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.
Location: This role is based at our Bothell, WA office, with the option to work a few days a week remotely.
Job ID: 1734
The Role:
We are looking for a senior software engineering manager to lead and grow our developer tools team. In this role, you’ll help deliver access to our industry-leading quantum computers and simulators via software development kits (SDKs) that make programming them a delight. You’ll regularly engage with the developer community to stay up to date with trends in industry and research communities alike.
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:
- Lead a team of software engineers creating SDKs and libraries for programming quantum computers and interacting with the systems and services around them
- Contribute to our codebase not as the lead developer, but to remain connected to the work your team is doing as a player-coach
- Participate in developer forums and events to keep your finger on the pulse of this rapidly evolving field
- Provide technical expertise and strong thought leadership in building robust, well-engineered, and scalable software solutions, participating in code reviews and ensuring best practices
- Drive functional and technical delivery of key team and org-wide programs/initiatives
- Partner with Engineering Managers, Product Managers, and other cross functional partners to define, scope, and drive large programs to conclusion.
- Develop, implement, and iterate on program management techniques, frameworks, and KPIs to achieve goals with well defined success criteria.
- Define and produce high quality written proposals, communications and documentation
- Create widely circulated plans, driving consistency, clarity and building alignment across teams
- Help influence peers / leaders and build consensus while dealing with ambiguity
- In your first three months, you’ll be helping hire key staff to scale this function.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Physics, or related field, or equivalent practical experience
- 6+ years of hands-on technical leadership and people management experience
- 5+ years experience of open source contributions
- 3+ years experience of programming experience in Python
- Past experience building SDKs, and ideally those built for use in hybrid cloud environments
- Knowledge of team management best practices and demonstrated experience building and scaling effective teams that drives a high performance culture in a distributed work environment
- Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to partner and align with external software teams
- Sound project management, analytical skills and ability to establish metrics to measure and drive a high return on investment
- Expertise in modern software development practices and tools (e.g., continuous integration and delivery, observability, etc.)
- Client focus and the ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with internal and external partners.
Preferred Qualifications:
- MS or PhD in Computer Science, Physics, Quantum Information Science, or a related degree
- 10+ years of technical leadership and people management experience
- 3+ years of managing distributed teams
- Experience as an open source project maintainer with an active community
- A background in quantum computing and/or quantum information science
- Proficiency in quantum computing SDKs (Qiskit, Pennylane, CirQ)
The approximate base salary range for this position is $200,698 - $262,765. The total compensation package includes base, bonus, equity, and a range of benefit options found on our career site.
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!
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Physics, or related field, or equivalent practical experience
- 6+ years of hands-on technical leadership and people management experience
- 5+ years experience of open source contributions
- 3+ years of programming experience in Python
- Past experience building SDKs
- Experience building SDKs for hybrid cloud environments
- Knowledge of team management best practices and demonstrated experience building and scaling effective teams in a distributed work environment
- Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to partner and align with external software teams
- Sound project management, analytical skills and ability to establish metrics to measure and drive ROI
- Expertise in modern software development practices and tools (e.g., continuous integration and delivery, observability)
- Client focus and ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with internal and external partners
- MS or PhD in Computer Science, Physics, Quantum Information Science, or related degree
- 10+ years of technical leadership and people management experience
- 3+ years of managing distributed teams
- Experience as an open source project maintainer with an active community
- A background in quantum computing and/or quantum information science
- Proficiency in quantum computing SDKs (Qiskit, PennyLane, Cirq)
IonQ Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about IonQ and has not been reviewed or approved by IonQ.
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Healthcare Strength — Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage is described alongside HSA/FSA options, disability and life insurance, and mental health support. Inclusive elements such as transgender health benefits are also part of the package.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid maternity, paternity, and bonding leave is described as fully paid for eligible employees. Additional leave types such as bereavement leave are also included in time-off provisions.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) plan with company matching up to 5% is included as part of the core package. Vesting is noted as applying over time, indicating the match is structured as a longer-term retention benefit.
IonQ Insights
What We Do
Quantum computers are a revolutionizing technology — they have the potential to transform business, society, and the planet for the better, and IonQ is at the forefront of this revolution. After over 25 years of academic research, IonQ was founded in 2015 by Chris Monroe and Jungsang Kim with $2 million in seed funding from New Enterprise Associates, a license to core technology from the University of Maryland and Duke University, and the goal of taking trapped ion quantum computing out of the lab and into the market. In the following three years, we raised an additional $20 million from GV, Amazon Web Services, and NEA, and built two of the world’s most accurate quantum computers. In 2019, we raised another $55 million in a round led by Samsung and Mubadala, and announced partnerships with Microsoft and Amazon Web Services to make our quantum computers available via the cloud. In 2020 and 2021, we built additional generations of high performance quantum hardware, added Google Cloud Marketplace to our cloud partner roster and announced a series of collaborations and business partnerships with leading academic and commercial institutions. On October 1st, 2021, IonQ began trading as IONQ on the New York Stock Exchange, making it the world's first public pure-play quantum computing company. We remain hard at work realizing the world-changing potential of quantum computing.
Why Work With Us
We’re growing a passionate, diverse team of collaborative, creative people. We believe in pursuing innovative, challenging work with integrity, alongside team members we can learn from and grow with.
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