Principal Quantum Engineer

Job Description

Job Title: Principal Quantum Engineer. Location: Santa Barbara, California, United States

Job Type: Full-time, hybrid (3 days per week in office)

Responsibilities:

• Lead cross-disciplinary co-design of QPUs with fabrication, systems, packaging, and control teams
• Define system-level constraints, scalability requirements, and process limitations for quantum hardware
• Serve as technical authority and interface with fabrication and semiconductor partners;
• Improve design workflows using engineering best practices and integrated circuit design principles
• Co-develop process assumptions, design rules, and qualification strategies with foundry partners
• Influence multi-organization technical direction and long-term quantum hardware strategy

Qualifications:

• PhD, Master’s, or Bachelor’s in Physics, Engineering, or related field with industry or R&D experience
• Strong background in quantum hardware development or semiconductor engineering
• Experience working in multi-disciplinary technical environments;
• Must meet Microsoft security screening and export control requirements
• Ability to use AI tools for performance modeling, analysis, and workflow automation
• Ability to build AI agents or copilots for lab and engineering support tasks

Preferred:

• Experience with chip design and layout tools used in semiconductor workflows
• Technical leadership experience on complex hardware programs
• Experience with semiconductor fabrication processes and process design kits (PDKs)
• Familiarity with electronic design automation (EDA) tools;
• Experience working directly with foundries or manufacturing partners
• Knowledge of IC or ASIC design flows including RTL-to-GDS, verification, and physical design
• Understanding of quantum hardware platforms including topological, superconducting, or spin qubits

Benefits and Compensation:

• Competitive U.S. salary range: $139,900 to $274,800 annually (higher in SF and NYC regions)
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge quantum processing unit design;
• Access to global quantum research and semiconductor partners
• Strong focus on innovation, AI integration, and scalable quantum systems

Other Information:

• Requires export control compliance and citizenship verification
• Applications reviewed on a rolling basis until position is filled
• Equal opportunity employer with inclusive hiring practices