Quantum Laser Systems Engineer

Atom Computing; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 130,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Unlimited PTO

401K matching

Disability insurance

FSA

Dependent care

Life insurance

Drinks & snacks

Catered team lunches

Job summary

Atom Computing seeks a Laser Engineer for its Quantum Engineering Department in Boulder. You will align, characterize, and optimize laser and optical systems, turning hands-on work into repeatable designs that integrate with the broader quantum platform.

You will collaborate with experimental physicists, hardware and software engineers to ensure robust operation and scale laser systems, contributing to a fast-growing startup culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Physics, Optics, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 2+ years of experience using and maintaining optical, opto-mechanical, and/or laser systems.
• Startup-friendly: self-motivated, humble, driven, collaborative, and comfortable with ambiguity.
• Ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with a diverse team of experimental physicists, hardware engineers, and software engineers.
• Hands-on experience aligning optical elements in accordance with documented designs.
• Experience with current state-of-the-art lasers/amplifiers (e.g., diode and fiber-based) and nonlinear optical materials, including characterization, phase-locking, and optimization of laser and nonlinear optical systems, plus design and modeling experience for nonlinear optical and laser/amplifier systems.
• Experience with data analysis: taking, plotting, analyzing, fitting, and interpreting data from optical testing experiments.
• Experience with engineering change documentation; ability to work from assembly drawings, schematics, wiring diagrams, sketches, and other written, visual, and oral instructions.

Responsibilities

• Align, tune, and troubleshoot optical and laser systems — including diode- and fiber-based lasers/amplifiers and nonlinear optical systems — to keep quantum computing hardware running reliably
• Characterize, phase-lock, and optimize laser and nonlinear optical systems to improve performance and stability
• Design and model nonlinear optical and laser/amplifier systems for new hardware builds and system upgrades
• Provide technical expertise to laser and optical projects across the team, with the goal of maximizing performance and robustness
• Take, plot, analyze, fit, and interpret data from optical testing experiments to guide design and troubleshooting decisions
• Gather project requirements from stakeholders, turn them into action plans, and keep the team on schedule with proper prioritization
• Create and maintain engineering change documentation; work from assembly drawings, schematics, wiring diagrams, and other written, visual, and oral instructions
• Collaborate day-to-day with experimental physicists, hardware engineers, and software engineers to integrate laser systems into the broader quantum computing platform
• Report progress, risks, and technical findings to the Laser Engineering Manager, and contribute to the team's roadmap for scaling laser systems

Skills

Team collaboration

Communication

Hands-on hardware

Data analysis

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Physics/Optics/Engineering

Tools

Zemax

Onshape

SolidWorks

Job description

Atom Computing seeks a Laser Engineer for its Quantum Engineering Department in Boulder. You will align, characterize, and optimize laser and optical systems, turning hands-on work into repeatable designs that integrate with the broader quantum platform.

You will collaborate with experimental physicists, hardware and software engineers to ensure robust operation and scale laser systems, contributing to a fast-growing startup culture.