Senior Technical Lead, Government Programs

Senior Technical Lead, Government Programs

Department: Chief Quantum Office

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: British Columbia, Canada

Compensation: The base annual salary range for this full-time role is between $138,200 to $190,100. This range reflects the minimum and maximum target range for new hire base salary across all Canadian locations. Actual compensation may vary outside of this range and is dependent on various factors including but not limited to a candidate's qualifications including relevant education and training, competencies, experience, geographic location, and business needs.

Base pay is only one part of the total compensation package. Full time roles are eligible for equity and benefits. Base pay is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

As our quantum systems mature toward program milestones, we need a rare leader who can hold rigorous technical depth and exceptional stakeholder management in the same hand. This role will be the primary interface between our engineering teams and government program offices — translating cutting‑edge spin qubit R&D into credible, contract‑compliant deliverables. You will operate at the intersection of:

• Full‑stack quantum computing product development
• Government and systems engineering benchmarking and evaluation
• Quantum engineering and integrated chip engineering
• Hardware and software engineering
• Critical customer management and technical communication
• Application‑level utility and performance validation

This is not a generic product or communications role. It requires deep quantum engineering fluency, attention to detail, and outstanding interpersonal skills.

Please include a cover letter with your resume (in one file) describing how you would be a great fit at Photonic and what attributes you could bring to our growing team.

• Coordinate and develop the technical communications and technical product delivery for key government contacts: deliver against all contract expectations
• Manage all customer expectations, communications, experiences, and any change management as required
• Feedback into technical planning process to triage key customer feature requests.
• Define internal KPIs and defensible benchmarking methodology aligned with customer criteria.
• Communicate contract status and execution risks to executives and internal stakeholders.

• Contribute to the CQO office, as well as the product management team
• Translate component metrics into system‑level performance milestones and delightful customer experiences
• Deliver government product milestones on time and on budget
• Contribute to product roadmap planning across all engineering and architecture teams with agile component‑level TRL development

• Demonstrable working knowledge of quantum computing systems — sufficient to engage credibly with PhD‑level engineers on topics such as error correction, gate fidelity, qubit coherence, control hardware, quantum software stack, and system‑level performance trade‑offs. This may have been gained through a graduate degree, industry experience, or both.
• Ability to critically evaluate technical claims, customer concerns, benchmark methodologies, and program milestones without needing to be the domain expert in the room.

• Demonstrated experience managing or executing on government contracts, ideally in Canada and/or the US.
• Familiarity with government program structures: milestone‑based funding, evaluation criteria, reporting cadences, communication styles, and the expectations of technically sophisticated program officers.
• Experience navigating government review settings — including preparing teams for high‑stakes evaluations and translating technical progress into language that satisfies contract requirements.

• Proven track record of owning and delivering a technical communications across cross‑functional engineering teams — on time and within contract or budget constraints.
• Demonstrated ability to manage stakeholder expectations across technical,…