Staff Systems Engineer - Quantum Gravity Gradiometer

Infleqtion is a leader in atom-based quantum technology - the most scalable and commercially viable platform for quantum. We develop quantum information processing systems, precision timekeeping, and quantum sensing solutions. 

With offices in Louisville, CO; Madison, WI; Chicago, IL; Oxford, UK; and Melbourne, AU, we operate globally to drive innovation in quantum technology. 

As a deep-tech startup, Infleqtion embraces a results-driven, fast-paced, and customer-focused approach to innovation. We seek an experienced Staff Systems Engineer to support multidisciplinary government and commercial R&D projects within our Emerging Technologies portfolio. This role will initially provide critical systems engineering ownership for our Quantum Gravity Gradiometer pathfinder program with NASA, while helping establish repeatable systems engineering practices for future programs. JOB RESPONSIBILITIES 

The duties and responsibilities below describe the expected scope of ownership. Depending on business needs, this role may perform a combination of some or all of the following duties; additional duties may arise. 

• Own and manage system requirements for the Quantum Gravity Gradiometer program, including customer-facing requirement cleanup, internal requirement decomposition, requirements traceability, and alignment across engineering teams. 

• Maintain Jama or equivalent requirements management tooling as the source of truth for customer requirements, derived requirements, verification methods, requirement status, version control, and change history. 

• Own and manage interface control documentation (ICDs), including source-of-truth documentation, revision control, and coordination of interfaces across the sensor head, electronics/subcontractor, laser, laser electronics, command and telemetry, software, and customer teams. 

• Lead verification and validation planning by mapping requirements to verification methods, defining evidence needs, coordinating test-plan inputs, and ensuring customer-facing V&V documentation is complete, consistent, and review-ready. 

• Coordinate with AI&T leads and technical teams to define, document, and oversee integration and test activities at multiple assembly levels, including capturing test data and packaging results for internal and customer review. 

• Own customer-facing systems engineering documentation quality, including document templates, folder structure, SharePoint organization, revision control, release status, and document readiness before external delivery. 

• Author major systems engineering documents and assign technical sections to subject-matter experts as needed, including requirements documents, ICDs, architecture documents, CONOPs, verification plans, test plans, review packages, and customer deliverables. 

• Drive Product Life Cycle (PLC) execution for selected R&D and pathfinder programs by defining required deliverables, selecting review entry and exit criteria, preparing design-review packages, and tracking review closure actions. 

• Work with the Chief Engineer and program leadership to establish a repeatable design-review structure, including standard review slide decks, review expectations, required artifacts, action-item tracking, and customer-facing closure evidence. 

• Maintain the program risk register and support risk communication with program management and customers, including risk retirement plans, mitigation owners, schedule impacts, and linkage to technical decisions. 

• Support and maintain FMEA or similar failure-analysis documentation, ensuring identified failure modes are connected to requirements, design mitigations, test coverage, and program risks. 

• Own non-physics CONOPs documentation by working with physicists, subsystem leads, and the customer to ensure operations concepts are consistent with system architecture, interfaces, modes, states, constraints, and expected use cases. 

• Own and maintain system architecture documentation, including architecture diagrams, subsystem responsibilities, functional allocations, interface definitions, operating modes, and change propagation across teams. 

• Own source-of-truth SWaP tracking by collecting updated size, weight, and power estimates from IPT leads, documenting assumptions and margins, and communicating impacts to architecture, requirements, risk, and customer deliverables. 

• Establish lean, right-sized systems engineering processes suitable for deep-tech R&D and early product development without creating unnecessary process burden. 

• Ensure consistent use of systems engineering tools and methods across selected programs, including requirements management, configuration control, document control, review readiness, traceability, and change management. 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, physics, or a related technical field. 

• 5+ years of progressive systems engineering experience with complex hardware/software systems, ideally including quantum systems, precision sensors, aerospace systems, spacecraft payloads, or other multidisciplinary R&D systems. 

• Demonstrated ability to own requirements from customer-level intent through internal decomposition, traceability, change control, and verification planning. 

• Experience developing or maintaining ICDs across electrical, mechanical, optical, software, command/telemetry, and customer interfaces. 

• Experience creating V&V plans, test plans, verification matrices, and customer-ready evidence packages for complex technical systems. 

• Experience with configuration management, document control, revision control, and formal technical review processes. 

• Ability to learn enough technical depth in complex physics, hardware, electronics, software, and integration/test systems to drive practical systems engineering decisions and keep teams aligned. 

• Demonstrated ability to work with engineers, physicists, program managers, customers, and subcontractors in a fast-paced, matrixed environment. 

• Professional-level written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to turn incomplete technical inputs into clear customer-facing documentation. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Hands-on experience with Jama, DOORS, Polarion, or comparable requirements management and traceability tools. 

• Experience supporting government-funded R&D, NASA programs, aerospace payload development, or customer-facing technical reviews such as SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, or equivalent gate reviews. 

• Experience managing FMEA, risk registers, action-item logs, design-review artifacts, or technical decision records. 

• Experience with AI&T, hardware bring-up, subsystem integration, environmental testing, qualification planning, or test readiness reviews. 

• Experience owning architecture diagrams, CONOPs, SWaP budgets, or interface documentation for systems involving sensors, lasers, electronics, software, controls, or telemetry. 

• Experience helping organizations implement lean Product Life Cycle or productization processes for R&D-to-product transition. 

SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE LOOKS LIKE 

• The program has a clear, maintained source of truth for requirements, interfaces, architecture, SWaP, risks, CONOPs, and V&V status. 

• Engineering teams know what documentation and evidence are required before design reviews and customer deliveries. 

• Customer-facing materials are technically consistent, controlled, and cleaned up before they leave the company. 

• Changes in requirements, architecture, interfaces, SWaP, or test plans are propagated across the affected teams instead of staying isolated in one subsystem. 

• Systems engineering process improves execution speed and technical clarity rather than adding paperwork for its own sake. 

Notice to Recruitment Agencies:
Infleqtion does not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. Infleqtion is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

Benefits 

• Salary range:  160,000-180,000 USD/year

• 100% company-paid medical, dental, vision, short/long-term disability  

• Employer-funded Health Savings Account  

• Unlimited PTO  

• 401(k) match  

• Company-paid Life and AD&D Insurance  

• Flexible Savings Account  

• Paid FMLA, Maternity/Paternity Leave  

• Employee Assistance Program  

• Student Loan Repayment