---
title: 'Laser Engineer - Manufacturing at Atom Computing'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/laser-engineer-manufacturing-atom-computing-boulder-p34sg5htmw9j'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-25'
---

# Laser Engineer - Manufacturing at Atom Computing

- **Company:** Atom Computing
- **Location:** Boulder, CO
- **Compensation:** $120k–$150k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-25
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-25
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/atomcomputing/9d725c06-182a-45fa-b42f-9a38c8d3e3b5

## Job description

At Atom Computing, we build quantum computers using arrays of optically trapped neutral atoms that will empower customers to achieve unprecedented computational breakthroughs. Join a world-class team of scientists, engineers, and business professionals to advance the state-of-the-art in quantum computing.

We are seeking a Laser Engineer to join our new Manufacturing organization. Working alongside the engineers and physicists developing our hardware, you will help translate first-build experience into reliable, repeatable manufacturing processes.

In this hands-on System Integration & Test (SI&T) role, you will integrate, stabilize, characterize, and troubleshoot the laser systems used in our neutral-atom quantum computers. Your responsibilities will include developing setup, test, and recovery procedures, completing laser system checkout prior to atom operations, and preparing the documentation required for handoff to Quantum Engineers (QEs).

## Responsibilities

- Install, align, and commission laser sources, amplifiers, and associated stabilization hardware from approved designs; verify optical, electrical, cooling, and control interfaces.
- Set up and tune frequency and intensity stabilization; verify lock acquisition, stability, and recovery using approved methods.
- Measure optical power, frequency stability, linewidth and noise where required, beam quality, and polarization; compare results with agreed laser acceptance and SI&T handoff criteria.
- Diagnose loss of lock, power drift, coupling degradation, thermal sensitivity, and interface faults; work with Laser Engineering, controls, and subsystem teams on approved corrections.
- Develop acceptance tests and controlled work instructions with Manufacturing Engineering for setup, alignment, calibration, and routine maintenance; use test automation where practical.
- Maintain serial-number, configuration, calibration, and test records; document non-conformance and corrective actions.
- Support system integration and laser hardware corrections during QE testing. QEs own verification with atoms and final technical acceptance.
- Follow laser-safety, interlock, and contamination-control practices; coordinate technical support and repairs with laser suppliers.

## Experience & Education

- BS in physics, optical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience; advanced degree preferred.
- 3+ years of hands-on experience commissioning, stabilizing, characterizing, and troubleshooting precision laser systems.
- Experience transferring precision optical or scientific hardware from development into repeat builds preferred.

## Qualifications

- Practical experience with laser frequency or intensity stabilization, feedback control, and fault diagnosis.
- Hands-on free-space alignment, polarization control, fiber coupling, and handling of precision optical components.
- Proficiency with laser diagnostics such as wavemeters, photodiodes, optical power meters, oscilloscopes, and optical or RF spectrum analyzers.
- Ability to interpret optical layouts, electrical schematics, control interfaces, and test data; careful documentation and clear communication with engineers, physicists, and technicians.
- Experience with diode or fiber lasers, optical amplifiers, nonlinear frequency conversion, or atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) or neutral-atom hardware preferred.
- Python or equivalent tools for instrument control and data analysis preferred.

Atom Computing provides a wide variety of perks and benefits, including fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for our employees and their dependents. Additionally, unlimited paid time off, 401K company matching, short- and long-term disability, FSA, dependent care benefits, and life insurance.  We also offer drinks, snacks, and catered team lunches in our offices, every day!

The base salary range for this position is $120,000 - $150,000 commensurate with experience. In addition to salary, we offer an annual bonus and equity in the company.

## About Atom Computing

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Atom Computing builds large-scale, gate-based quantum computers using arrays of optically-trapped neutral atoms to help companies and researchers achieve unprecedented computational breakthroughs.
- **Entity Type**: Private (funded; $60M Series B closed January 2022, ~$191.2M total funding across 12 rounds)
- **Headquarters**: Berkeley, California, United States
- **Founded**: January 2018
- **Founders**: Ben Bloom (Founder & CTO), Jonathan King (Co-Founder & Chief Scientist); Rob Hays serves as CEO & President

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Quantum computing / quantum hardware and software
- **Target customers**: B2B; enterprise researchers, commercial quantum algorithm developers, national labs, and scientific institutions seeking on-premises quantum systems
- **Mission or purpose**: Building large-scale quantum computers to enable breakthrough discoveries and tackle increasingly challenging applications, with a clear path to fault tolerance.

