Staff Process Engineer, Packaging

IonQ; College Park (MD); On-site; USD 146,000 - 209,000; Full time

Job summary

IonQ, Inc. in College Park, MD, is seeking a hands-on Process Engineer, Packaging to keep our cleanroom production moving. You will spend 70-80% in the cleanroom operating, programming, troubleshooting, and improving packaging equipment used to build quantum processing units (QPUs).

This floor-first engineering role requires 1-2 years of relevant experience, the ability to learn quickly, and a clear commitment to safety and precise hardware work. Training is onsite five days per week.

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in an engineering or physical sciences discipline.
• 1-2 years professional experience operating complex automated equipment in production, development, or laboratory settings.
• Demonstrated ability to diagnose equipment or process problems and verify fixes.
• Enjoy working with hardware and learning new processes quickly and safely.
• Ability to train operators and work onsite five days per week during training.
• Comfort with full cleanroom gowning and meticulous work practices.

Responsibilities

• Provide real-time sustaining engineering support in the cleanroom to keep QPU builds on track.
• Operate, program, troubleshoot, and improve packaging equipment with emphasis on wire bonding and die bonding.
• Create, validate, release, and maintain equipment recipes and programs using disciplined experimentation.
• Investigate faults, excursions, and failures; identify root causes and verify corrective actions.
• Train and qualify operators, translating learning into clear instructions and travelers.
• Improve packaging processes to boost yield, throughput, and uptime.
• Support prototype and new-product builds from prep to release.
• Collaborate across packaging, manufacturing, QPU design, fabrication, quality, test, and suppliers.

Skills

Packaging equipment

Wire bonding

Die bonding

Optical packaging

Troubleshooting

Programming equipment

Hands-on engineering

Hardware-focused

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or physical sciences

Job description

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. IonQ’s 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.

Location: This role is based onsite at our headquarters in College Park, MD. Travel: Minimal (<10%). Job ID: 1770

The Role

We are looking for a hands‑on Process Engineer, Packaging to keep our College Park cleanroom production moving. You will spend approximately 70-80% of your time in the cleanroom operating, programming, troubleshooting, and improving the equipment used to build our quantum processing units (QPUs).

This is a floor-first engineering role. You will work directly with technicians and engineers to solve problems at the equipment, create and release robust recipes, train operators, and stand up new capabilities. Specific microelectronics packaging experience is valuable, but it is not the only path to success. We can teach our processes; we are looking for an experienced engineer who is driven to learn, takes pride in careful hands‑on work, and does what the team needs to deliver hardware.

The role may be leveled as Process Engineer or Senior Process Engineer based on demonstrated experience and scope.

Responsibilities

• Provide real-time sustaining engineering support in the cleanroom so QPU builds, technician work, and critical equipment stay on track.
• Personally operate, program, troubleshoot, and improve complex packaging equipment, with particular emphasis on wire bonding and die/flip‑chip bonding.
• Create, validate, release, and maintain equipment recipes and process programs; use data and disciplined experimentation to establish stable operating windows.
• Investigate equipment faults, process excursions, and product failures; identify root causes, implement corrective actions, and verify that the fix is effective.
• Train and qualify operators on packaging equipment and processes, and translate practical learning into clear work instructions, travelers, and operating guidance.
• Improve existing packaging processes with respect to yield, throughput, repeatability, uptime, and capability.
• Support hands‑on prototype and new‑product builds from component preparation through assembly, inspection, characterization, and release.
• Handle fragile, high‑value components carefully and model excellent cleanroom discipline during every build.
• Collaborate across packaging, manufacturing, QPU design, fabrication, quality, test, and external suppliers to remove blockers and deliver hardware.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in an engineering or physical sciences discipline.
• 1-2 years professional experience beyond coursework and internships personally operating complex automated equipment in a production, development, or laboratory environment.
• Evidence that you have personally diagnosed equipment or process problems, implemented fixes, and verified results.
• A genuine preference for working at the equipment and with physical hardware for most of the day.
• The ability to learn unfamiliar equipment and processes quickly while working safely and carefully.
• Clear communication skills and the ability to train operators with different levels of technical experience.
• The ability to work onsite in College Park five days per week during training and initial ramp‑up. Some flexibility for limited remote work can be afforded once training is complete.
• The ability to work for extended periods in full cleanroom gowning.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands‑on experience programming or troubleshooting wire bonders, die bonders, and/or optical packaging equipment.
• Experience in microelectronics, optoelectronics, photonics, RF/microwave hardware, MEMS, aerospace electronics, medical devices, or another precision hardware field.
• Experience with packaging processes such as solder reflow, epoxy dispense, plasma cleaning, optical inspection, profilometry/interferometry, electrical test, or UHV-compatible assembly.
• Experience selecting equipment, working directly with vendors, installing and qualifying tools, and releasing recipes for production use.
• Experience training and qualifying operators and improving a process under schedule pressure.
• Strong internal drive: you identify the next useful action, follow through without constant prompting, and close the loop.
• Low ego: no task is beneath you when it helps the team deliver; you are equally willing to troubleshoot a recipe, prepare parts, or clean a tool.
• Careful and deliberate execution: you slow down when the hardware demands it, protect fragile parts, and treat repeatability and contamination control as part of the engineering work.
• Team‑first behavior: you share knowledge, respond to technician needs, communicate problems early, and optimize for the success of the build rather than personal ownership of the solution.

What success looks like

• First 30 days: learn the cleanroom workflow and independently operate several core tools while contributing to live builds.
• By 60 days: own at least one process or equipment family and resolve routine floor escalations with appropriate support.
• By three months: serve as a credible sustaining-engineering resource across most of the packaging workflow, including troubleshooting and recipe or program changes.
• By 6 months: deliver measurable improvements in equipment uptime, yield, throughput, or process capability while training and enabling others.

The total compensation package includes base, bonus, equity, and a range of benefit options found on our career site.

If this role has a commission structure, the compensation range below just reflects the base compensation range.

Wage Transparency:

$145,920 - $209,241 USD

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.