Quantum Systems Operations Engineer

Microsoft • Redmond, WA

2d

About The Position

The Quantum Systems Operations Engineer owns the operational backbone supporting cryogenic laboratory operations, including material readiness for dilution-refrigerator upgrades and end-to-end vendor operations. The role ensures upgrade kits are complete and staged before installation and maintains efficient vendor processes for intake, budgets, contracts, and records. The engineer works daily with electrical, mechanical, cryogenic, software, and laboratory-operations teams, as well as external suppliers.

The position also supports development of cryobay requirements ratification and fiscal-year capital-equipment budget-to-actual reconciliation, translating stakeholder input into buildable documentation. The work is part of Microsoft Quantum, which combines hardware innovation, software technologies, and Azure services to develop scalable quantum technologies.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Physics, Engineering, or a related field; or a bachelor's degree in one of these fields and at least 2 years of industry or research-and-development experience; or equivalent experience.
• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including passing the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.
• Must provide proof of citizenship, U.S. permanent residency, or other protected status for assessment of eligibility to access export-controlled information; citizenship is verified with a valid passport, with other applicable documents accepted for lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees.

Nice To Haves

• Doctorate in Physics, Engineering, or a related field; or a master's degree in one of these fields and at least 3 years of industry or research-and-development experience; or a bachelor's degree in one of these fields and at least 5 years of such experience; or equivalent experience.
• At least 2 years supporting cryogenic, radio-frequency, or precision-hardware laboratory operations.
• At least 2 years owning a bill-of-materials or kitting process for hardware assembly or upgrades.
• At least 1 year managing vendor or contingent-staff lifecycle work, including intake, contracts, renewals, and offboarding.
• At least 1 year bridging technical teams and business operations such as procurement, finance, or facilities.
• Ability to use AI tools to drive innovation and efficiency, including measurement, performance modeling and analysis, research gathering, and day-to-day task automation.
• Ability to work in an AI-first environment using modern AI tools to accelerate discovery through hardware development.

Responsibilities

• Own parts inventory for cryogenic refrigerator upgrades, tracking stock levels, lead times, and reorder points.
• Pick, assemble, and stage upgrade kits for installation crews based on the engineering team's bill of materials.
• Maintain the inventory system as the source of truth for stock on hand, on order, and committed.
• Manage vendor operations end to end, including intake, budget tracking, records and metadata, contract end dates, fiscal-year renewals, tracker synchronization, and supplier weekly reporting.
• Safeguard sensitive vendor and financial records, including bill rates, contracts, and purchase orders.
• Serve as the operational point of contact aligning suppliers, budget owners, and engagement leads.
• Grow into cryobay requirements ratification and fiscal-year capital-equipment budget-actuals reconciliation, converting stakeholder input into buildable documentation.
• Embody Microsoft's Culture and Values.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level