Director, Electro-Optical Assembly

PsiQuantum•Milpitas, CA

10d•$230,000 - $273,000

About The Position

PsiQuantum’s mission is to build the first useful quantum computers—machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum systems. Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that even the most advanced supercomputers or AI systems will never reach. Their impact will span energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries. Our architecture and approach is based on silicon photonics. By leveraging the advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry—including partners like GlobalFoundries—we use the same high-volume processes that already produce billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics. Photonics offers natural advantages for scale: photons don’t feel heat, are immune to electromagnetic interference, and integrate with existing cryogenic cooling and standard fiber-optic infrastructure. In 2024, PsiQuantum announced government-funded projects to support the build-out of our first utility-scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining—and that now is the time to scale. PsiQuantum also develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable. Our application, software, and industry teams work directly with leading Fortune 500 companies—including Lockheed Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical—to prepare quantum solutions for real-world impact. Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. It represents a fundamental shift—and a path to mastering challenges that cannot be solved any other way. The potential is enormous, and we have a clear path to make it real. Come join us. Job Summary: The Principal Electro-Optics Systems Engineer is a technical lead role in which he/she drives and own design and execution of fiber optic systems. This role is responsible for leading from early development to productization of optical network and communications, including design, validation and woking with vendors to deliver full optical development for large quantum systems.

Requirements

M.S. or PhD in Physics, Optical or Electrical Engineering with 10+ years industry experience.
>5+ years experience designing, validating and testing optical systems.
Expertise in cross-functional product development.
Systems experience working with complex products.
Experience designing fiber optic systems, working with photonic integrated circuits (PICs), fiber networking.
Experience working with optical test equipment including power meters, optical backscatter reflectometers (OBR), optical spectrum analyzer (OSA).
Experience working with instrumentation used in the photonics and/or the electronics industry.
Experience with software controls in Python.
Experience developing test methods and optimization, tuning algorithms.
Experience in product lifecycles, transitioning from R&D to product development.
Strong organizational skills, excellent communication skills, attention to detail and ability to multitask.
Strong critical thinking, creative, innovative, analytical, and detail oriented problem-solving skill.
Ability to lead and work in a fast paced environment & collaborate with cross functional team.

Nice To Haves

Industry experience with electro-optics systems.
Industry experience with optical systems in vacuum.
Managed and lead on how to do large optical routing and management.
Understanding of photonics & non-linear optics, thermal stability.

Responsibilities

Technical Lead of full optical design and distribution network for large systems & multiple systems.
Own, define & develop design requirements and document requirements for system level behaviors.
Work effectively with cross functional team: quantum architect, electronics, mechanical and thermal teams and assess how to negotiate for tradeoffs and meet requirements.
Work with vendors and evaluate advanced fiber optic components, and qualify such components for use in quantum computing applications.
Assess how to push technical boundaries to meet tight optical specs (optical loss and thermal stability).
Lead & execute designs, development , debug for optical communication for racks.
Lead build and test prototypes, maintain a BOM.
Lead validation tests plans & deliver proof of concept to productization, working closely with the system build and validation team.
Deliver electro-optical network for full quantum systems in a fast paced environment.
Some Python scripting, calling Controls SW APIs / drivers to control lab equipment and proprietary systems.
Write and maintain documentation of system performance.
Clear communication and technical lead engineer teams