About the Role
Rigetti Computing is seeking a Director of Quantum System Deployment & Field Engineering to lead the global deployment, integration, commissioning, and lifecycle support of our on-premise quantum computing systems.
In this role, you will build and lead Rigetti's Field Engineering organization, ensuring the successful delivery of complete quantum systems - from factory acceptance through customer installation, commissioning, acceptance, and operational handoff. You will develop the people, processes, and operational standards required to scale commercial deployments worldwide.
Working across Hardware Engineering, Manufacturing, Quantum Engineering, Software, and Program Management, you will ensure every deployed system meets Rigetti's standards for performance, reliability, and customer success.
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What You'll Do
- Build, lead, and scale Rigetti's global Field Engineering organization.
- Own the end-to-end deployment of on-premise quantum computing systems, including site readiness, installation, system integration, commissioning, customer acceptance, and operational handoff.
- Lead deployment of complex systems, including superconducting quantum processors, dilution refrigerators, RF/microwave hardware, control electronics, networking, and supporting infrastructure.
- Serve as the senior technical escalation point during customer deployments and field operations.
- Establish deployment processes, field engineering standards, training, documentation, and operational metrics.
- Partner cross-functionally with Hardware Engineering, Manufacturing, Software, Program Management, and Customer Success to improve deployment readiness, reliability, and customer experience.
- Drive continuous improvements in deployment efficiency, serviceability, and lifecycle support.
What We're Looking For
- Master's degree in Physics, Engineering, or a related technical field (Ph.D. preferred).
- 10+ years of experience deploying, integrating, or supporting complex hardware systems.
- 3+ years of people management experience.
- Strong systems engineering background integrating mechanical, electrical, software, networking, and controls systems.
- Experience with one or more of the following:Quantum computing
- Cryogenic systems
- RF/microwave systems
- Semiconductor equipment
- Scientific instrumentation
- Excellent customer-facing leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Willingness to travel globally (approximately 30–40%).
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with superconducting quantum computing or dilution refrigerator systems.
- Experience supporting enterprise, government, or national laboratory customers.
- Experience building and scaling field engineering organizations.
- Familiarity with Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), and product lifecycle support.
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$240,000 - $275,000 a year
Base Salary
Rigetti complies with all local and state regulations in regards to displaying salary ranges. Final compensation for this role will be determined by various factors such as a candidate’s relevant work experience, skills, and geographic location. Rigetti offers a full slate of benefits from competitive salaries, equity, medical, dental and vision for employees as well as a 401(k) plan, a paid parental leave program, rejuvenation days, and a vacation policy that aligns with local regulations and industry standards.
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As engineering leaders, we value diversity and are committed to building a culture of inclusion to attract and engage innovative thinkers. Our technology, meant to serve all of humanity, cannot succeed if those who built it do not mirror the diversity of the communities we serve. Applications from women, minorities, and other under-represented groups are encouraged.
About Rigetti
Rigetti Computing is a pioneer in full-stack quantum computing. The company has operated quantum computers over the cloud since 2017 and serves global enterprise, government, and research clients through its Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services platform. The company’s proprietary quantum-classical infrastructure provides ultra-low latency integration with public and private clouds for high-performance practical quantum computing. Rigetti has developed the industry’s first multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems. The company designs and manufactures its chips in-house at Fab-1, the industry’s first dedicated and integrated quantum device manufacturing facility. Rigetti was founded in 2013 and today employs more than 150 people with offices in the United States, U.K., and Australia. Learn more at www.rigetti.com.
