Head of Engineering

Cb•Somerville, MA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Diffraqtion is seeking a Head of Engineering to serve as the operational and people backbone of their team as they build quantum optical systems for terrestrial and space applications. This role requires someone who wants to be hands-on, managing processes, tracking execution, removing blockers, and keeping a world-class team organized to move quickly. The Head of Engineering will work directly with the CTO, overseeing daily operations across priorities, planning, and risk management, while leading project management for customer and government programs. The ideal candidate will have experience in technically complex hardware/software environments such as aerospace, robotics, or defense, and understand effective engineering execution, even without being the deepest domain expert. The company has proven science, government backing, and a 10-person team of engineers and scientists who need leadership to scale without losing their speed and culture. This role is ideal for someone energized by making brilliant people more effective.

Requirements

This position requires U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent resident status, or eligibility for authorization under U.S. export control regulations (ITAR/EAR).
6+ years of engineering experience in a complex technical environment.
3+ years leading, managing, or serving as the day-to-day technical lead for engineers, delivering both software and hardware, in any of these domains: optics, semiconductors, quantum tech, robotics, aerospace, or defense.
Undergraduate and graduate degrees in relevant science or engineering disciplines.
Proven ability to own engineering execution: running planning, tracking deliverables and dependencies, managing program commitments.
Strong technical judgment and the ability to earn trust from engineers across disciplines, even when you are not the deepest expert in every domain.
Expert knowledge in project- and engineering management and methods.

Nice To Haves

Experience with terrestrial or space-based sensing, imaging, telescope, or optical systems.
Familiarity with design reviews, integration planning, verification, test campaigns, supplier coordination, or productization of complex physical systems.
Experience using AI tools day to day to improve productivity, communication, documentation, planning, analysis, or engineering workflows.
Active or prior DoD Security Clearance.

Responsibilities

Drive engineering execution across internal development and customer programs, including planning, reviews, dependency management, and risk tracking.
Build lightweight processes that improve speed, clarity, and accountability across software and hardware teams.
Lead and support a growing multidisciplinary engineering team, including hiring and onboarding.
Partner with company leadership to align engineering priorities with customer, program, and business goals.
Manage external program execution, reporting, and deliverables for government and commercial partners including DARPA and NASA.
Support day-to-day engineering operations including lab coordination, tooling, procurement, and vendor management.