Senior Electrical Engineer- Space

About IonQ:

IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world's leading quantum company delivering solutions to solve the world's most complex problems. IonQ's newest generation quantum computers, IonQ Tempo and IonQ Forte Enterprise, are the latest in cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners such as Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, and NVIDIA achieve 20x performance results. The company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance in 2025.

The company is accelerating its technology roadmap and intends to deliver the world's most powerful quantum computers with 2 million qubits by 2030 to accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. IonQ's advancements in quantum networking position the company as a leader in building the quantum internet.

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: Pleasanton, California, United States

Travel: Up to 20%, domestic or international.

The Role:

We're looking for a Senior Electrical Engineer to join a multidisciplinary team of physicists and electrical, mechanical, software, and optical engineers designing next-generation quantum sensors for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions.

This is a newly created, high-impact role central to our space sensor programs. You'll lead the design of advanced electronics, specifying, designing, characterizing, and testing PCB assemblies with FPGA, MCU, mixed-signal, and RF architectures, built to meet the demanding reliability and environmental requirements of spaceflight.

You'll join a growing electronics team of engineers, reporting to our Engineering Director, with close daily collaboration across firmware, RTL, mechanical, and optical disciplines. This is an individual-contributor role with significant technical ownership and visibility into every stage of hardware development, from concept through on-orbit deployment.

Responsibilities:

• Lead high-level electrical architecture for next-generation quantum sensors, balancing size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C).
• Own end-to-end PCB development: requirements definition, schematic design, layout, fabrication coordination, and performance verification.
• Translate system-level requirements into detailed electronic designs in collaboration with physicists, and mechanical, software, and optical engineers.
• Design and adapt circuits for reliable operation in the LEO radiation and thermal environment.
• Partner with firmware and RTL engineers on radiation-tolerant techniques (error detection/correction, bit scrubbing, recovery methods).
• Support system integration, test, and troubleshooting to ensure instrument-level requirements are met.
• Build environmental test plans simulating LEO conditions; estimate FIT rates and electronics lifetime against mission parameters.
• Characterize and validate designs using standard lab test and measurement equipment.