Head of Technical Services (UK)

Oxford Quantum Circuits; Reading; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lean management training

Job summary

Oxford Quantum Circuits currently seeks a Head of Technical Services to lead and align the teams responsible for cryogenic labs, workshops and machining facilities. You will own safe, reliable operations, drive performance and partner with external suppliers to deliver scalable quantum computing capabilities.

The role combines people leadership with budget oversight, project ownership and strategic roadmap execution within Engineering Operations, reporting to senior stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading engineering or operational teams.
• Proven project leadership within complex technical or operational environments.
• Experience managing external partners and supplier performance.
• Strong operational reporting and presentation capability to senior leaders.
• Budgetary control, forecasting and delivery management skills.
• Excellent stakeholder, supplier and relationship management capability.
• Pragmatic leadership style with clear priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and motivate the Technical Services team, including technicians, machinists and supervisors, with clear accountability for delivery.
• Own the safe, reliable operation of UK technical spaces (cryogenic laboratories, assembly workshops, machining facilities).
• Oversee maintenance schedules, work orders and performance metrics to drive delivery and continuous improvement.
• Manage external suppliers, contracts and services in collaboration with Supply Chain, Purchasing and Legal.
• Lead cross-functional projects and improvement initiatives to resolve operational challenges and deliver change.
• Manage space expenditure, budgets and delivery timelines with clear reporting to senior stakeholders.
• Execute Engineering Operations roadmap priorities and ensure milestones are met with accountability.

Skills

People leadership

Project leadership

Stakeholder management

Operational reporting

Budgeting & forecasting

Supplier management

Lean management

Education

Engineering or Manufacturing degree

Job description

I’ve rewritten the Head of Technical Services JD into the OQC Job Advert template, positioning it appropriately as an L6 leadership role with emphasis on operational ownership, people leadership, technical environments, supplier management and delivery.

Head of Technical Services

At OQC, we aren’t just theorising about the future; we’re building it. Born from a philosophy of bold innovation, we’ve successfully transitioned quantum computing from an academic dream into a commercial reality. The most exciting thing is that we’re just getting started and we’ve recently closed our £260 million Series C funding round – the largest fundraise ever completed by a quantum computing company in Europe.

The Purpose

As Head of Technical Services, you’ll lead the teams and technical environments that enable OQC’s engineers and scientists to build, test and deploy quantum computers. From cryogenic laboratories and assembly workshops to machining facilities and international deployments, you’ll ensure our technical operations have the people, infrastructure and operational discipline needed to deliver at scale.

The Role

Leading our Technical Services function within Engineering Operations, you’ll have accountability for a team of technicians, machinists and supervisors, alongside the safe and effective operation of OQC’s UK technical spaces. You’ll combine people leadership with operational, commercial and project ownership—managing suppliers, budgets and improvement programmes while ensuring our technical capabilities keep pace with OQC’s ambitions.

What You’ll Be Working On

• Lead, develop and motivate our Technical Services team, including technicians, machinists and supervisors, creating clear accountability for delivery.
• Own the safe, reliable and effective operation of OQC’s UK technical spaces, including cryogenic laboratories, assembly workshops and machining facilities.
• Oversee maintenance schedules, internal work orders and operational performance, using clear reporting and metrics to drive delivery and continuous improvement.
• Own relationships with external suppliers, assessing value for money and partnering with Supply Chain, Purchasing and Legal to establish effective contracts and services.
• Lead cross-functional projects and improvement initiatives, bringing teams together to resolve operational challenges and deliver change.
• Manage technical space expenditure, longer-term budget forecasts and delivery timelines, providing clear reporting to senior stakeholders.
• Execute agreed Engineering Operations roadmap priorities, aligning stakeholders around milestones and ensuring accountability through to delivery.

What We’re Looking For

• Significant experience leading engineering or operational teams within a manufacturing, engineering or scientific environment.
• Proven project leadership experience within complex technical or operational environments.
• Experience managing external partners and assessing supplier performance and value for money.
• Strong operational reporting and presentation capability, including communicating effectively with senior leaders, customers and technical teams.
• Strong budgetary control, project forecasting and delivery management skills.
• Excellent stakeholder, supplier and relationship management capability, with the confidence to influence across organisational boundaries.
• A pragmatic leadership style—you can turn complex objectives into clear priorities, motivate teams and escalating issues early with well-considered solutions.
• Degree or equivalent experience in an Engineering or Manufacturing discipline.

The ‘Nice-to-Haves’

• Experience forecasting and managing significant annual operational budgets, particularly in the region of £2m–£6m.
• Experience applying Lean management and risk management methodologies.
• Strong negotiation and mediation skills.
• Leadership qualification or training.
• Health & Safety qualification or training.

Why Join OQC

You will join a world-class team at the forefront of the next computational era. We offer a culture of bold innovation, the chance to work with unique lab infrastructure, and the opportunity to see your work redefine the limits of computation.

Learn more about our benefits and positive work culture here: https://oqc.tech/company/careers-at-oqc/