Senior Physicist - Resilience Engineering & Operations

IonQ; Bothell (WA); On-site; USD 114,750 - 150,237; Full time

Job summary

IonQ seeks a Senior Physicist to join our Bothell, Washington office, with options for remote work. In this role, you'll ensure the performance of our quantum computers and participate in on-call rotations, collaborating with a distributed team to enhance operational efficiencies.

The ideal candidate will have a PhD in a related field, excellent communication skills, and significant experience in laboratory settings, specifically in atomic or optical physics. Our compensation package includes a competitive salary, bonus, equity, and benefits.

Qualifications

• 3+ years laboratory experience in atomic and/or optical physics.
• Desire and capability to work closely on a distributed team.
• Adaptable to ever-changing work environments.

Responsibilities

• Participate in on-call rotations to maintain peak performance.
• Ensure uptime of commercial quantum computers.
• Work collaboratively to improve quantum systems operations.

Skills

Optical alignments

Laser stabilization

AOMs

Statistical analysis

Data analysis

Education

PhD in physics, engineering, or another physical science

Formal training in statistics

Job description

Senior Physicist – Resilience Engineering & Operations

Bothell, Washington, United States

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 helped 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. IonQ is headquartered in College Park, Maryland, with 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 worldwide.

Responsibilities

• Participate in follow‑the‑sun on‑call rotations to keep our systems running at peak performance.
• Ensure high uptime and performance of our commercial quantum computers through alert response, monitoring, and engineering of state‑of‑the‑art quantum computers.
• Work collaboratively with other System Operators on improvements, processes, and practices to make operating quantum systems easier and more efficient.
• Communicate with customers to coordinate access and inform on system status.
• Remotely interface with quantum systems to impact performance using documented procedures.
• Interpret telemetry to aid in deeper understanding of quantum system status.
• Clearly communicate with teams working across multiple time zones.

Requirements

• PhD degree in physics, engineering, or another physical science.
• Desire and capability to work closely on a team that is distributed – excellent communication skills and a collaborative mindset.
• Hands‑on experience with optical alignments, laser stabilization, and/or AOMs.
• A propensity for learning new things and fascination with emerging technologies.
• Formal training or education in statistics.
• Capable of adapting for an ever‑growing and ever‑changing work environment.
• Disposition to work flexible working hours, on a 24/7 on‑call shift where the rotation changes as needed.
• 3+ year laboratory experience in atomic and/or optical physics.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD or Postdoc in experimental AMO physics.
• A background in data analysis, data science, or machine learning.
• Software engineering experience.

Location

This role is based at our Bothell, WA office, with the option to work a few days a week remotely.

Compensation

The approximate base salary range for this position is $114,750 – $150,237. The total compensation package includes base, bonus, equity, and a range of benefit options.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

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 committed 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, 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.