Technical Product Planner – Quantum Systems

Technical Product Planners at Photonic play a critical role at the intersection of customer commitments, product management, and engineering. This role serves as the primary interface between our government customers and our internal engineering, architecture, and research teams—ensuring that complex technical programs are translated into clear, credible, and deliverable product plans.

In this role, you will operate at the intersection of full‑stack quantum product development, hardware and software engineering, systems benchmarking, and high‑stakes customer engagement. Working in product management interpreting requirements between engineering teams and government stakeholders, you will own the articulation of customer requirements and product intent, guide delivery strategy, and ensure technical execution is rigorously evaluated, de‑risked, and aligned with contractual obligations, system‑level performance goals, and Photonic’s long‑term platform strategy.

This role offers the opportunity to leverage deep technical understanding to help shape how Photonic’s spin‑qubit technology moves from breakthrough research into credible, contract‑aligned real‑world delivery.

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.

• Act as the primary product and technical interface between commercial and government customers and internal engineering teams, translating contract objectives into actionable product plans.
• Lead customer requirements gathering, validation, and change management throughout the lifecycle of government programs.
• Drive product definition and roadmap alignment across hardware, firmware, software, and system architecture teams.
• Define and maintain clear product requirements, milestones, and success criteria aligned with contractual deliverables and system‑level performance goals.
• Work alongside product managers and product planners to create a cohesive product offering.
• Coordinate technical communications, reviews, and deliverables for external stakeholders, ensuring accuracy, credibility, and consistency.
• Partner with engineering and architecture leadership to sequence technical milestones, manage dependencies, and surface execution risks early.
• Establish defensible benchmarking, KPIs, and evaluation frameworks aligned with customer expectations and program criteria.
• Communicate program status, risks, and trade‑offs to executives and cross‑functional partners, enabling informed decision‑making.
• Contribute to long‑term product strategy by connecting near‑term government program execution with Photonic’s broader platform vision.

• Master’s degree in Physics, Mathematics, Optics, Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience; advanced degrees (e.g., PhD) are common within the team.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in product planning, systems engineering, technical program delivery, application engineering, or adjacent roles in deep‑tech or hardware–software environments.
• Working knowledge of quantum technologies or closely related advanced technology domains (e.g., quantum computing, integrated photonics, semiconductor devices, cryogenic systems), sufficient to engage credibly with senior engineers and technical customers.
• Demonstrated ability to reason at the system level—connecting component‑level performance, technical trade‑offs, and integration challenges to product outcomes and delivery plans.
• Experience translating complex technical progress into clear product requirements, milestones, and customer‑facing deliverables.
• Ability to critically evaluate technical claims, customer requirements, and benchmarking or validation approaches without needing to be the deepest domain expert in the room.
• Strong cross‑functional experience working effectively across engineering, research, architecture, and product teams in fast‑paced, multi‑disciplinary environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly with technical,…