Staff Optical Engineer Quantum Computing Hardware Lead

Infleqtion; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 132,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Unlimited PTO

401(k) match

Equity package

Health Savings Account

Life and AD&D Insurance

Paid FMLA and parental leave

Employee Assistance Program

Student loan repayment

Job summary

Infleqtion is seeking a Staff Optical Engineer to own complex optical subsystems for neutral-atom quantum computing. You will work with physicists and cross-disciplinary teams to translate experimental requirements into robust, scalable optical designs in a hands-on lab environment.

Responsibilities include designing and validating laser-based optical systems, developing scalable atom control technologies, and leading lab efforts from assembly to performance characterization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in optical engineering, physics, or related field; 6+ years experience.
• Strong experience in designing, modeling, validating laser-based or quantum optics systems.
• Hands-on optical alignment and troubleshooting.
• Proficiency with Zemax for optical design and tolerance analysis.
• SolidWorks experience for opto-mechanical layout collaboration.
• Experience with git or similar version control for design artifacts.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, modeling, and validation of optical and laser subsystems for neutral-atom quantum computing.
• Develop and integrate scalable atom addressing and control technologies (DMDs, SLMs, AODs, EOMs).
• Design atom-resolved detection and feedback systems with high-speed sensors.
• Collaborate with physicists and engineers across disciplines to support lifecycle development.
• Lead hands-on lab efforts: assembly, alignment, debugging, characterization.
• Develop optical models and tolerance analyses using Zemax; optimize performance.
• Characterize stability, drift, noise, and scaling limits to guide design tradeoffs.
• Oversee transition from research-grade to scalable hardware for larger atom counts.
• Provide mentorship and technical reviews for optical engineers.

Skills

Optical system design

Laboratory troubleshooting

Mentoring/leadership

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Documentation and reviews

Education

Bachelor’s degree in optical engineering or physics

Master’s degree or PhD preferred

Tools

Zemax (OpticStudio)

SolidWorks

Git/version control

Job description

Infleqtion is seeking a Staff Optical Engineer to own complex optical subsystems for neutral-atom quantum computing. You will work with physicists and cross-disciplinary teams to translate experimental requirements into robust, scalable optical designs in a hands-on lab environment.

Responsibilities include designing and validating laser-based optical systems, developing scalable atom control technologies, and leading lab efforts from assembly to performance characterization.