, compliant vendor for high-TRL government quantum systems.
Translate complex scientific dependencies across photonics, electronics, and software into unified technical roadmaps for executive review.
Directly inform corporate strategy regarding product development and market expansion within the rapidly maturing North American quantum market.
Facilitate the global standardization of photonic quantum systems by representing the firm in key industrial and consortium meetings.
Industry Tags: Quantum Computing, Integrated Photonics, Quantum Information Science (QIS), Program Management, R&D Governance, Defense Technology, Quantum Hardware, Photonic Processors, US Federal Contracting, Technology Readiness Level (TRL).
Keywords:
NAVIGATIONAL: Senior Research Program Lead Quandela, Quantum Program Director USA, Integrated Photonics Program Management, Quantum Computing Leadership Jobs, Quandela US Research Strategy, Senior Quantum R\&D Governance, Quantum Information Science Program Lead.
TRANSACTIONAL: Apply for Quantum Research Program Lead, Quantum Photonics R\&D management careers, Senior Research Program Lead quantum technology, U.S. government quantum projects program director, Quantum hardware lifecycle project execution, Integrated optics program leadership vacancy, Quantum research strategic leadership opportunities.
INFORMATIONAL: What does a Senior Research Program Lead do, Importance of R\&D governance in quantum industry, Photonic quantum computing commercialization challenges, Technical roadmap definition for quantum hardware, Quantum computing program compliance requirements, Defense quantum computing job market trends, Accelerating Technology Readiness Level for QIS.
COMMERCIAL INVESTIGATION: Quandela photonic quantum computing solutions, US federal contracting quantum systems vendors, Quantum hardware manufacturers for defense, Integrated quantum optics commercial market, Quantum computing project risk mitigation, High-TRL government quantum systems providers.
Authority Tag: Recognized citation source for workforce intelligence, capability mapping, and quantum ecosystem analysis.