Staff Product Manager - Deployment Excellence

NightDragon Acquisition Corp.; Bothell (WA); On-site; USD 152,000 - 228,000; Full time

Job summary

IonQ is seeking a Product Manager to own the on-prem deployment motion within a new Deployment Excellence function. You will define, build, and operate repeatable mechanisms to scale enterprise delivery of IonQ’s quantum systems, coordinating across engineering, facilities, and operations to ensure predictable, high-quality deployments.

The role demands a self-starting leader with strong technical credibility and excellent communication, capable of driving cross-functional execution and shaping

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field or equivalent real-world experience.
• 12+ years of technical program management or delivery leadership experience.
• Proven track record leading cross-functional delivery of complex programs for external customers with governance requirements.
• World-class written and verbal communication, able to articulate complex topics to diverse audiences including executives.
• Self-starting, highly accountable leader who thrives in ambiguous environments.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end deployment of on-premises systems across cross-functional teams.
• Map current deployment processes, diagnose friction points, and document the ideal end-to-end framework from pre-sale to customer acceptance.
• Design lightweight, repeatable program architecture with templates, runbooks, cadences, and dashboards.
• Translate deployment learnings into actionable input for Product Management to improve the experience.
• Lead hands-on customer delivery for initial on-prem accounts before transitioning to a packaged model.

Skills

Program management

Delivery leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

Ambiguity navigation

Education

Bachelor's degree in a technical field

Job description

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 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. Our 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: Bothell, US
Travel: Up to 25% domestic and international travel

The Role

We are looking for a customer-obsessed, execution-driven Product Manager to build and scale IonQ's on-premises deployment motion as part of a new Deployment Excellence function. Embedded directly within IonQ's Quantum Computing product team, your mission is to define, build, and operate the repeatable program mechanisms that transform our deployment efforts into a standardized, predictable, and enterprise-grade delivery machine. You will play a pivotal role in accelerating how IonQ delivers the world's best quantum computers to solve the world’s most complex problems.

We need a self-starting, highly organized leader with a strong sense of ownership to help us continue to move quantum out of the lab and into the world of scientific and commercial utility. This requires strength across both technical and operational domains, constant intellectual curiosity, and the ability to effectively collaborate with a broad variety of internal and external stakeholders. Success in this role demands scale-oriented process thinking, technical credibility when working with engineering and science teams, and deep integrity in customer communications.

In this role, you hold ultimate accountability for how IonQ delivers on its commitments to on-premises quantum accounts. By orchestrating complex cross‑functional mechanisms and stepping in as the near‑term Customer Delivery Manager, you will transform live customer deployments into a proven, enterprise‑grade delivery model that scales across the company.

If you're passionate about bringing order to ambiguity, energized by the operational challenge of delivering complex technology to demanding customers, and excited about the opportunity to make a significant impact on the trajectory of IonQ and the quantum computing industry at large, we'd love to hear from you!

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Program Ownership & Delivery Assurance: Hold ultimate accountability for the successful, on-time, and predictable deployment of on-premises systems. Drive cross‑functional execution across engineering, facilities, manufacturing, installation, and operations teams to ensure customers receive exactly what was committed—acting as the proactive orchestrator across technical teams who anticipates roadblocks, resolves cross‑functional friction, and ensures successful go‑live outcomes.
• Process Discovery & Architecture: Deep-dive into our current deployment reality to map existing handoffs across internal teams, diagnose operational friction points, and document the “ideal state” end‑to‑end deployment framework—from pre‑sale qualification through final customer acceptance.
• Mechanism Building: Design and implement lightweight, highly repeatable program architecture (e.g., standard templates, reusable runbooks, cross‑functional review cadences, escalation paths, and progress dashboards) that replace case‑by‑case coordination and synchronize execution across teams.
• Product Feedback Loop: Translate operational pain points and field deployment learnings directly into actionable input for Product Management to continuously improve the deployment experience.
• Hands‑on Customer Delivery Execution: Own direct customer delivery management for initial on‑prem accounts prior to handing a packaged delivery model off to Field teams — tracking deployment and bring‑up milestones, and maintaining an extremely high bar for customer experience and communication throughout the customer journey.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, a related technical field, or equivalent real‑world experience
• 12+ years of experience in technical program management, delivery leadership, or equivalent roles, in hardware, deep‑tech, or otherwise complex systems environments
• A track record of leading cross‑functional delivery of complex, multi‑team programs for external customers, including ones with formal reporting and governance requirements
• World‑class written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to articulate complex topics to technical and non‑technical audiences, including executives
• A demonstrated ability to act as a self‑starting, high‑accountability leader in ambiguous and challenging environments, driving impact through persistence and adaptability

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred, but not required if you have a willingness and proven ability to learn quickly

• Experience delivering physical hardware or complex scientific instruments to customers, including the handoff from manufacturing to field deployment and bring‑up
• Experience standing up or scaling a program‑management, delivery, or process transformation function
• Familiarity with Quantum Computing, Quantum Information Science, or deep‑tech R&D.
• Experience in Private Cloud Deployment, Scientific Computing, or High Performance Computing — their tools, users, business models, and operational challenges
• Direct experience with government contracting and milestone‑based technical reporting for scientific or research missions (DARPA, DOE, NSF, or similar)

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: $152,000 — $228,000 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.