Quantum System Validation Team Lead

Nord Quantique; Sherbrooke; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Nord Quantique in Sherbrooke, QC, Canada, is seeking a Quantum System Validation Team Lead to drive system-level validation and reliability across successive quantum computer generations. You will build a multidisciplinary validation organization spanning quantum validation, operational robustness, and reliability engineering.

The role combines long-duration stability testing, calibration workflows, and software integration, with a strong emphasis on leadership, collaboration, and communication

Qualifications

• PhD in experimental physics, engineering, quantum computing, systems engineering, or related field
• +5 years of postgraduate experience in quantum technologies, advanced hardware systems, or complex cryogenic system development
• Including 2 years of relevant industry experience
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale experimental or system validation efforts
• Experience building or managing multidisciplinary technical teams
• Strong experience operating at the interface between research and engineering environments
• Strong engineering and systems-thinking mindset
• Ability to build and mentor highly technical teams
• Leadership grounded in collaboration, rigor, and accountability
• Clear communicator across hardware, software, and research organizations

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the system-level validation and reliability strategy across successive quantum computer generations
• Build and support a multidisciplinary validation organization spanning quantum validation, operational robustness, and reliability engineering
• Define deployment-readiness criteria, quantitative system acceptance metrics, performance gates, and validation methodologies supporting deployment decisions
• Lead long-duration stability testing and drift characterization campaigns
• Establish FMEA methodologies, qualification procedures, and reliability governance frameworks
• Validate preservation of logical performance under scaling-induced physical variability and emergent error channels
• Oversee validation of hardware-software orchestration, including calibration workflows, boot-up sequencing, and software integration
• Coordinate cross-functional root-cause analysis activities during system bring-up and validation failures

Skills

Superconducting quantum computing

System-level validation

Scaling-induced noise

Reliability engineering & FMEA

Long-duration stability testing

HW-SW orchestration validation

Statistical analysis

Cross-functional leadership

English proficiency

French language (asset)

Education

PhD in experimental physics, engineering, quantum computing, systems engineering, or related field

Job description

Quantum System Validation Team Lead at Nord Quantique, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada. A lead-level full time position in the Engineering team, listed under hardware engineering.

Our current needs

We are seeking a senior technical leader with strong expertise in engineering of quantum systems with an emphasis on large-scale experimental validation and reliability engineering. Beyond technical excellence, we are looking for someone capable of building and leading a multidisciplinary validation organization operating at the interface between R&D and large-scale system deployment. The mission of the Quantum System Validation team is to validate preservation of multimode bosonic logical performance under scaling-induced physical variability and emergent error channels, and to enforce the reliability standards required for deployment-ready quantum computing systems. More specifically, this individual will define and grow Nord Quantique’s system-level validation strategy, establish reliability engineering discipline across increasingly complex quantum computing systems, and lead the development of scalable validation methodologies supporting future utility-scale architectures. The role combines quantum system validation, operational robustness engineering, and long-duration reliability qualification of a scaled and integrated system covering cryogenic, control, and software. We recognize that expertise can come from a variety of academic or professional paths-not all of which follow conventional trajectories, and we value diversity in that regard.

Sought expertise and knowledge

• Superconducting quantum computing systems
• System-level validation and performance qualification
• Scaling-induced noise and drift mechanisms
• Reliability engineering and FMEA methodologies
• Long-duration stability testing
• Hardware-software orchestration validation
• Statistical analysis of complex experimental systems
• Cross-functional technical leadership
• Advanced level in English, to communicate with international team members
• Intermediate knowledge of French, an asset

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the system-level validation and reliability strategy across successive quantum computer generations
• Build and support a multidisciplinary validation organization spanning quantum validation, operational robustness, and reliability engineering
• Define deployment-readiness criteria, quantitative system acceptance metrics, performance gates, and validation methodologies supporting deployment decisions
• Lead long-duration stability testing and drift characterization campaigns
• Establish FMEA methodologies, qualification procedures, and reliability governance frameworks
• Validate preservation of logical performance under scaling-induced physical variability and emergent error channels
• Oversee validation of hardware-software orchestration, including calibration workflows, boot-up sequencing, and software integration
• Coordinate cross-functional root-cause analysis activities during system bring-up and validation failures

Requirements

• PhD in experimental physics, engineering, quantum computing, systems engineering, or a related field
• +5 years of postgraduate experience in quantum technologies, advanced hardware systems, or complex cryogenic system development
• Including 2 years of relevant industry experience
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale experimental or system validation efforts
• Experience building or managing multidisciplinary technical teams
• Strong experience operating at the interface between research and engineering environments
• Strong engineering and systems-thinking mindset
• Ability to build and mentor highly technical teams
• Leadership grounded in collaboration, rigor, and accountability
• Clear communicator across hardware, software, and research organizations