## Products & Services
- **[AC1000 — Quantum Computing Platform]**: A universal, gate-based quantum computer commercially available for on-premises deployment. Features 1,200+ physical qubits, all-to-all qubit connectivity, better-than-threshold fidelities, mid-circuit measurement with qubit reuse/reset, and real-time conditional branching — designed to support building logical qubits.
- **[Partner Program]**: Early-access collaboration program for software and application development partners to explore quantum algorithms, provide feedback, and work alongside Atom Computing's technical team on real-world applications.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of ~$191.2M across 12 rounds (as of 2026); latest reported annual revenue ~$5.3M
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Third Point Ventures (led Series B), Innovation Endeavors, Prelude Ventures, National Science Foundation (grants)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew ~63.6% YoY to 98 employees (2026), with +2.4% monthly growth
  - 31 active job postings; job postings up +520% year-over-year and +93.8% quarter-over-quarter
  - Expanded to offices in Berkeley, Boulder, and Austin; workforce distributed across United States and Denmark
  - 24 scholarly works with ~9,800+ citations; field-weighted citation impact of 3.7; 67% open access
  - Published industry-leading coherence times (>40s) on nuclear spin qubits in Nature Communications

## Competitive Advantages
- **Massive scalability**: Neutral-atom qubits are held microns apart by focused lasers, have no electrical charge, and can be tightly packed into arrays scaling to thousands or millions of qubits without a substantial increase in system footprint
- **Long coherence**: Use of alkaline-earth metal atoms with closed outer electron shells delivers industry-leading coherence times and insensitivity to environmental noise
- **Reduced complexity**: All qubit control is mediated by light through free space rather than individual electrical cables per qubit — a simpler path to scale
- **High fidelity**: Neutral atoms are intrinsically identical and present no fundamental physics obstacles to reaching fault-tolerant thresholds
- **Advanced technical capabilities**: First-mover positioning with mid-circuit measurement, qubit reuse/reset, and real-time conditional branching on a 1,200+ qubit commercial system

## Strategic Focus
- Advancing toward fault-tolerant quantum computing and logical qubits
- Scaling neutral-atom arrays to thousands and millions of qubits
- Expanding commercial deployment of the AC1000 platform with enterprise and research partners
- Growing the partner ecosystem for software and application development
- Scaling the engineering and technical team (significant increase in software, quantum engineering, and opto-mechanical postings)

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as collaborative and curiosity-driven — "explore the unconventional, experiment, and let curiosity be your guide"; team includes scientists, hardware/software engineers, and business professionals
- **Work environment**: Flexible working arrangements, catered in-office lunches, team gatherings, and a "come as you are" atmosphere
- **Benefits**: Comprehensive healthcare, life insurance, 401k matching, and unlimited paid time off
- **Locations**: Offices in attractive tech hubs — Berkeley, CA; Boulder, CO; and Austin, TX
- **Engineering culture**: Deep technical ownership across quantum engineering, control systems, and software; talent recruited from Rigetti Computing, Quantinuum, National Instruments, NIST, and top universities (Stanford, University of Colorado Boulder); alumni exit to Google, AWS, and U.C. Berkeley

## Sources
1. [atom-computing.com — Careers](https://atom-computing.com/careers/)
2. [atom-computing.com — About Us](https://atom-computing.com/about-us/)
3. [atom-computing.com — Quantum Computing Technology](https://atom-computing.com/quantum-computing-technology/)
4. [linkedin.com — Atom Computing Company Page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/atom-computing)
5. [cbinsights.com — Atom Computing Profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/atom-computing)

## Other roles at Atom Computing

- [Lead Quality Control Inspector](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-quality-control-inspector-atom-computing-boulder-97sce3j3qf5z) — Boulder, CO
- [Principal Subsystem Build and Test Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-subsystem-build-and-test-engineer-atom-computing-boulder-pjz5ddc8dxx2) — Boulder, CO
- [Principal AI Developer Experience Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-ai-developer-experience-engineer-atom-computing-boulder-j86866kcam10) — Boulder, CO
- [Principal Manufacturing Quality Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-manufacturing-quality-engineer-atom-computing-boulder-fp8wgksgjxmv) — Boulder, CO
- [Planning and Configuration Control Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/planning-and-configuration-control-manager-atom-computing-boulder-eyev6kxnctkd) — Boulder, CO
- [Optical Bonding Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/optical-bonding-technician-atom-computing-boulder-rbheeg4wqsp4) — Boulder, CO
- [Senior System Integration and Test Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-system-integration-and-test-engineer-atom-computing-boulder-rs2ph639cms5) — Boulder, CO
- [Research Intern](https://feeny.ai/job/research-intern-atom-computing-berkeley-w0sh0bzkxq0x) — Berkeley, CA
- [Head of Photonics](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-photonics-atom-computing-boulder-msqcx64za7bz) — Boulder, CO
- [Senior IT Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-it-systems-engineer-atom-computing-boulder-tfdxpcqyp0z8) — Boulder, CO