C12 builds quantum computers in-house in Paris, on a unique carbon-nanotube qubit platform. As we scale, our lab is becoming a real production facility: cleanrooms, industrial fabrication tools, dilution refrigerators, gas and cryogenic systems that must run reliably every day.
We are looking for an Operations & Reliability Manager to build and lead the team that keeps this facility available, reliable and ready to scale. You will own how we run operations day to day and how we make them progressively more robust: preventive maintenance, monitoring and data, resilience, and the operational readiness of our current and future facilities. You will build and grow a team of technicians and, over time, an on-call and shift coverage team, own the facility operations budget, and work hand in hand with Production, R&D, Qubit Control and Software.
This role reports to the R&D Operations lead.
Key Responsibilities:
- Build and lead the Operations function, covering both day-to-day operation (Run) and reliability and facility projects (Build).
- Manage and grow a team of technicians across facilities and equipment, and set a clear operating rhythm (reviews, priorities, follow-up).
- Be the operational owner of facility and equipment availability, and the escalation point when the first line cannot resolve an issue.
- Set and be accountable for the operations KPIs: uptime, lost production days due to facility or equipment downtime, planned versus unplanned maintenance ratio, MTBF and MTTR.
- Build and own the preventive-maintenance program for the cryostats, cleanroom tools and facility systems (planned maintenance, maintenance management system, spare-parts strategy).
- Continuously improve equipment reliability and uptime, evolving from scheduled maintenance toward condition-based and predictive maintenance as the data layer matures.
- Own the facility and equipment data layer and its monitoring dashboards, built with the Software team, to track performance and surface issues early.
- Use data to prioritize, detect drift early, and make operational decisions evidence-based rather than reactive.
- Ensure the availability of the facility and its utilities (power, water, gas, HVAC, cooling-water and cryogenic systems).
- Manage, coordinate and challenge external service providers and contractors, owning both the budget and the quality of the works they perform.
- Support the design, commissioning and operational readiness of new facilities (a new measurement center and a larger production facility).
- Structure, staff and coordinate the on-call rotation, and over the medium term a shift (3x8) team, for nights and weekends; define the escalation paths and response protocols.
- Ensure safety practices and emergency-response readiness across gas, cryogenic, chemical and high-voltage systems, and ensure SOPs and runbooks are written, followed and kept up to date.
Partner with Production, R&D, Qubit Control and Software, translate their needs into clear service commitments, and keep the facility and equipment ready so they can operate.
Build, lead and grow the Operations team
Reliability and preventive maintenance
Cross-functional interface
About you:
- You have 6-8 years in operations, maintenance or reliability in a technically demanding, critical-uptime environment, including significant experience leading and growing technical teams.
- You have a track record of building a preventive-maintenance program and moving an organization from reactive to preventive.
- You have experience owning an operations or facility budget and managing external contractors and suppliers at scale.
- You are comfortable owning a facility and equipment data layer and the KPIs that go with it, and steering what gets built with a software team.
- You understand how a facility network fits together (power, water, gas, HVAC) and ramp up fast on cryogenics and cleanroom specifics.
- You are rigorous, hands-on and dependable; you thrive in a scaling, still-ambiguous environment and are trusted to own things end to end.
- You are fluent in English, written and spoken.
- Operations, maintenance or reliability leadership in a semiconductor or microelectronics fab, a datacenter, a pharma or biotech cleanroom, or large scientific and research infrastructure.
- Hands-on with a maintenance management system (CMMS) and with facility monitoring or building-automation systems (GTB, SCADA).
- Experience structuring and running on-call or shift (3x8) coverage.
- Experience commissioning new facilities, cleanrooms or production lines, and owning the associated budgets.
- Exposure to cryogenics, vacuum systems or cleanroom environments.
- Safety and EHS experience in environments with compressed gases, cryogenics, chemicals or high voltage.
What we offer:
- 72,000 euros to 81,000 yearly base salary
- Stock options for every employee (BSPCE/ESOP)
- Sponsored trip to conferences around the world
- A highly dynamic international team
- Swile meal vouchers
- Mental health support with moka.care
- Annual Learning & Development Allowance
- Sabbatical leave (after 2 years in the company)
- Vibrant office culture (two office spaces in the heart of Paris, team lunches, offsite events, Friday breakfasts..)
- You like hands-on work and technology
- You want to contribute to achieving landmark results in quantum computing, making a difference in the emerging quantum technologies
- You want to work within a team of 80+ people with various backgrounds in nanofabrication, quantum electronics, and carbon nanotube science to create a revolutionary quantum computing processor
- You want to thrive in an exceptional scientific environment with several industrial and academic partners
- You share our values (excellence, scientific integrity, diversity, curiosity, and care) and want to help us define our product-focused culture and ambition to accelerate
Skills Required
- 6-8 years in operations, maintenance or reliability in a technically demanding, critical-uptime environment
- Significant experience leading and growing technical teams
- Track record building a preventive-maintenance program and transitioning from reactive to preventive maintenance
- Experience owning an operations or facility budget and managing external contractors and suppliers
- Comfortable owning facility and equipment data layer, KPIs, and working with software teams on monitoring dashboards
- Understanding of facility networks (power, water, gas, HVAC) and ability to ramp up on cryogenics and cleanroom specifics
- Fluent in English, written and spoken
- Operations or reliability leadership in semiconductor/microelectronics fab, datacenter, pharma/biotech cleanroom, or large scientific infrastructure
- Hands-on experience with CMMS and facility monitoring or building-automation systems (GTB, SCADA)
- Experience structuring and running on-call rotations and shift (3x8) coverage
- Experience commissioning new facilities, cleanrooms or production lines and owning associated budgets
- Exposure to cryogenics, vacuum systems or cleanroom environments
- Safety and EHS experience with compressed gases, cryogenics, chemicals or high voltage
What We Do
C12 is building reliable quantum computers. The company is a spin-off from ENS launched in January 2020 by twin brothers Matthieu and Pierre Desjardins to supercharge the development of the lab’s promising new quantum technology. Quantum computing has the potential to change our lives. But frequent errors limit the technology’s viability. We are tackling the fundamental issue: the nature of the hardware itself. We are tapping into the simplest material–carbon–to drive a technological breakthrough in the field. Unlike other quantum computers, we use carbon nanotubes as the fundamental building block of our processor. By combining the power of an ultra-pure material with an easy-to-manufacture semiconductor device, we are building a scalable platform for quantum computing. Our executive co-founders bring a unique combination of scientific excellence and business skills to the company. Our team is made up of the world’s most accomplished experts in quantum electronics and carbon nanotube science. Our scientific advisors are renowned scientists and pioneers in spin qubits: Dr. Takis Kontos, Dr. Matthieu Delbecq and Dr. Jérémie Viennot. In June 2021, C12 secured a $10 million seed round with funding from 360 Capital, Bpifrance (Digital Venture Fund), Airbus Ventures, BNP Paribas Développement, and Octave Klaba (OVHcloud), and additional grants from Bpifrance and the Ile-de-France Region. We are leading quantum’s next material breakthrough, and we are just getting started. Silicon enabled the emergence of classical computing – it’s time for carbon to do the same for quantum !
