Senior Director, Federal Scientific Partnerships

Role

Role can be remote in the U.S.

Psi Quantum’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 Global Foundries—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 fiber‑optic infrastructure.

In 2024, Psi Quantum 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.

Psi Quantum 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.

As Senior Director, Federal Scientific Partnerships, you will lead Psi Quantum’s strategy for scientific and technical partnerships and business growth across the U.S. federal civilian R&D ecosystem, with emphasis on the Department of Energy (DOE), National Science Foundation (NSF), NIST, NASA, national laboratories, and research universities. You will identify, shape, and execute high‑value scientific collaborations and funding opportunities that advance Psi Quantum’s technical roadmap, scientific credibility, and long‑term growth objectives.

This role includes responsibility for building and maintaining relationships with senior agency officials and offices, developing high‑value R&D collaborations, supporting the capture of competitive R&D awards, strengthening engagement with leading researchers and institutions, and expanding adoption of Psi Quantum’s software tools within the federal and academic research communities. Success in this role requires strong technical fluency, deep understanding of the federal science ecosystem, and the ability to translate external R&D opportunities into coordinated internal action spanning the engineering, applications, solutions, product, and public sector teams.

• Develop and lead Psi Quantum’s scientific and technical partnership strategy for the federal civilian R&D ecosystem, including DOE, NSF, NASA, NIST, national laboratories, and research universities.
• Identify, shape, and support responses to strategic R&D funding opportunities, including award contracts and other collaborative vehicles aligned with Psi Quantum’s roadmap and business.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with federal civilian R&D program leaders and offices.
• Build and execute partnership strategies with the national laboratories and research universities that strengthen Psi Quantum’s scientific leadership, position the company for increased impact with R&D funding agencies, and increase adoption of Psi Quantum’s fault‑tolerant quantum applications software tools.
• Work cross‑functionally with Psi Quantum’s engineering, applications, solutions, product, and public sector teams to translate external R&D opportunities…