Senior Director, Federal Scientific Partnerships

Job Summary

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 into actionable plans.
• Help to define Psi Quantum’s public science ecosystem strategy, including prioritization of institutions, consortia, workshops, strategic collaborations, externally visible scientific engagements, and scientific messaging.
• Collaborate with government program management team for smooth handoff of contracted awards and partnerships for execution, and proactively communicate and resolve program issues.
• Provide strategic input to Psi Quantum internal teams based on relationships and insights from the federal civilian R&D ecosystem.
• Maintain disciplined pipeline forecasting, opportunity and partnership prioritization, and internal reporting.

• An advanced degree in a STEM field (or comparable technical depth in a relevant field), strong technical fluency, and the ability to engage credibly with research scientists, engineers, and federal program staff.
• Minimum of 15 years of relevant experience in the federal civilian R&D ecosystem, which may include federal agencies (particularly DOE), national laboratories, or other relevant institutions.
• Experience with partnership development, R&D funding capture, federal acquisition and contracting, and business development in emerging technologies.
• Experience in the technical, programmatic, and operational challenges of developing, deploying, and sustaining complex technologies, hardware and software.
• Ability to identify, establish, and leverage key relationships with senior level officials and program stakeholders within the federal government and the federal civilian R&D ecosystem.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with experience presenting to senior executives and customers; ability to translate complex topics, convince, and inspire through the written and spoken word.
• Capable of succeeding in a fast‑paced, ambiguous, dynamic, and creative environment.
• Ability to travel required.
• TS/SCI clearance preferred.

• Advanced degrees in STEM a plus.
• 10+…