At Atom Computing, we build quantum computers using arrays of optically trapped neutral atoms that will empower customers to achieve unprecedented computational breakthroughs. Join a world-class team of scientists, engineers, and business professionals to advance the state-of-the-art in quantum computing.
We are seeking a Principal Optical Engineer. As a technical lead, you will define and implement rigorous standards for optical engineering, ensuring design integrity through detailed modeling and analysis. You will collaborate closely with physicists and subject matter experts to architect the optical assemblies and modules essential for our next-generation neutral atom quantum computers. This position reports directly to the VP, Optical Engineering and requires being on-site at our Boulder, CO facility 4-5 days per week.
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Job Responsibilities
- Initiate and lead the design and specification of complex, next-generation optical systems and subsystems from the component level up to the system level
- Collaborate with technical leaders across engineering domains to understand key product use cases to inform next generation hardware development lifecycle
- Work with physicists and subject matter experts to develop requirements and system architecture for optical assemblies, subsystems, and modules to support next generation neutral atom computers
- Establish and enforce best practices for optical design, performing critical design reviews, detailed tolerance analysis, and advanced stray light modeling to ensure suitability of design solutions
- Define and standardize precision alignment procedures for all optical designs and subsystems, ensuring robust and repeatable assembly
- Provide high-level leadership and oversight for hands-on assembly and precision alignment of finalized optical designs
- Mentor junior team members and generate internal training documents and procedures
- Contribute as a subject matter expert to technical writing, grant proposals, and presentations
- Generate new intellectual property and inventions
- Develop complex optical components and devices with external vendors including managing the design process and defining deliverables
- External speaking and/or customer engagements
- Troubleshoot technical issues at Atom and off-site customer facilities
- Capable of lifting and moving objects that weigh up to 25 pounds
Experience & Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Optical Sciences, Optical Engineering or related field. Advanced degree a plus
- 10+ years optical design experience
- 7+ years of hands-on optics assembly experience in a laboratory environment
- Experience bringing a complex optical system from conception to productization
Qualifications
- Deep expertise and demonstrated leadership in the design of high-numerical-aperture imaging systems and complex laser distribution networks
- Proven track record of driving complex technical initiatives from conception through deployment, and the ability to mentor and scale the engineering team's capabilities
- Proficiency with Zemax, FRED, or equivalent ray-tracing software
- Experience with structural-thermal-optical-performance (STOP) analysis
- Experience with Onshape, Solidworks, or equivalent 3D CAD
- Deep experience and knowledge of free-space optics, fiber optics, lasers, optical metrology/characterization, polarization, and detection
- Experience with high-power lasers and optical design toward high-power systems.
- Creative, critical thinker with ability to strategize and solve complex problems in a dynamic environment
- Strong interpersonal skills and commitment to teamwork
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with neutral atom quantum computing
- Industry/Professional experience in commercial product development and deployment to a customer site
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Atom Computing provides a wide variety of perks and benefits, including fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for our employees and their dependents. Additionally, unlimited paid time off, 401K company matching, short- and long-term disability, FSA, dependent care benefits, and life insurance. We also offer drinks, snacks, and catered team lunches in our offices, every day!
The base salary range for this position is between $160,000-185,000, commensurate with experience. In addition to salary, we offer an annual bonus and equity in the company.
TECHNICAL & MARKET ANALYSIS | Appended by Quantum.Jobs
The emergence of Principal Optical Engineers specializing in atomic control represents a critical pivot in the quantum computing sector from laboratory-scale prototyping to industrial-grade scalability. As the hardware landscape matures, the structural necessity for roles that bridge atomic physics and high-precision mechanical engineering becomes paramount to resolving the physical manipulation bottlenecks of neutral-atom architectures. This role type serves as a high-leverage stabilization point within the physical hardware layer, ensuring that spatial light modulation and laser distribution systems achieve the repeatable fidelity required for fault-tolerant operations. Market signals from regional technology consortia highlight that this exact systems-level optical expertise is essential for mitigating the systemic risks of transition from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 to TRL 7. By translating quantum control protocols into deterministic optomechanical assemblies, this function establishes the structural foundation for commercial hardware viability in the global deep-tech ecosystem.
