Senior Software Engineering Manager, Runtime

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.  

Quantum computers at scale will be able to perform certain calculations faster and on larger datasets than even the world’s biggest supercomputers. But they’ll still need to integrate with classical computers for end to end calculations. Just like how the device you’re reading this job description on combines CPUs and GPUs to render efficiently, the datacenters of the future will combine CPUs, GPUs, and QPUs to solve the world’s hardest problems.

We are looking for a senior software engineering manager to lead and grow our Runtime team, which builds and maintains our hybrid classical-quantum computing environment for customers. In this role, you’ll provide capabilities to customers like quantum emulation, pluggable compilers, efficient performance, and ultimately our fault-tolerant quantum computing layer at scale. You’ll work closely both with our API teams and our full-stack hybrid computation effort.

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.

• →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.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Physics, or related field, or equivalent practical experience
• 13+ years of professional experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• 6+ years of hands-on technical leadership and people management experience
• 3+ years of experience with Kubernetes and containerization; strong understanding of container orchestration, microservices architecture, and cloud-native principles
• Experience with low latency environments (e.g. streaming, trading, high-performance computing)
• Experience with hyperscalar cloud platforms and their Kubernetes services
• Excellent taste in developer-friendly API design
• 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
• 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.

• 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
• Strong expertise in virtual machines, Linux/UNIX systems, kernels, and networking
• Contributions to large open source projects
• Past experience delivering and scaling a computation-as-a-service platform
• Familiarity with Google Kubernetes Engine
• A background in quantum computing and/or quantum information science

If you are interested in being a part of our team and mission, we encourage you to apply!