We are seeking a Lead R&D Engineer in our Broomfield, CO location with experience building complex trapped atom or ion systems or photonics technologies that enable trapped-ion quantum computers. You will work with a team on concepts for large scale quantum computers and communicate trade studies and design ideas to technical, leadership, and external team members. You should have excellent technical writing and collaboration skills as you will prepare external facing documents and work cross functionally between hardware, QEC/Theory, and applications teams.
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:
- Communicate the enabling technologies required for next generation systems and develop roadmaps to achieve those technologies
- Plan, prioritize, and advise on R&D path for building future quantum computers
- Collaborate with a cross-functional team to architect, design, and develop subsystems for next generation of quantum computers
- Track external and internal technology development and state-of-the-art results to feedforward and update R&D plans
- Lead development and design projects with suppliers
- Communicate technological progress to internal and external stakeholders
YOU MUST HAVE:
- PhD degree minimum or completed prior to start date
- Minimum 7+ years’ experience (PhD inclusive) involving one or more of the following areas: qubits, atomic physics, optics, lasers, photonic integrated circuits, vacuum systems, electronics, or cryogenics
- 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:
- PhD in Physics, Optics, Engineering or a related field preferred
- Demonstrated professional experience leading R&D engineering efforts to mature low TRL applied physics or experimental physics research programs into commercially viable products
- Experience in quantum computing with a focus on trapped-ion technologies a plus
- Strong scientific communication and technical writing skills
- Strong organizational and collaboration skills
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$164,000 - $205,000 a year
Compensation & Benefits:
Incentive Eligible – Range posted is inclusive of bonus target when applicable
The pay range for this role is $164,000 – $205,000 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 emergence of senior research and development leaders specializing in atomic, molecular, and optical configurations represents a critical pivot point as deep-tech hardware matures from laboratory prototypes toward industrial scalability. Within the quantum hardware value chain, the translation of low technology readiness level physics research into commercially viable, large-scale systems requires engineering professionals who can bridge the gap between abstract quantum mechanics and practical systems engineering. This specialized role type functions as a high-leverage stabilization vector within the hardware manufacturing layer, ensuring that complex subsystem architectures remain compatible with broader technological roadmaps and macroeconomic supply chains. Market signals compiled by the Quantum Economic Development Consortium and various national technology strategies indicate that individuals capable of coordinating these cross-disciplinary vectors are rare, making the position structurally indispensable for mitigating execution risks. By systematically converting fundamental breakthroughs in qubit control into deterministic product engineering paths, this function secures the core infrastructure required for long-term commercialization and fault-tolerant operation.
The trapped-ion and advanced photonics landscape is currently undergoing a decisive transition from isolated proof-of-concept setups to integrated, multi-subsystem commercial machines. As physical hardware development scales to thousands of operational qubits, the primary technical bottlenecks have expanded beyond pure physics into complex infrastructure dependencies, including ultra-high vacuum stability, precision optomechanics, and low-noise cryogenic interfaces. Consequently, the sector-wide focus has increasingly converged on structural interoperability, requiring sophisticated translation mechanisms to ensure that physical hardware layers seamlessly interface with quantum error correction protocols and classical control architectures.
Workforce scarcity remains highly acute at the intersection of experimental physics and industrial systems engineering. As the commercial quantum ecosystem advances, the market requires specialized technical architects who can navigate the fragmentation of specialized deep-tech supply chains and the lack of standardized component manufacturing protocols. Current industry dynamics, heavily shaped by international export controls, public-private funding cycles, and national security frameworks, place a premium on roles that can drive cross-functional alignment while maintaining strict adherence to regulatory standards and geopolitical compliance mandates.
Furthermore, integrating advanced hardware components into existing high-performance computing environments introduces substantial systemic dependencies for the broader deep-tech market. The evolution of the global quantum hardware value chain depends heavily on the systematic reduction of component failure rates and the optimization of classical-quantum interface layers. Because of these intricate dependencies, the availability of senior technical leaders capable of managing supplier collaboration and translating trade studies into scalable design plans serves as a primary determinant for whether an organization can successfully transition its physical architecture from research phases to production environments.
The capability architecture for this leadership tier centers on the rigorous synchronization of advanced atomic physics principles with precision hardware fabrication and optomechanical systems engineering. Structural mastery over the physical architecture layer is essential for optimizing qubit coherence and gate fidelities within highly sensitive laboratory and commercial environments. This mandate necessitates a deep technical understanding of the coupling points between laser control systems, photonic integrated circuits, radio-frequency electronics, and underlying quantum error correction theories.
These specialized capabilities are fundamental to the operational throughput of deep-tech enterprises, enabling the parallelization of hardware optimization paths alongside the development of scalable manufacturing workflows. By establishing clear verification frameworks and leading detailed trade studies, this function provides the analytical leverage needed to de-risk capital-intensive capital expenditure decisions before full-scale deployment. Moreover, the ability to translate complex experimental data into structured operational guidelines minimizes information asymmetry between core physics teams, external component suppliers, and executive leadership. This cross-functional coupling reduces iteration friction across the entire hardware stack, which remains critical for maintaining technological momentum in an increasingly competitive global computing market. - Accelerates the deterministic transition of low technology readiness level physics research into commercially viable quantum hardware architectures
- Mitigates systemic supply chain risks by establishing rigorous technical roadmaps and design requirements for external component manufacturers
- Facilitates the architectural scaling of trapped-ion systems through the systematic integration of advanced optics and vacuum subsystems
- Strengthens organizational risk management by executing comprehensive trade studies to guide high-capital infrastructure investments
- Reduces implementation friction between core hardware development teams and cross-functional software or theory groups
- Optimizes the utilization of highly specialized deep-tech talent across multiple research, development, and engineering portfolios
- Enhances the stability of the hardware value chain by validating component interoperability across disparate technical platforms
- Supports the progression toward fault-tolerant computing by maintaining strict alignment with evolving quantum error correction mandates
- Improves technical transparency for internal executives and external stakeholders through structured scientific communication protocols
- Enables reproducible manufacturing processes by standardizing validation and testing frameworks across all hardware assembly layers
- Protects intellectual and capital investments by ensuring hardware design paradigms conform to international regulatory and security standards
- Orchestrates the convergence of academic deep-tech breakthroughs with the practical execution demands of global cloud-accessible infrastructureIndustry Tags: Quantum Hardware Engineering, Trapped-Ion Systems, Photonics Integration, Deep Tech Supply Chain, Systems Architecture, Technical Leadership, Quantum Error Correction, Applied Physics
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