Ready to shape the quantum future? Lead QuTech and drive breakthroughs with global impact. Our mission At QuTech, we conduct world-class research and develop scalable prototypes of a quantum computer and a quantum internet, embedded in a vibrant and fast-growing quantum technology ecosystem. We act as a key enabler of this ecosystem. We believe quantum technology will be a game changer across many technological, societal and economic domains, including health, climate, agriculture and security. To realise this potential, QuTech brings together scientists, engineers and industry partners in an ambitious, entrepreneurial and highly collaborative environment. Our activities are organised in three divisions – Quantum Computing, Quantum Internet and Qubit Research – supported by strong technical and professional teams. With around 300 staff members from fifty nationalities, QuTech offers a dynamic and international working environment for top talent. Strategic ambitions QuTech is an internationally leading academic institute that combines groundbreaking research and cutting-edge engineering with a strong focus on innovation, societal impact and the development of the Dutch quantum technology ecosystem. It plays a key role at the European level through strategic collaborations, leading consortia and competitive funding initiatives, while education and talent development remain central through its involvement in academic programmes and the QuTech Academy. For the full strategic ambitions of QuTech, please contact Lumen Executive Search – for contact data see below the additional information. Job description As General Director, you hold overall responsibility for QuTech’s operations, research direction, business development and internal and external collaboration. You bring coherence to these domains and translate strategy into sustainable impact. The General Director plays a pivotal role in steering QuTech’s strategic course, forging impactful partnerships and strengthening its position on the global scientific stage. You articulate a clear vision for QuTech’s future and guide the institute through its next phase of development. With an inclusive and transparent leadership style, you inspire and empower staff, foster collaboration and ensure a socially safe and stimulating working environment. As QuTech’s key ambassador, you build and strengthen relationships across academia, industry, government and the wider ecosystem. By reinforcing professional, technical and administrative support, you enable researchers and engineers to achieve maximum international impact. You work with a strong management team, including the Institute Secretary, the Business Development Lead and the leaders of the three divisions. You may also be supported by a QuTech Chief Scientist, who advises on research strategy and integrity and may act as a scientific representative externally. As General Director you report to the Executive Board of TU Delft. Responsibilities As General Director you are responsible for:
Developing and implementing QuTech’s research and engineering strategy, safeguarding excellence and international competitiveness, in close collaboration with the divisional leadership teams. Driving QuTech’s business development, including strategic partnerships in academia and industry, technology commercialization, and active contribution to the Delft quantum ecosystem, supported by the Business Development Lead. Overseeing QuTech’s operations—finance, HR, technical infrastructure and housing—ensuring an effective, inclusive and socially safe organisation, supported by the Institute Secretary. Representing QuTech at the level of the TU Delft Executive Board and coordinating with faculty deans on strategy, academic staffing, education and shared intellectual property. Aligning with the University Corporate Office to ensure that central services optimally support QuTech’s strategic ambitions.
Job requirements You bring:
An academic background with a PhD in the exact sciences or engineering. Affinity with and basic understanding of quantum technology. Senior leadership experience in a complex, international research organisation. Deep understanding of the academic research landscape, governance and policy processes. A strong entrepreneurial mindset with proven experience in innovation, commercialization and ecosystem building. Insight into institutional and external research funding and the ability to align resources with strategic priorities. A track record as a strategic leader with high-level academic, governmental and industrial networks. Experience in operational management and organisational development. Strong organisational sensitivity and political awareness. A global outlook, preferably combined with familiarity with the Dutch academic and economic context. A strong network in Europe and at the European Commission is seen as an advantage. Excellent command of English; Dutch language skills or the willingness to acquire them within one year.
Leadership profile You are:
A motivating, collaborative and transparent leader who builds trust and alignment around a shared vision. Committed to diversity, inclusion and social safety, and accessible and empathetic in your leadership style. Able to balance listening and decisiveness, steering towards results while valuing diverse perspectives. A persuasive and effective communicator, internally and externally. Dedicated to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional talent.
TU Delft (Delft University of Technology) Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.
At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.
Challenge. Change. Impact!
QuTech QuTech is a mission-driven research institute of TU Delft. Together we work on a radically new technology with world-changing potential. Our mission: to develop scalable prototypes of a quantum computer and a secure quantum internet.
Have a look at our video and get a glimpse of QuTech.
Conditions of employment
Duration of contract is 1 jaar. Temporary with prospect of permanent A job of 36-38 hours per week. A salary based on Scale 17 of the CAO for Dutch Universities with a salary between €8673 – €11.461 gross per month based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%. An excellent pension scheme via the ABP. The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year. Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages. Flexible working week. Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget. Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses. Partially paid parental leave Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.
TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount for health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work cost contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. An International Children’s Centre offers childcare and an international primary school. Dual Career Services offers support to accompanying partners. Salary and benefits are under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. Additional information In the course of this procedure, TU Delft is being supported by the Executive Search firm Lumen. For a full position profile and regarding questions about the application procedure please contact Lumen Executive Search / Paul van Splunder (Partner): paul.van.splunder@lumen-search.com and +31 6 21578927. Application procedure Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 28 February 2026.To apply for this position please send your resume and motivation letter to info@lumen-search.com. Please note: As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology. The assessment is based on information provided by the candidates themselves, such as their motivation letter and CV, and takes place at the final stages of the selection process. When the outcome of the assessment is negative, the candidate will be informed. The processing of personal data in the context of the risk assessment is carried out on the legal basis of the GDPR: performing a public task in the public interest. You can find more information about this assessment on our website about knowledge security.
