Staff Engineer- Electrical

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.

About Vector Atomic

Vector Atomic, an IonQ company, is building quantum technology to transform navigation, timing, geophysical exploration, and telecommunications. Our team of engineers, scientists, software developers, and operations professionals works together to solve complex challenges and turn bold ideas into real-world solutions. We value collaboration, curiosity, and diverse perspectives, and we give every team member the opportunity to make an immediate impact while growing their skills.

If you're excited to work on breakthrough technology in a fast-paced, hands-on environment, we'd love to hear from you.

Location:

This role is based onsite at our office in Pleasanton, CA.

Travel:
Up to 5%

Job

The Role

As a Staff Engineer - Electrical, you will be a cornerstone of our multidisciplinary engineering team, leading the design and development of cutting-edge electronics for next-generation quantum sensors. This high-impact role requires a blend of technical mastery and creative problem-solving to architect complex PCB Assemblies featuring FPGAs, MCUs, Mixed-Signal, and RF circuits. You will oversee the entire product lifecycle-from conceptualizing high-level architectures to hands-on troubleshooting-ensuring that our groundbreaking quantum instruments meet rigorous performance and quality standards.

We are looking for an agile, mentor-minded leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about translating complex physics requirements into robust hardware reality.

Responsibilities

* Architectural Leadership:
Lead high-level electrical architecture for quantum sensors, balancing complex trade-offs between size, weight, power, and performance (SWaPC).

* End-to-End PCB Development:
Own the full development cycle, including requirement gathering, schematic capture, layout design, fabrication coordination, and performance verification.

* Technical Mentorship:
Serve as a technical guide for the electrical engineering team, conducting rigorous design reviews and establishing hardware development best practices.

* Cross-Functional Collaboration:

Partner with physicists and mechanical, software, and optical engineers to translate system requirements into precision electronic designs.

* System Integration & Testing:
Assist with board bring-up, debugging, and system-level integration to ensure all instrument specifications are met.

* Manufacturing Support:
Support production by troubleshooting issues, developing test verification procedures, and optimizing boards for yield, quality, and testability.

* Continuous Improvement:
Drive the evolution of engineering procedures and refine PCB designs to enhance instrument performance.

* Documentation & Compliance:
Maintain precise design records within a cloud-based PLM system, managing revisions and Engineering Change Orders (ECOs).

Requirements

* Education & Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering (or related field) with 8-12 years of experience, or a Master's degree with 8+ years of experience.

* To comply with the US export control laws, Vector Atomic employees must be U.S. citizens (born or naturalized), lawful U.S. permanent residents (i.e. green card holders), and certain categories of refugees, and asylees.

* Design Expertise:
At least 5 years of professional experience developing complex, mixed-signal PCBA designs using professional ECAD tools.

* Technical Proficiency:
* Expertise in high-density PCB design (fine-pitch BGAs, high-speed differential pairs, and mixed-signal architectures).

* Deep understanding of system-level design for programmable devices including SoCs, FPGAs, and MCUs.

* Proven ability to design precision electronics with strict noise and ripple specifications.

* Mastery of controlled impedance structures, signal integrity, power distribution networks, and EMI/EMC-aware layout practices.

* Lab

Skills:

Proficiency in a laboratory…