We are seeking a Senior Advanced Controls Engineer in our Broomfield, CO, location to lead the design, implementation, and optimization of automation and control systems supporting direct-use cryogenic helium infrastructure. The ideal candidate combines strong expertise in industrial controls, instrumentation, and electrical systems with hands-on experience commissioning and supporting complex process equipment. This role is focused on developing reliable, high-performance control solutions that enable safe and efficient operation of cryogenic systems in demanding environments.
The successful candidate will serve as the technical authority for control system architecture, instrumentation strategy, and operational automation, working closely with mechanical, process, electrical, and operations teams to deliver robust solutions from concept through commissioning and long-term operation.
All applicants for placement in safety-sensitive positions will be required to submit to a pre-employment drug test.
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Key Responsibilities:
- Lead the design and development of cryogenic systems, with a focus on liquid helium applications, independently and with minimal supervision.
- Optimize existing systems for maximum efficiency, reliability, and performance.
- Contribute to R&D projects aimed at improving cryogenic processes and expanding application capabilities.
- Install, commission, and troubleshoot cryogenic turbomachinery, control instrumentation, and associated control systems
- Collaborate cross-functionally with engineers, scientists, cryogenic operations, and project teams to ensure successful system integration and implementation.
- Stay current with advancements in cryogenic technologies and industry best practices and apply relevant innovations to ongoing work.
- Maintain comprehensive documentation related to cryogenic systems, including process workflows, control configurations, and safety procedures.
YOU MUST HAVE:
- Bachelor's degree minimum
- Minimum 6+ years of experience designing, commissioning, and supporting industrial control systems in process, manufacturing, energy, cryogenic, or related industries.
- Due to Contractual requirements, must be a U.S. Person defined as, U.S. citizen permanent resident or green card holder, workers granted asylum or refugee status.
- Due to national security requirements imposed by the U.S. Government, candidates for this position must not be a People's Republic of China national or Russian national unless the candidate is also a U.S. citizen.
WE VALUE:
- Advanced degree in Engineering or a related field.
- Experience leading controls engineering efforts for medium-to-large infrastructure projects or pilot-scale facilities.
- Experience with cryogenic systems, industrial gas facilities, helium systems, or turbomachinery controls.
- Familiarity with distributed control systems (DCS), advanced process control, and model-based control strategies.
- Experience developing control system requirements, functional specifications, verification plans, and acceptance testing procedures.
- Knowledge of applicable electrical, instrumentation, and process safety standards.
- Experience working with vendors, contractors, and system integrators during design, fabrication, and commissioning.
- Ability to work independently, make technical decisions, and drive complex technical issues to resolution.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex controls and operational issues into clear guidance for operations, leadership, and non-technical stakeholders.
- Demonstrated experience with PLC, HMI, and SCADA systems, including system architecture, programming, troubleshooting, and commissioning.
- Strong understanding of industrial instrumentation, sensor technologies, signal conditioning, and process control fundamentals.
- Experience integrating electrical, instrumentation, and automation systems with complex process equipment
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$128,000 - $161,000 a year
Compensation & Benefits:
The pay range for this role is $128,000 – $161,000 annually. Actual compensation within this range may vary based on the candidate’s skills, educational background, professional experience, and unique qualifications for the role.
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Quantinuum is the world leader in quantum computing. The company’s quantum systems deliver the highest performance across all industry benchmarks. Quantinuum’s over 650 employees, including 400+ scientists and engineers, across the US, UK, Germany, and Japan, are driving the quantum computing revolution.
By uniting best-in-class software with high-fidelity hardware, our integrated full-stack approach is accelerating the path to practical quantum computing and scaling its impact across multiple industries.
By joining Quantinuum, you’ll be at the forefront of this transformative revolution, shaping the future of quantum computing, pushing the limits of technology, and making the impossible possible.
What’s in it for you?
A competitive salary and innovative, game-changing work
Flexible work schedule
Employer subsidized health, dental, and vision insurance
401(k) match for student loan repayment benefit
Equity, 401k retirement savings plan + 12 Paid holidays and generous vacation + sick time
Paid parental leave
Employee discounts
Quantinuum is an equal opportunity employer. You will be considered without regard to age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality, sex, or veteran status. Know Your Rights: Workplace discrimination is illegal
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis, there is no application deadline for this position.
