Senior Director, Federal Scientific Partnerships

PsiQuantum • Arlington, VA

3h

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, with impact spanning energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries. Our architecture is based on silicon photonics, leveraging advanced semiconductor manufacturing. 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. PsiQuantum also develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable, working directly with leading Fortune 500 companies. Quantum computing represents a fundamental shift and a path to mastering challenges that cannot be solved any other way. As Senior Director, Federal Scientific Partnerships, you will lead PsiQuantum’s strategy for scientific and technical partnerships and business growth across the U.S. federal civilian R&D ecosystem, with emphasis on the Department of Energy (DOE), National Science Foundation (NSF), NIST, NASA, national laboratories, and research universities. This role involves identifying, shaping, and executing high-value scientific collaborations and funding opportunities that advance PsiQuantum’s technical roadmap, scientific credibility, and long-term growth objectives. Success in this role requires strong technical fluency, deep understanding of the federal science ecosystem, and the ability to translate external R&D opportunities into coordinated internal action spanning the engineering, applications, solutions, product, and public sector teams.

Requirements

• An advanced degree in a STEM field (or comparable technical depth in a relevant field), strong technical fluency, and the ability to engage credibly with research scientists, engineers, and federal program staff.
• Minimum of 15 years of relevant experience in the federal civilian R&D ecosystem, which may include federal agencies (particularly DOE), national laboratories, or other relevant institutions.
• Experience with partnership development, R&D funding capture, federal acquisition and contracting, and business development in emerging technologies.
• Experience in the technical, programmatic, and operational challenges of developing, deploying, and sustaining complex technologies, hardware and software.
• Ability to identify, establish, and leverage key relationships with senior level officials and program stakeholders within the federal government and the federal civilian R&D ecosystem.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with experience presenting to senior executives and customers; ability to translate complex topics, convince, and inspire through the written and spoken word.
• Capable of succeeding in a fast-paced, ambiguous, dynamic, and creative environment.
• Ability to travel required.
• Preferred TS/SCI Clearance.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degrees in STEM a plus.
• 10+ years as a government employee or federal contractor, preferably in DoE. Demonstrated experience supporting or winning competitive R&D awards from DOE, NSF, NIST, NASA, and involving national laboratories or universities.
• Understanding of fault-tolerant quantum computing, computational science, and/or the research domains where fault-tolerant quantum computing stands to make an impact.
• Prior employment in a federal science agency is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead PsiQuantum’s scientific and technical partnership strategy for the federal civilian R&D ecosystem, including DOE, NSF, NASA, NIST, national laboratories, and research universities.
• Identify, shape, and support responses to strategic R&D funding opportunities, including award contracts and other collaborative vehicles aligned with PsiQuantum’s roadmap and business.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with federal civilian R&D program leaders and offices.
• Build and execute partnership strategies with the national laboratories and research universities that strengthen PsiQuantum’s scientific leadership, position the company for increased impact with R&D funding agencies, and increase adoption of PsiQuantum’s fault-tolerant quantum applications software tools.
• Work cross-functionally with PsiQuantum’s engineering, applications, solutions, product, and public sector teams to translate external R&D opportunities into actionable plans.
• Help to define PsiQuantum’s public science ecosystem strategy, including prioritization of institutions, consortia, workshops, strategic collaborations, externally visible scientific engagements, and scientific messaging.
• Collaborate with government program management team for smooth handoff of contracted awards and partnerships for execution, and proactively communicate and resolve program issues.
• Provide strategic input to PsiQuantum internal teams based on relationships and insights from the federal civilian R&D ecosystem.
• Maintain disciplined pipeline forecasting, opportunity and partnership prioritization, and internal reporting.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees