The job, in the employer's words
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.
IonQ is seeking a strategic and visionary Software Engineering Director to lead the development and operation of the core services provided by the IonQ Quantum Cloud platform (try it out yourself: https://cloud.ionq.com). This role is pivotal in delivering access to our advanced quantum computers and simulators via our APIs in the cloud and on-prem. The Director will drive the technical direction of the IonQ Quantum Cloud API platform, ensuring it aligns with IonQ's overall business objectives and market opportunities in the rapidly evolving quantum computing landscape.
The ideal candidate will have experience leading or contributing to multiple simultaneous initiatives, balancing multiple activities with a keen eye for prioritizing for the biggest impact. You’ll be able to balance technical expertise and savvy with strong business judgment to make great technology choices with lasting impact. You’ll strive for simplicity and demonstrate significant creativity and incisive judgment. You'll enjoy learning technical topics, working across multiple business streams, and be uniquely positioned to help us reach the next horizon in secure quantum computing.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute the technical roadmap for IonQ's quantum platform, aligning with business goals and market demands
- Own API design and versioning strategy for IonQ Quantum Cloud, ensuring APIs are consistent, well-documented, and a joy to integrate with
- Partner closely with developer tools leadership to ensure seamless integration between cloud services and client SDKs
- Drive cross-functional strategic initiatives, collaborating with product, research, and engineering leadership to define long-term technology choices and platform architecture
- Manage technical delivery of integrations with major cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP), ensuring alignment with IonQ's cloud strategy and business objectives
- Develop and manage the cloud services portfolio budget, ensuring cost optimization and alignment with financial goals
- Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for the cloud platform, providing regular reports and insights to executive leadership
- Provide technical leadership and guidance in building robust, scalable, and innovative software solutions that can be deployed in a variety of contexts – including on-prem and hybrid environments
In your first three months, you will focus on assessing the current cloud platform strategy, identifying key areas for improvement, and delivering new capabilities to meet growing global demand.
You’d be a good fit with...
- 12+ years of progressive technical leadership experience, including significant experience in managing and developing large-scale cloud platforms
- 7+ years experience designing and operating cloud APIs and services at scale
- Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic plans, working cross-functionally to align technology initiatives with business objectives
- Experience in building and leading high-performing distributed teams, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence across multiple timezones
- Sufficient technical proficiency to engage thoughtfully with engineers about architecture and product design, offering valuable insights when necessary
- Experiencing shipping and operating business-critical distributed systems
- Experience managing teams using AI agents for engineering tasks
- Prior experience as a software engineer and team lead
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for different audiences (your staff, users, the company as a whole)
You’d be a great fit with...
- 18+ years of senior technical leadership experience, including experience at the director level or above (e.g., 30+ engineers organized in multiple layers)
- 10+ years experience designing and scaling APIs, with a proven track record of shipping interfaces developers love to use
- Experience owning a multi-tenant cloud API product end-to-end—from API design through deployment and operations—at scale
- Strong product and design sense
- Experience in driving organizational change and transformation in a rapidly evolving technology environment
- Experience recruiting and managing teams distributed across multiple continents
- Experience developing sustainable, in-house framework and abstraction layers
- Strong business acumen and experience in developing and managing the engineering platform for a significant business unit
- Experience managing rigorous incident response processes, on-call rotations, and retrospectives
- Personal experience writing software with AI agents
- Prior experience with building/scaling platform-as-a-service offerings
- Prior experience with quantum computing
Location: This role will be based onsite at our office in Bothell, Washington or our Headquarters in College Park, MD.
Travel: Up to 10%
Job ID: 1332
The approximate base salary range for this position is $221,925 - $290,558. The total compensation package includes base, bonus, and equity.
Compensation will vary based on individual factors such as education, qualifications, and experience of the final candidate(s), specific office location, and calibration against relevant market data and internal team equity. Posted base salary figures are subject to change as new market data becomes available. Our benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, matching 401(k), unlimited PTO and paid holidays, parental/adoption leave, legal insurance, and a home technology stipend. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided when a candidate receives an offer of employment.
At IonQ, we believe in fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all while striving to identify and eliminate barriers. We empower employees to thrive by fostering a culture of autonomy, productivity, and respect. We are dedicated to creating an environment where individuals can feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued.
We are committed to equity and justice. We welcome different voices and viewpoints and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
US Technical Jobs. The position you are applying for will require access to technology that is subject to U.S. export control and government contract restrictions. Employment with IonQ is contingent on either verifying “U.S. Person” (e.g., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum) status for export controls and government contracts work, obtaining any necessary license, and/or confirming the availability of a license exception under U.S. export controls. Please note that in the absence of confirming you are a U.S. Person for export control and government contracts work purposes, IonQ may choose not to apply for a license or decline to use a license exception (if available) for you to access export-controlled technology that may require authorization, and similarly, you may not qualify for government contracts work that requires U.S. Persons, and IonQ may decline to proceed with your application on those bases alone. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law.
US Non-Technical Jobs. Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law.
If you are interested in being a part of our team and mission, we encourage you to apply!
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