Senior Photonics Scientist - 849
US Broomfield, CO
Science & Technology – Quantum Computing Hardware /
Full-time /
On-site
We are seeking a Senior Photonics Scientist in our Broomfield, CO Location.
Our team is developing optics and integrated photonics technologies that will enable scaling of our trapped-ion quantum computers from our current 98-qubit Helios system to our future 1,000,000-qubit Lumos system (Quantinuum system roadmap link). The data, designs, and expertise from our group inform our next-generation systems, including Apollo and Lumos, from the overall architecture to the tiniest of details. We are looking for more engineers and scientists to join our cross-disciplinary team.
Key Responsibilities:
- Collaborate to guide, coordinate, and support technical milestones, cross-group collaboration, and strategic planning to innovate on integrated photonics for trapped-ion quantum computing
- Develop and demonstrate new optical metrology testbeds to evaluate a wide range of passive and active integrated photonic materials, devices, systems, and architectures
- Contribute to and/or lead design and trade studies and analyses
- Collaborate to the development and management of detailed schedules, budgets, resource allocations, and work plans for complex R&D projects and handoff to production teams.
- Take optical metrology data to inform decisions on Apollo and Lumos system architecture, photonics design, fabrication techniques, and the performance of next-generation quantum computers.
- Collaborate and work with a cross-disciplinary team, including photonics designers, photonics scientists & engineers, optical & mechanical engineers, atomic physicists, internal and external fabrication partners
- Communicate technical results, strategy, scope changes, risks, and progress effectively within our team and to our colleagues on other technical teams, project management, leadership, and externally.
YOU MUST HAVE:
- Bachelor’s degree minimum
- Minimum 8 years years’ experience (degree inclusive) with experimental freespace optics and/or integrated photonics
- 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:
- Bachelor’s degree in physics, engineering, or optics
- Experience directing a technical project
- Experience leading a technical team
- Experience guiding a product from concept to delivery
- Experience collaborating across teams to drive a project to completion
- Experience working with project management to deliver technical results on time
- 4+ years experience (degree inclusive) with photonic integrated circuit testing
- 4+ years (degree inclusive) experience with optical metrology
- Experience with on-chip photonics, fiber-to-chip coupling, modulation techniques
- Exposure to nanophotonic design using photonic simulation tools such as: FDTD, FEM, or optical mode solver (Lumerical/COMSOL/RCWA/RSoft or similar tools).
- Exposure to micro- and nano-fabrication techniques (e.g., electron beam and/or photolithography, wet and dry etching, scanning electron microscopy, wafer and sample handling, and general cleanroom practices).
- 5+ years experience with scientific coding and data analysis and visualization; hardware control and automation; familiarity with commonly used software packages (e.g., MATLAB, Python, Mathematica, Origin, Igor, etc.).
- Knowledge of trapped-ion quantum computers or other quantum computing architectures.
- Strong written & oral communication skills
- Strong organizational and collaboration skills
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively and to facilitate the exchange of key details and concepts between team members of diverse technical experience, including with remote colleagues
$164,000 - $205,000 a year
Compensation & Benefits:
Incentive Eligible – Range posted is inclusive of bonus target.
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.
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
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