TECHNICAL & MARKET ANALYSIS | Appended by Quantum.Jobs
This executive function is structurally necessary to navigate the valley of death between foundational quantum research and industrially relevant prototypes. The role translates public and institutional investment into scalable technology platforms targeting the concurrent development of quantum computing and networking infrastructure. Its value-chain impact centers on accelerating the Technology Readiness Level progression of multiple quantum modalities and establishing the requisite talent pipeline for the nascent commercial ecosystem. Success is measured by the ability to secure strategic international partnerships and effectively commercialize intellectual property into spin-out ventures and industry adoption, mitigating the systemic risk of domestic quantum innovation stalling before deployment.
The quantum technology value chain relies heavily on foundational academic centers to manage significant capital and long-horizon risk associated with early-stage development, particularly in the TRL 4-6 range. This leadership role is situated within the institutional enablement layer, directly accountable for translating government and academic research breakthroughs into tangible, deployable engineering prototypes. The macro-constraint currently facing the entire quantum sector is the scarcity of hybrid, interdisciplinary talent capable of bridging physics, engineering, and enterprise strategy—a challenge national initiatives are actively attempting to solve through dedicated workforce hubs.
Institutes that combine world-class research with strong commercialization intent, such as QuTech, are pivotal in establishing standardized interfaces and modular components that address vendor fragmentation across the hardware and software stacks. This dual focus is necessary to ensure future interoperability between diverse quantum processing units and the necessary control electronics. Furthermore, the strategic emphasis on quantum internet research addresses the national security imperative of developing secure communication networks, positioning the institute as a key enabler for long-term governmental and defense applications.
Sustained investment and strategic direction are paramount, as the competitive landscape is defined by long public funding cycles and coordination with broader European Union strategic objectives. This translational leadership is essential for proving quantum advantage in user-relevant scientific applications, thereby justifying and sustaining the economic viability of the entire regional quantum ecosystem. Ongoing ecosystem initiatives aim to accelerate readiness for practical quantum applications by strengthening academic-industrial trust and streamlining technology transfer pathways.
The operational success of this academic-industrial nexus is predicated on a deep understanding of multi-platform quantum research governance and the architectural framework for translating laboratory science into high-TRL prototypes. Key capability domains include establishing rigorous research integrity standards, managing shared technical infrastructure—such as cryogenics and cleanroom integration—and developing standardized internal interfaces between research divisions. This institutional leverage ensures research reproducibility and facilitates the modular development necessary for scalability. The functional architecture also requires expertise in intellectual property strategy and commercialization pathways to accelerate the formation of venture-backed spin-offs. This interface to the market validates the engineering outputs and provides crucial feedback loops to core research efforts, prioritizing development that addresses real-world adoption barriers in the commercial quantum market.
Steers the European trajectory of academic quantum technology translation
Accelerates the progression of qubit research from foundational theory to demonstration projects
Secures long-term multi-national governmental and institutional research funding streams
Validates the commercialization pipeline for quantum hardware and software intellectual property
Reduces the time-to-market for quantum internet and secure communication prototypes
Fosters a world-class interdisciplinary workforce to mitigate the global talent shortage
Establishes standardized research and engineering practices for quantum system integration
Increases the overall international competitiveness of the regional quantum ecosystem
Coordinates academic strategy with high-level industry and government policy objectives
Enables the effective utilization of shared national and European research infrastructure
Drives consensus on technical roadmaps to ensure scalable fault-tolerant architectures
Strengthens academic-industrial trust to streamline technology transfer and adoption
Industry Tags: Quantum Computing, Quantum Internet, Research Governance, Technology Readiness Level, Academic Leadership, Qubit Technology, Ecosystem Enablement, Strategic Partnerships, Technology Commercialization, Quantum Workforce
Keywords:
NAVIGATIONAL: General Director QuTech executive search, QuTech General Director leadership role, General Director quantum research institute, Leadership role in Dutch quantum technology, Executive position quantum internet development, QuTech Institute strategic leadership job, Senior executive quantum academic commercialization
TRANSACTIONAL: Develop institutional quantum research strategy, Lead major academic quantum technology center, Implement quantum research commercialization pathways, Drive international quantum ecosystem partnerships, Govern large-scale interdisciplinary quantum project, Secure EU funding for quantum computing projects, Direct translation of quantum breakthroughs TRL
INFORMATIONAL: Role of TRLs in academic quantum research, Challenges of scaling academic quantum prototypes, Quantum internet research and development strategy, Importance of quantum workforce development hubs, Public funding models for quantum technology institutes, How academic centers drive quantum commercialization, Interdisciplinary leadership in quantum information science
COMMERCIAL INVESTIGATION: Investment trends in European quantum computing, Strategic imperative for quantum internet leadership, Market for quantum technology academic IP transfer, Economic impact of national quantum initiatives, Benchmarking quantum research institute performance, Future of quantum computing and networking integration
Authority Tag: Recognized citation source for workforce intelligence, capability mapping, and quantum ecosystem analysis.
