Photonic Circuits Designer

PsiQuantum’s mission is to build the first useful quantum computers—machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum systems. 

Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that even the most advanced supercomputers or AI systems will never reach. Their impact will span energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries. 

Our architecture and approach is based on silicon photonics. By leveraging the advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry—including partners like GlobalFoundries—we use the same high-volume processes that already produce billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics. Photonics offers natural advantages for scale: photons don’t feel heat, are immune to electromagnetic interference, and integrate with existing cryogenic cooling and standard fiber-optic infrastructure. 

In 2024, PsiQuantum announced government-funded projects to support the build-out of our first utility-scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining—and that now is the time to scale. 

PsiQuantum also develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable. Our application, software, and industry teams work directly with leading Fortune 500 companies—including Lockheed Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical—to prepare quantum solutions for real-world impact. 

Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. It represents a fundamental shift—and a path to mastering challenges that cannot be solved any other way. The potential is enormous, and we have a clear path to make it real. 

Come join us. 

Job Summary:

The Circuits team sits at the interface of hardware development, manufacturing, and the system architecture to design the first fault-tolerant quantum computer. We are looking for a circuit design engineer to join the team. This is an individual contributor role involving close collaboration with all PsiQuantum’ s technical teams with a focus on PICs design (schematics and floor planning, performance prediction, etc.), screening and test plans, as well as developing software tools for optical and quantum simulations. PIC designs particularly relevant to this role are complex photonic switch networks.

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with photonics, electronics, and test engineers on data-driven circuit analysis.
• Design software functionality to meet requirements for parts of our in-house software design flow.
• Develop methodologies for evaluating implementation concepts and determining their feasibility.
• Extract predictive models, perform analysis, and run design checks on circuits.

Experience/Qualifications:

Essential:

• PhD or equivalent in EE, Physics, Computer Science or related field.
• Ability to work effectively in a new area designing first-of-their-kind photonic circuits.
• Experience programming in Python.
• Ability to work across domains and collaborate effectively with multi-disciplinary technical teams.

Preferred:

• Experience with high-speed electro-optic phase shifters.
• Familiarity with photonic circuit concepts and GDS layout.
• Familiarity with git workflows and CI/CD pipelines.
• Working knowledge of quantum computing/quantum mechanics.

Useful:

• Background in analogue and/or digital electrical circuit design.
• Professional experience programming and releasing production code for web applications, Javascript/Typescript, and modern front-end tools e.g. React, Svelte, and/or Vue.

PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.

Note: PsiQuantum will only reach out to you using an official PsiQuantum email address and will never ask you for bank account information as part of the interview process. Please report any suspicious activity to recruiting@psiquantum.com****.

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.

The ranges below reflect the target ranges for a new hire base salary. One is for the Bay Area (within 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto), the second one (if applicable) is for elsewhere in the US (beyond 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto). If there is only one range, it is for the specific location of where the position will be located. Actual compensation may vary outside of these ranges 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.

U.S. Base Pay Range

$130,000—$145,000 USD

Bay Area Pay Range

$145,000—$165,000 USD