Software Engineering Director, Cloud Services

IonQ•College Park, MD

8d•$221,925 - $290,558•Onsite

About The Position

IonQ is developing the world's most powerful full-stack quantum computer based on trapped-ion technology. We are pushing past the limits of classical physics and current supercomputing technology to unlock a new era of computing. Quantum computing has the potential to impact every area of human society for the better. IonQ’s computers will soon redefine industries like medicine, materials science, finance, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cryptography, and more. IonQ is at the forefront of this technological revolution. IonQ is seeking a strategic and visionary Software Engineering Director to lead the development and operation of the core services provided by the IonQ Quantum Cloud platform (try it out yourself: https://cloud.ionq.com). This role is pivotal in delivering access to our advanced quantum computers and simulators via our APIs in the cloud and on-prem. The Director will drive the technical direction of the IonQ Quantum Cloud API platform, ensuring it aligns with IonQ's overall business objectives and market opportunities in the rapidly evolving quantum computing landscape. The ideal candidate will have experience leading or contributing to multiple simultaneous initiatives, balancing multiple activities with a keen eye for prioritizing for the biggest impact. You’ll be able to balance technical expertise and savvy with strong business judgment to make great technology choices with lasting impact. You’ll strive for simplicity and demonstrate significant creativity and incisive judgment. You'll enjoy learning technical topics, working across multiple business streams, and be uniquely positioned to help us reach the next horizon in secure quantum computing. In your first three months, you will focus on assessing the current cloud platform strategy, identifying key areas for improvement, and delivering new capabilities to meet growing global demand.

Requirements

12+ years of progressive technical leadership experience, including significant experience in managing and developing large-scale cloud platforms
7+ years experience designing and operating cloud APIs and services at scale
Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic plans, working cross-functionally to align technology initiatives with business objectives
Experience in building and leading high-performing distributed teams, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence across multiple timezones
Sufficient technical proficiency to engage thoughtfully with engineers about architecture and product design, offering valuable insights when necessary
Experiencing shipping and operating business-critical distributed systems
Experience managing teams using AI agents for engineering tasks
Prior experience as a software engineer and team lead
Strong written and verbal communication skills for different audiences (your staff, users, the company as a whole)

Nice To Haves

18+ years of senior technical leadership experience, including experience at the director level or above (e.g., 30+ engineers organized in multiple layers)
10+ years experience designing and scaling APIs, with a proven track record of shipping interfaces developers love to use
Experience owning a multi-tenant cloud API product end-to-end—from API design through deployment and operations—at scale
Strong product and design sense
Experience in driving organizational change and transformation in a rapidly evolving technology environment
Experience recruiting and managing teams distributed across multiple continents
Experience developing sustainable, in-house framework and abstraction layers
Strong business acumen and experience in developing and managing the engineering platform for a significant business unit
Experience managing rigorous incident response processes, on-call rotations, and retrospectives
Personal experience writing software with AI agents
Prior experience with building/scaling platform-as-a-service offerings
Prior experience with quantum computing

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the technical roadmap for IonQ's quantum platform, aligning with business goals and market demands
Own API design and versioning strategy for IonQ Quantum Cloud, ensuring APIs are consistent, well-documented, and a joy to integrate with
Partner closely with developer tools leadership to ensure seamless integration between cloud services and client SDKs
Drive cross-functional strategic initiatives, collaborating with product, research, and engineering leadership to define long-term technology choices and platform architecture
Manage technical delivery of integrations with major cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP), ensuring alignment with IonQ's cloud strategy and business objectives
Develop and manage the cloud services portfolio budget, ensuring cost optimization and alignment with financial goals
Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for the cloud platform, providing regular reports and insights to executive leadership
Provide technical leadership and guidance in building robust, scalable, and innovative software solutions that can be deployed in a variety of contexts – including on-prem and hybrid environments