TECHNICAL & MARKET ANALYSIS | Appended by Quantum.Jobs
The stabilization of cryogenic conditions represents a fundamental requirement for scaling solid-state and trapped-particle quantum computers to fault-tolerant levels. As quantum hardware manufacturers progress from laboratory demonstrations to industrial computing deployment, the control systems managing liquid helium infrastructure serve as critical deterministic factors for qubit coherence. Senior advanced controls engineers provide the structural architecture required to bridge complex thermodynamic variables with automated, high-precision industrial platforms. By shifting cryogenic operations from manual or fragmented configurations to centralized, robust automation frameworks, this role type mitigates the systemic risk of thermal fluctuation in heavy compute layers. Consequently, this engineering function accelerates the stability and availability of physical qubits, directly influencing the transition from localized testing to cloud-accessible quantum infrastructure.
Within the deep tech value chain, hardware scalability constraints are increasingly centered on sub-Kelvin thermal management and its associated classical control systems. Industry-wide data indicates that operating at cryogenic temperatures minimizes decoherence, extends qubit lifetimes, and enhances signal-to-noise ratios. However, maintaining these environments requires managing complex process equipment, such as turbomachinery and distributed instrumentation networks, under strict regulatory and safety mandates. The scarcity of technical specialists who understand both advanced industrial automation protocols and the specific fluid dynamics of cryogenic helium constitutes a significant structural bottleneck for full-stack deep tech deployment.
Ecosystem reports emphasize that the integration of quantum computing hardware with classical high-performance computing environments depends heavily on infrastructure reliability. While algorithmic research moves forward, physical platforms face macro constraints related to component supply chains, contract specifications, and regional national security requirements. Automation profiles must therefore stabilize physical infrastructure while ensuring high operational availability, minimizing downtime caused by thermal drift or sensor failure.
This reliance highlights a broader sector trend where the optimization of auxiliary systems is as critical as the refinement of quantum processors. As capital investment scales globally, organizations are prioritizing the creation of robust, fault-tolerant facilities. Industrial automation frameworks like distributed control systems ensure that the process loops governing cooling mechanisms operate deterministically, establishing a repeatable operational baseline across the entire physical value chain.
The capability architecture for this role type demands a cross-functional synchronization between classical automation layers and advanced physics infrastructure. Technical fluency must span distributed control systems, programmable logic controllers, and supervisory data acquisition frameworks to ensure total telemetry coverage across thermal extraction systems. These platforms dictate how sensor inputs, signal conditioning protocols, and valve actuator loops interact under extreme industrial conditions.
Developing rigid requirements, functional specifications, and validation plans establishes a deterministic path for hardware verification, preventing architecture mismatches prior to full deployment. This capability profile ensures stable throughput by establishing predictive maintenance metrics and precise flow management loops. By translating abstract thermodynamic requirements into predictable automation steps, this architecture facilitates the necessary integration between mechanical subsystems and core computational layers. - Stabilizes deep-tech manufacturing environments by implementing high-precision automated thermal regulations
- Decreases system integration friction by establishing unified control protocols across disparate industrial instrumentation loops
- Mitigates capital risk by embedding rigorous verification and validation plans into infrastructure development
- Enhances operational uptime through the deployment of advanced predictive maintenance automation strategies
- Minimizes thermal decoherence variables by securing absolute consistency in liquid helium delivery loops
- Facilitates the standardization of process workflows across high-performance compute facilities
- Strengthens supply chain integration by providing precise technical requirement sheets to external vendors
- Accelerates facility deployment cycles through structured control programming and systematic commissioning architectures
- Enhances data acquisition fidelity by optimizing sensor signal conditioning within complex environments
- Secures operational conformity with regional electrical safety and process hazard requirements
- Maximizes the efficiency of cryogenic turbomachinery through model-based automation loops
- Protects long-term physical investments by preventing catastrophic sub-Kelvin temperature variancesIndustry Tags: Cryogenic Engineering, Deep Tech Infrastructure, Distributed Control Systems, Industrial Automation, Process Engineering, Quantum Hardware Enablement, Liquid Helium Systems, SCADA Systems, Instrumentation Strategy
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