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Job description
Sr Technical Product Manager - QPU Platform
Boston, MA, USA
About Us
We are building quantum computing systems that push the boundary of what is physically possible. Doing so requires a rare combination of scientific depth, engineering rigor, and operational maturity.
Our Quantum Control Platform sits at the heart of this effort, translating physics breakthroughs into executable engineering across hardware, software, optics, embedded systems, and automation. As we scale, we are looking for a Senior Technical Product Manager to serve as the operational backbone between our quantum physics research team and our multi-disciplinary engineering organization.
This is not a traditional software product role. You will operate at the intersection of complex hardware development and modern agile delivery, making them work together in a physics‑constrained environment.
The Role
Requirements Translation & Traceability
You will work directly with quantum physicists to extract scientific intent and translate them into structured, executable engineering requirements.
Build full traceable requirement hierarchies from top‑level physics goals down to subsystem specifications
Cover domains including control electronics, embedded systems, optics, calibration workflows, and automation
Define clear acceptance criteria and validation plans at every level
Ensure no critical requirement lives informally in someone’s head
Your work will create clarity where complexity currently dominates.
You will own and elevate the requirements process, not just participate in it.
Establishing definition‑of‑ready and definition‑of‑done criteria
Implementing milestone readiness frameworks
Institutionalizing documentation governance within Jira and Confluence
Ensuring proper decomposition, traceability, ownership, and auditability
You will introduce structure without bureaucracy — building systems that accelerate execution rather than slow it down.
Agile Delivery Partnership
Engineering owns delivery. You will be their strongest product partner.
Structure requirements so they are consumable by agile hardware and software teams
Decompose physics goals into Jira epics and stories while preserving validation rigor
Participate fluently in sprint planning, backlog grooming, and retrospectives
Operate effectively in hybrid delivery environments where hardware constraints meet agile cadence
You understand where agile breaks in hardware environments and how to adapt it without becoming dogmatic or reverting to rigid sequential processes.
Stakeholder Alignment & Process Maturity
You will align scientists, hardware engineers, and software engineers around shared execution frameworks.
Translating between research language and engineering execution models in real time
Surfacing unstated assumptions in scientific requirements
Challenging habits constructively
Raising the overall maturity of technical product management across the organization
You lead through credibility and demonstrated value — not mandate.
What We’re Looking For
8–15+ years of experience in technical product management within deep‑tech, hardware‑centric, multi‑disciplinary environments
Background in industries where precision and traceability are non‑negotiable, such as: Photonics and optical systems (e.g., Coherent, Lumentum, II‑VI)
Lidar and sensing (e.g., Luminar, Ouster)
Defense and aerospace with photonics or directed energy programs
Scientific instrumentation (e.g., Thorlabs, Newport)
Semiconductor capital equipment (e.g., ASML, Applied Materials)
Fusion energy, advanced aerospace, or modern defense companies (e.g., SpaceX, Anduril, Joby)
You have:
Personally built requirements governance frameworks, not just operated within them
Demonstrated end‑to‑end requirement traceability from high‑level goals to subsystem specifications
Defined acceptance criteria and validation plans across complex systems
Deep fluency in Jira and Confluence
Experience with dedicated requirements management tools such as Jama or Aha
Strong technical grounding in physics, electrical engineering, optics, or related fields
The ability to engage meaningfully with PhD‑level scientists and systems engineers
You are:
A mature, credible operator who earns trust quickly
Comfortable introducing process discipline in high‑intellect environments
Comfortable working in ambiguity while building structure
On‑site in Boston and thrive in fast, whiteboard‑heavy collaboration
Nice to Have
Direct experience with quantum computing hardware or quantum software stacks
Familiarity with neutral atom systems
Experience with optical system integration, laser control, or free‑space beam control
Familiarity with calibration workflows, qubit characterization, or QPU benchmarking
Experience building or scaling a technical product management function
What Success Looks Like in Year One
A fully traceable requirement hierarchy from physics goals to subsystem specifications
Engineering teams executing against documented requirements with clear acceptance criteria
Governance frameworks embedded in Jira and Confluence and operating sustainably
Measurable improvement in organizational requirements maturity
Scientists and engineers describing the requirements process as a source of clarity, not overhead
Salary: $170,000-250,000
QuEra is committed to cultivating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We highly value diversity in our current and future employees and do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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Worksite address
boston, MA, 02298, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.