Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Principal Product Engineering Program Manager. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who thrives in a fluid startup environment. You'll have the opportunity to work on cutting edge technologies, work closely with leadership, and develop and implement engineering practices that support our mission and growth. This role sits on the Reliability Engineering and Product team. Your key responsibilities are as follows:
- Leads cross-functional engineering development programs spanning mechanical, electrical, module, photonics systems, software, and firmware teams, driving day-to-day execution.
- Maintains the scope, schedule, and budget for photonics hardware development activities.
- Identifies risks and unblocks engineering teams to ensure projects remain on schedule and budget.
- Partners well with supply chain, tracking long-lead items, part availability, and vendor commitments against the build schedule. Works directly with vendors and supply chain team members to ensure on-time delivery.
- Manages matrixed technical team and vendors through schedule bottlenecks, uncertainty, lack of information and sudden changes, while screening team from external turbulence and assuring productivity and focus on success.
- Provides technical, logistical and problem-solving leadership, develops and employs best engineering program management practices. Anticipates risks and identifies opportunities.
- Responsible for project execution per internally and customer defined processes, reaching, documenting and defending project milestones: requirement, design and test readiness reviews, integration and test events, test reports, installation and support activities.
Requirements
- This position requires access to export-controlled information. Employment is contingent upon the applicant being a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).
Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering field (PhD preferred)
- Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in hardware project engineering or hardware engineering product management.
- Experience in a hardware development startup environment is a plus.
Skills:
- Proven record of successfully leading a hardware development project using structured development process.
- Fluency driving actions across mechanical, electrical, software, and firmware disciplines.
- Ability to execute projects independently or in partnership with third party contract manufacturers.
Startup Mindset:
- You're creative, flexible, and eager to wear multiple hats.
- You're passionate about building systems from the ground up and comfortable with ambiguity and change.
Benefits
The expected annual salary range for this position is $175,000-$225,000.
As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch’s comprehensive benefits package, which includes:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
- Fidelity 401(k) plan with 4% employer matching
- 20 paid time off (PTO) days per year
- 13 paid company holidays
- 9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off)
Monarch Quantum is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.
Skills Required
- Ph.D. in an engineering field
- Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in hardware project engineering or hardware engineering product management
- Proven record of successfully leading a hardware development project using a structured development process
- Fluency driving actions across mechanical, electrical, software, and firmware disciplines
- Ability to execute projects independently or in partnership with third-party contract manufacturers
- U.S. person status as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), due to access to export-controlled information
- Experience in a hardware development startup environment
Monarch Quantum, Inc. Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Monarch Quantum, Inc. and has not been reviewed or approved by Monarch Quantum, Inc..
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off provisions include 20 PTO days and 13 paid holidays, indicating broad leave availability. A 9/80 schedule is also advertised, adding flexibility with every other Friday off.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits feature a Fidelity 401(k) with a 4% employer match and immediate vesting. This combination signals solid support for long-term savings.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Compensation is presented as competitive with larger San Diego tech employers, and job postings publish substantial salary ranges by role and level. This visibility indicates an intention to align pay with market benchmarks.
Monarch Quantum, Inc. Insights
What We Do
Monarch Quantum is a U.S.-based quantum photonics company that designs and manufactures integrated photonics systems, known as Quantum Light Engines™, for quantum computing, sensing, and communications.
Why Work With Us
We’re looking for curious, driven individuals inspired by the intersection of physics, engineering, and imagination. Here, you’ll collaborate with world-class experts to scale transformative quantum solutions, see measurable impact from your work, and grow through mentorship and cross-disciplinary collaboration while benefiting from a flexible,
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