The neutral-atom quantum computing landscape is undergoing a decisive shift from individual optical table configurations to integrated, field-deployable system architectures. While qubit coherence times continue to advance across multiple modalities, the primary bottleneck for industrial scaling has shifted to the optical actuation layer, specifically regarding the localized control of large-scale atomic arrays. The current sector-wide focus lies on bridging classical optical delivery and quantum target interfaces at scale, necessitating sophisticated management of thermal, structural, and wave-front constraints to ensure that hybrid environmental enclosures can withstand commercial deployment scenarios.
Workforce scarcity remains highly acute at the intersection of precision optomechanical design and industrial automation principles. As organizations move beyond initial hardware benchmarks, the ecosystem requires specialized systems architects who can navigate the fragmentation of the optical component supply chain and the lack of standardized metrology protocols for deep-ultraviolet or high-power laser paths. Current industry dynamics, heavily influenced by public-private infrastructure investments and national sovereignty strategies, place a premium on roles that can drive standardization across custom vendor networks. This structural engineering layer is the primary mechanism for maintaining technical momentum as the industry transitions toward commercial production.
Furthermore, integration with existing optical telecom standards remains a significant external dependency for the hardware sector. The evolution of the physical layer value chain depends on the ability to package free-space and fiber networks without inducing phase instability or stray-light interference into the vacuum core. Consequently, the availability of senior optical engineers capable of orchestrating these complex multi-domain dependencies is a primary determinant of whether a commercial organization can successfully transition from basic research to repeatable quantum-accelerated infrastructure deployment.
The capability architecture for this role type centers on the synchronization of non-sequential ray tracing, tolerancing, and structural-thermal-optical-performance (STOP) analysis with the physical demands of atomic confinement. Mastery of high-numerical-aperture imaging systems is essential for ensuring that laser distribution networks are optimized for the specific spatial constraints of individual atomic traps, directly influencing overall gate fidelity. This requires a deep understanding of the integration points between mechanical 3D CAD modeling environments and optical simulation suites that predict stray-light scattering and polarization drift.
These interdisciplinary capabilities are fundamental to the throughput of hardware organizations, as they enable the parallelization of structural design cycles alongside real-world lab assemblies. By establishing rigorous verification, validation, and alignment protocols, this function provides the leverage needed to assess the mechanical integrity of optical modules before full-scale manufacturing allocation. This specialized expertise significantly reduces design iteration friction between fundamental physics breakthroughs and the delivery of deployable hardware platforms. - Accelerates the deterministic transition from free-space laboratory experiments to standardized, modular quantum hardware platforms
- Mitigates physical execution risks by synchronizing advanced optomechanical modeling with near-term hardware manufacturing roadmaps
- Facilitates the integration of high-power laser distribution systems into stable, field-deployable commercial computing enclosures
- Strengthens the reliability of hardware scaling strategies through the implementation of rigorous wavefront and stray-light tolerancing
- Reduces engineering iteration cycles between atomic physics requirements and industrial-grade component sourcing protocols
- Optimizes the allocation of capital by validating custom optical component designs prior to external foundry manufacturing
- Enhances the stability of the hardware supply chain by establishing precise specification frameworks for international optical vendors
- Supports the scaling of atomic array densities by managing the complex spatial dependencies of high-numerical-aperture systems
- Improves the transparency of technology readiness level progression for stakeholders evaluating physical qubit control architectures
- Enables the structural reproducibility of optical alignments through the creation of standardized system assembly documentation
- Protects capital-intensive research investments by ensuring mechanical compatibility between laser networks and vacuum environments
- Orchestrates the convergence of academic quantum optics frameworks with the practical constraints of commercial product developmentIndustry Tags: Quantum Hardware, Neutral Atom Architecture, Precision Optics, Optomechanical Engineering, STOP Analysis, Laser Distribution, System Scalability, Supply Chain Integration, Deep Tech Manufacturing
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