Staff Hardware Design Engineer

PsiQuantum; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 141,000 - 236,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity and benefits

Job summary

PsiQuantum is seeking a Staff Hardware Design Engineer in Milpitas, California. This role focuses on owning hardware designs for quantum computers, including working with thermal, mechanical, firmware, and optical engineers. The ideal candidate possesses a Master’s or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or Physics and 7 years of relevant experience.

Work involves designing PCBs, ensuring signal integrity, and characterizing analog and digital circuitry. Competitive salary ranges from $141,000 to $213,000 USD depending on experience.

Qualifications

• 7 years of relevant experience in product development.
• Experience leading products from development to commercial release.

Responsibilities

• Design and create schematics for PCB layout.
• Ensure signal integrity and EMI suppression in designs.
• Characterize and debug analog and digital circuitry.
• Develop software for measurement processes.
• Maintain documentation of hardware designs and test results.

Skills

High-speed transceivers design

PCB layout

Signal integrity analysis

Data extraction and analysis

Electro-optic circuitry debugging

Education

Master’s or Ph.D. Degree in Electrical Engineering or Physics

Tools

Mixed-signal oscilloscopes

Vector network analyzers

Signal generators

Multimeters

DC power supplies

Job description

PsiQuantum’s mission is to build the first useful quantum computers—machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault‑tolerant quantum systems.

Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that even the most advanced supercomputers or AI systems will never reach. Their impact will span energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries.

Our architecture and approach is based on silicon photonics. By leveraging the advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry—including partners like GlobalFoundries—we use the same high‑volume processes that already produce billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics. Photonics offers natural advantages for scale: photons don’t feel heat, are immune to electromagnetic interference, and integrate with existing cryogenic cooling and standard fibre‑optic infrastructure.

In 2024, PsiQuantum announced government‑funded projects to support the build‑out of our first utility‑scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining—and that now is the time to scale.

PsiQuantum also develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable. Our application, software, and industry teams work directly with leading Fortune 500 companies—including Lockheed Martin, Mercedes‑Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical—to prepare quantum solutions for real‑world impact.

Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. It represents a fundamental shift—and a path to mastering challenges that cannot be solved any other way. The potential is enormous, and we have a clear path to make it real.

Come join us.

Job Summary

The mission of PsiQuantum’s Staff Hardware Design Engineer role is to support the Electronics team by owning hardware designs integral to the underlying system of the quantum computer. This engineer will collaborate in cross‑functional teams of thermal, mechanical, firmware, and optical engineers. The designs will meet the requirements of the overall system architecture and physical framework of the quantum computer.

Responsibilities

• Design, create schematics, and oversee PCB layout of analog and digital circuitry consisting of but not limited to high‑speed transceivers, 10+ Gbps electrical and optical data links, FPGAs, microcontrollers, clock distribution, power supply filters, inrush current limiters and power distribution.
• Ensure signal integrity and EMI suppression is accounted for in all designs.
• Design and create test set-ups for testing of electro‑optic modules.
• Characterize, optimize, and debug analog, digital, and electro‑optic circuitry using equipment such as mixed‑signal & sampling oscilloscopes, vector network analyzers, signal generators, multimeters, DC power supplies.
• Develop software to drive measurements.
• Analyze data and extract key performance parameters.
• Maintain detailed documentation of hardware designs, test results, and design changes.

Experience/Qualifications

• Master’s or Ph.D. Degree or above in Electrical Engineering, Physics or equivalent.
• 7 years of relevant experience in product development and release to volume manufacturing leading to a successful commercial product.

PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees.

PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.

The ranges below reflect the target ranges for a new hire base salary. One is for the Bay Area (within 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto), the second one (if applicable) is for elsewhere in the US (beyond 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto). If there is only one range, it is for the specific location of where the position will be located. Actual compensation may vary outside of these ranges and is dependent on various factors including but not limited to a candidate's qualifications including relevant education and training, competencies, experience, geographic location, and business needs. Base pay is only one part of the total compensation package. Full time roles are eligible for equity and benefits. Base pay is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

U.S. Base Pay Range: $141,000 – $213,000 USD

Bay Area Pay Range: $201,000 – $236,000 USD