Senior Director, Technology Partnerships

PsiQuantum•Chicago, IL

17h•Onsite

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. PsiQuantum is leading the U.S.’s largest quantum computing project as the anchor tenant of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) in Chicago. The strength of the region’s universities, national laboratories, and science and technology ecosystem creates opportunities for PsiQuantum to advance its strategy through external partnerships. The Senior Director, Technology Partnerships leads PsiQuantum’s engagement with the research and education ecosystem in Chicago and the broader region. This role serves as the primary bridge between PsiQuantum’s technical teams and external partners, identifying and shaping technical collaborations, translating external opportunities into coordinated internal action, and representing PsiQuantum as a scientifically credible leader. The role requires strong technical fluency, institutional judgment, and the ability to build and sustain trusted relationships across organizational boundaries. Success depends on developing a focused portfolio of partnerships that are aligned with PsiQuantum’s roadmap and business priorities, appropriately sponsored and resourced, and structured around strategically valuable outcomes.

Requirements

Ph.D. in a relevant technical field.
Minimum of 10 years of applicable professional experience, such as scientific research, advanced technology development, technology partnerships or commercialization, or similar.
Strong technical fluency and credibility with researchers, faculty, senior institutional leaders, government stakeholders, and private-sector executives.
Outstanding written and verbal communication skills and an exceptional ability to translate complex technical subject matter for scientific, government, business, and public audiences.
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic, and sometimes ambiguous environment.
Ability to travel as required.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with the research, educational, and innovation ecosystem in Chicago, Illinois, and the Midwest.
Existing relationships with universities, national laboratories, research consortia, and other science and technology organizations in the region.
Experience developing multi-institutional research collaborations, joint proposals, or other funded technical projects.
Understanding of fault-tolerant quantum computing, computational science, integrated photonics, or other related fields of advanced technology.
Experience and comfort working across private sector, academic, national laboratory, and government settings.

Responsibilities

Develop and lead PsiQuantum’s technology partnerships strategy for Chicago and the broader regional ecosystem, including universities, national laboratories, research consortia, and other members of the science and technology ecosystem.
Serve as PsiQuantum’s principal technical point of contact and spokesperson for external stakeholders in the region, deliver technical presentations, participate in public and private forums, and lead the company’s scientific and technical engagement with the ecosystem.
Build and maintain strategic partnerships with universities and national laboratories, develop collaborative research programs, and facilitate the company’s access to specialized technical expertise and capabilities, where aligned with PsiQuantum priorities.
Work with PsiQuantum’s technical and organizational leaders to evaluate prospective collaborations, establish internal sponsorship, define responsibilities and resource requirements, transition approved activities into execution, and maintain responsibility for the overall institutional relationship.
Coordinate with the Senior Director, Federal Scientific Partnerships, on development and capture of federal funding opportunities that involve regional partners.
Participate in the development of joint funding proposals and represent PsiQuantum in multi-party submissions.
Serve as a trusted private-sector sounding board to regional colleges and universities on technical skills needed for the quantum computing industry.
Coordinate with PsiQuantum’s talent acquisition team to leverage relationships with regional universities and national laboratories to support internships, recruiting, and long-term talent pipeline development.