R&D Site Lead

IQM Quantum Computers; Greater London; On-site; GBP 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

IQM Finland Oy is opening an R&D site in Edinburgh, UK, and this is the first hire. You will build the site from the ground up, establishing working methods, tools, facilities, IT, compute access, and partner integration while recruiting the initial engineers and scientists.

You will lead the hybrid quantum-classical work, coordinating real-time decoding and control-stack integration, and set the technical direction for the team, reporting to a VP in Quantum Systems as IQM’s UK lead.

Qualifications

• PhD in physics, electrical engineering, CS, or equivalent.
• 5+ years leading R&D teams, including building from scratch.
• Strong background in quantum computing, error correction or hardware.
• Experience managing budgets, milestones, and cross-organisational planning.
• Excellent communication with partners, funding bodies, and IQM leadership.

Responsibilities

• Build the site from zero: set up ways of working, tools, facilities, IT, compute and partner access.
• Lead the technical work: integrate IQM systems with HPC, real-time decoding, and control-stack integration.
• Run the partnership day to day: manage IP and data, plans, meetings, benchmarking.
• Own the program's delivery: manage budget, forecasts, progress reports, milestones, governance.

Skills

Team leadership

Quantum computing

R&D management

Budgeting

Communication

Education

PhD in physics or engineering

Job description

At IQM, we build world-leading quantum computers for the well-being of humankind. We design systems to tackle computational challenges beyond the practical limits of classical machines. Our work sits at the edge of science and engineering. It's complex, demanding, and deeply collaborative. We turn deep research into reliable, full-stack systems that drive discoveries in fields like medicine, energy, and technology, reshaping how the world computes.

Join the team that gives quantum a heartbeat.

The work

IQM is opening an R&D site in Edinburgh, UK, and this is the first hire. There's no team, no lab routine and no local playbook yet. You'll build all of it while the work is already underway.

The site anchors a collaborative R&D program with a UK HPC centre and a quantum error correction partner. The technical focus is where IQM quantum systems meet classical HPC: hybrid quantum-classical workflows, real-time decoding and control-stack integration. Getting this interface right is central to running error-corrected quantum workloads alongside classical supercomputers.

In the early phase, you'll work hands-on in the technical work alongside your first hires. As the site grows, you move into a team-of-teams role, leading team leads rather than individual contributors. You'll report to a VP in our Quantum Systems organisation and act as IQM's technical and organisational lead in the UK partnership.

What you’ll actually do

• Build the site from zero. You set up ways of working, tools, facilities, IT, compute and partner access, together with our internal support functions and partners. You recruit and line-manage the first engineers and scientists, then the team leads who follow, and set the culture the site grows from.

• Lead the technical work. You work hands-on on integrating IQM systems with HPC environments, from hybrid workflows to real-time decoding and control-stack integration, and you set the technical direction for the team.

• Run the partnership day to day. You own the R&D relationship with the HPC centre and the QEC partner, which covers:

  • joint work plans and regular technical meetings
  • integration, testing and benchmarking
  • clear agreements on IP and data

  With our IP team, you make sure publications and know-how transfer follow the collaboration agreements.

• Own the program’s delivery With the program’s project manager and Finance, you own the site budget and forecasts and keep costs aligned with the collaboration’s commitments. You prepare progress reports and milestone reviews for partners and stakeholders. On-time milestones and sound financial governance are part of how this role is measured

• Connect the UK site to the rest of IQM. You work with R&D teams at our other sites so results flow into the global roadmap and products, and knowledge moves in both directions. Outside IQM, you represent us in the UK quantum ecosystem and find the collaborations that let the site grow.

What we’re looking for

• 5+ years leading R&D teams, including building one from scratch and scaling it. You've hired, onboarded, line-managed and developed people, not only led projects.
• A strong quantum computing background, with depth in quantum error correction and/or quantum hardware and control systems, from industry or academia. You also understand HPC environments and what hybrid quantum-classical computing demands: software integration, scheduling and low-latency classical processing.
• Experience on collaborative R&D projects, including budgets, milestone reporting, cost compliance and resource planning across organisations.
• A PhD in physics, electrical engineering, computer science or a related field, or equivalent research depth.
• You solve problems before they're handed to you, and you explain complex work clearly to technical partners, funding bodies, IQM leadership and the wider quantum community.
• Bonus: An existing network in the UK quantum and HPC ecosystem.
• Bonus: Hands‑on experience with real-time decoding, control-stack integration or hybrid workflows on HPC systems.

Why IQM?

• Full-stack quantum computing: From quantum hardware to software layers and beyond, we build across the full-stack.
• High-performance playground: We aim high, and we know sustainable performance only works when life outside work does too - hybrid setups, flexible hours.
• Never the smartest: You won't always be the smartest person in the room. Neither will we. Expect to learn constantly - from each other and beyond with IQM's Learning Hub, LinkedIn Learning, and a team-based L&D budget.
• Approachable leadership: Flat hierarchy, direct access. Feel free to approach any leaders. They're friendlier than they look!
• The sweet spot: Big enough to matter. Small enough to move fast. Growing between a startup and a corporation. We're in the phase where top performers get noticed.
• Bigger than IQM: Our people build know-how for the entire quantum ecosystem. We publish papers, run hackathons, and help shape a market that's still being defined.

The future of computing won't build itself. You might be one of the few who do.

• Meet our people and learn more about IQM on our stories page.
• Explore our scientific publications.

600M€+ Total Funding | 400+ Team Members | 30+ Quantum Computers Built | 300+ Patents Filed | 10 Location Globally