Senior Mechanical Engineer, Reliability

NightDragon Acquisition Corp.; Oxford; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Bonus

Medical, dental & vision plans

401(k) matching

Unlimited PTO & paid holidays

Parental/adoption leave

Home technology stipend

Job summary

IonQ is building the first practical quantum computer at Oxford Ionics. We seek a Senior Mechanical Engineer to maintain fleet uptime, update mechanical designs, and manage configuration and PLM across live systems.

You will root-cause failures and implement robust mechanical solutions to enable optical and electrical improvements. You will work with electrical, optical, and science teams in a collaborative environment, developing assembly and upgrade instructions and ensuring upgrades are

Qualifications

• 4+ years of mechanical engineering experience.
• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Strong CAD skills, ideally SolidWorks; GD&T and PLM experience.
• Experience with cryogenic, vacuum, or optomechanical systems.
• Ability to perform root-cause and failure analysis.

Responsibilities

• Root-cause mechanical, vacuum, cryogenic and thermal faults on live systems, prioritising issues by impact on uptime.
• Design, prototype and test solutions to recurring challenges.
• Implement mechanical changes that enable electrical and optical improvements.
• Write assembly and upgrade instructions to bring new designs into existing fleets.

Skills

Mechanical design

Root-cause analysis

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Education

Mechanical Engineering degree or equivalent

Tools

SolidWorks

GD&T

PLM

Job description

About IonQ:

IonQ, Inc (NYSE: IONQ) is the world’s leading quantum platform and merchant supplier - delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. IonQ’s newest generation of quantum computers, the IonQ Tempo, is the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners including Amazon Web Services, and AstraZeneca achieve 20x performance results and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. In 2025, the company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance.
Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ has operations in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our quantum computing services are available through all major cloud providers, while we also meet the needs of networking and sensing customers across land, sea, air, and space. IonQ is making quantum platforms more accessible and impactful than ever before.

Role Overview

Role:

At Oxford Ionics, now part of IonQ, we are building the first practical quantum computer. As a Senior Mechanical Engineer on the Reliability Engineering team, you’ll keep our quantum computers running at their best, boosting fleet uptime and cutting operating cost.

You’ll work closely with electrical, optical and science colleagues as part of a supportive, collaborative team, updating mechanical designs and managing configuration so their system improvements can land.

Responsibilities:

Your focus will be the live fleet. You will root-cause mechanical, vacuum, cryogenic and thermal faults on running systems, prioritise issues by their impact on uptime, and analyse failed parts to track recurring failure modes.

Where a challenge keeps coming back, you will design, prototype and test the solution, then write the assembly and upgrade instructions that bring the new design into existing fleets, working with our operations team to get upgrades implemented into live systems. You will keep the product lifecycle management (PLM) system, build records and engineering change requests (ECRs) up to date so fixes carry into future builds.

Key responsibilities include:

• Root-cause mechanical, vacuum, cryogenic and thermal faults on live systems, prioritising issues by impact on uptime.
• Design, prototype and test solutions to recurring challenges.
• Implement mechanical changes that enable electrical and optical improvements.
• Write assembly and upgrade instructions to bring new designs into existing fleets, and work with our operations team to implement upgrades in live systems.
• Analyse failed parts, track recurring failure modes and update the PLM system, build records and ECRs so fixes carry into future builds.

Requirements:

You will be a mechanical engineer with a strong design background and 4+ years of relevant industry experience. A degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field, or equivalent practical experience (including apprenticeship routes), is expected.

You are proactive and self-directed, happy to ask for input, and comfortable working on systems where uptime matters while collaborating across disciplines.

You’d be a great fit with:

• Established CAD ability, ideally SolidWorks, plus geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and PLM experience.
• Experience with cryogenic, vacuum, or optomechanical systems.
• Structured root cause and failure analysis (e.g. 5 Whys, failure mode and effects analysis).
• Ability to explain technical trade-offs across disciplines.

The total compensation package includes base salary, bonus, equity, and a range of benefits available on our career site.

Compensation will vary based on individual factors such as education, qualifications, and experience of the final candidate(s), specific office location, and calibration against relevant market data and internal team equity. Posted base salary figures are subject to change as new market data becomes available. Our benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, matching 401(k), unlimited PTO and paid holidays, parental/adoption leave, legal insurance, and a home technology stipend. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided when a candidate receives an offer of employment.

At IonQ, we believe in fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all while striving to identify and eliminate barriers. We empower employees to thrive by fostering a culture of autonomy, productivity, and respect. We are dedicated to creating an environment where individuals can feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued.
We are committed to equity and justice. We welcome different voices and viewpoints and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

US Technical Jobs. The position you are applying for will require access to technology that is subject to U.S. export control and government contract restrictions. Employment with IonQ is contingent on either verifying “U.S. Person” (e.g., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum) status for export controls and government contracts work, obtaining any necessary license, and/or confirming the availability of a license exception under U.S. export controls. Please note that in the absence of confirming you are a U.S. Person for export control and government contracts work purposes, IonQ may choose not to apply for a license or decline to use a license exception (if available) for you to access export-controlled technology that may require authorization, and similarly, you may not qualify for government contracts work that requires U.S. Persons, and IonQ may decline to proceed with your application on those bases alone. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law.

US Non-Technical Jobs. Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law.