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Export Licensing Compliance
Rigetti is committed to full compliance with applicable anti-discrimination laws. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We strive to create an inclusive work environment and will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
TECHNICAL & MARKET ANALYSIS | Appended by Quantum.Jobs
The global transition of quantum computing from laboratory-scale experiments to on-premise commercial installations marks a critical inflection point in the deep tech value chain. Field engineering leadership is structurally necessary to manage the extreme integration complexity inherent in bringing multi-qubit superconducting processors to production readiness outside of proprietary facilities. This role function addresses a prominent Technology Readiness Level gap by transforming highly sensitive physics instrumentation into stable enterprise assets. Verifiable market signals, such as infrastructure investment trends and specialized workforce constraints, indicate that deployment governance is the primary constraint to scaling hardware footprints. By stabilizing the cross-functional handoff between production and client operations, this position directly mitigates ecosystem-level delivery risks. Consequently, this capability establishes the predictive frameworks required to secure customer confidence and sustain long-term capital allocation across the hardware manufacturing layer.
The field engineering and deployment domain occupies a pivotal junction within the quantum value chain, serving as the bridge between core hardware manufacturing and client-side systems integration. As commercial interest shifts toward hybrid high-performance computing environments, the primary operational bottleneck has progressed from fundamental qubit development to the architectural stabilization of on-premise infrastructure. This ecosystem transition demands a standardized methodology for site readiness, system commissioning, and lifecycle support, which is currently fragmented across the deep tech sector.
Macro constraints within this layer are intensified by a pronounced scarcity of engineering talent possessing simultaneous expertise in cryogenic infrastructure, microwave electronics, and systems engineering. Unlike pure research roles, deployment leadership requires the harmonization of disparate industrial standards, including factory acceptance protocols and localized regulatory frameworks. Furthermore, supply chain vulnerabilities for specialized sub-systems, such as dilution refrigerators and high-frequency control cabling, introduce systemic schedule risks that can only be managed via rigid operational governance.
Current industry focus lies on bridging classical and quantum capabilities at scale, necessitating deep integration with existing corporate and government data centers. Public funding cycles and national security mandates increasingly require sovereign, on-premise physical deployments rather than cloud-only access models. This shifting demand profile forces the ecosystem to move away from ad-hoc technical support toward formalized field organizations capable of maintaining strict operational metrics. Ultimately, the maturity of this functional layer determines the reproducibility of quantum hardware performance in unconstrained commercial environments.
The capability architecture for this role type centers on the systemic coordination of ultra-low-temperature physics infrastructure with high-frequency control systems. Mastery of the interface points between physical dilution refrigerators and RF/microwave signal delivery is essential for minimizing signal attenuation and preserving qubit coherence during field initialization. This requires an advanced understanding of the environmental tolerances required for superconducting processors, including magnetic shielding, vibration isolation, and thermal load constraints.
These technical capabilities are fundamental to organizational throughput because they standardize the validation loops between hardware manufacturing and actual field performance. By implementing rigorous factory and site acceptance testing frameworks, this function creates the structural baseline required to measure data integrity and hardware stability over extended duty cycles. Furthermore, establishing clear technical escalation pathways ensures rapid cross-functional feedback into design engineering teams. This systematic coupling reduces the optimization cycles for next-generation multi-chip processors and ensures predictable interoperability with classical networking layers. - Accelerates the transition of superconducting hardware from specialized fabrication facilities to customer-operated environments
- Mitigates installation schedule slippage through the standardization of global facility readiness protocols
- Minimizes operational downtime by establishing predictable maintenance cycles for localized cryogenic systems
- Enhances cross-functional feedback loops between field performance data and primary manufacturing divisions
- Strengthens the predictability of commercial hardware handoffs to enterprise and government stakeholders
- Reduces systemic integration friction within hybrid high-performance computing and data center architectures
- Standardizes international compliance and export control adherence during complex system transport and assembly
- Optimizes the utilization of scarce field engineering resources through formalized technical training frameworks
- Lowers the total cost of ownership for deep tech assets via proactive serviceability improvements
- Validates system performance criteria through the rigorous execution of site acceptance testing methodologies
- Shields physical hardware investments from environmental degradation via precise localized engineering controls
- Sustains ecosystem momentum by transforming custom research systems into scalable, reliable product deploymentsIndustry Tags: Quantum Hardware, Cryogenic Systems, Systems Integration, Field Engineering, Superconducting Qubits, Deep Tech Infrastructure, Product Lifecycle Management, High-Performance Computing
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