---
title: 'Mechanical Technician — Hardware Engineering at QuEra Computing, Inc.'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-technician-hardware-engineering-quera-computing-inc-boston-aafvgmh6mqz5'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-03'
---

# Mechanical Technician — Hardware Engineering at QuEra Computing, Inc.

- **Company:** QuEra Computing, Inc.
- **Location:** Boston, MA
- **Posted:** 2026-10-29
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-03
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/queracomputinginc/jobs/5467128008

## Job description

## About QuEra

QuEra Computing builds neutral-atom quantum computers that change the world. They are composed of precision optics, custom electronics, liquid-cooled electronics racks, and ultra-high-vacuum systems. The Hardware Engineering group designs, builds, and delivers that platform. We are moving towards repeatable, production-quality machine builds, and we need people who know how to build.

## The role

We're hiring a Mechanical Technician to be the hands-on support for our Hardware Engineering team. You'll advise on designs, fabricate, assemble, test, and troubleshoot the mechanical and fluid systems inside our quantum computers — and you'll help us turn in-house knowledge into procedures and fixtures that our present and future contract manufacturers can execute.

You'll work directly with mechanical, electrical, and optical engineers and with physicists on live machines. You'll be a first call when something needs to be built or fixed right now, and be a driver in making our builds measurable, repeatable, and safe.

What you'll do:

Machine and module assembly

- Build and integrate mechanical subassemblies for our machines: electronics racks, enclosures and frames, cold plates and liquid-cooling manifolds, cable management, and opto-mechanical module hardware.
- Perform precision assembly to documented procedures — torque specs, cleanliness requirements, fastener control, serialization.
- Support installation and rework on operating machines, coordinating carefully with the scientists and engineers who run them.

Test, inspection, and troubleshooting

- Execute pressure and leak tests, flow checks, and mechanical inspections; record results and flag anything out of spec.
- Diagnose mechanical and fluid-system problems on the floor and drive them to a fix, escalating design issues to engineering with clear evidence.
- Support root-cause investigations with hands-on teardown, measurement, and recreation of failure modes.

Fabrication and prototyping

- Run and own the mechanical development room and machine shop: manual/CNC-assist mill, saws, drill press, hand tools, and layout/inspection equipment.
- Machine fixtures, brackets, adapters, and one-off parts from engineering drawings or sketches; make sound judgment calls on tolerances, materials, and finish.
- Keep the shop organized, tooled, stocked, and safe; train engineers and co-ops on safe tool use.

Manufacturing and contract-manufacturer support

- Turn engineer intent into build-ready work instructions, travelers, and fixture designs; red-line drawings when the part doesn't match the print.
- Perform incoming inspection and first-article inspection on parts and assemblies from suppliers and contract manufacturers.
- Travel occasionally to contract manufacturers to train their technicians, qualify processes, and troubleshoot builds.

Lab infrastructure and safety

- Maintain lab mechanical infrastructure: chillers and cooling loops, racks and tables, compressed gas and utilities.
- Follow and help improve our safety practices — lockout/tagout, liquid-cooling shutoffs and leak detection, laser-lab conduct.
- Mentor junior technicians and engineering co-ops.

What we're looking for:

Required

- 2-5 years as a mechanical technician or mechanical assembler, with knowledge of small shop practices and organization

- Experience with fluid systems (1/8" - 1/2" dia), machined piece part fab and assembly, and small electronics buildup

- Ability to be coached and quickly learn and adopt new skills

-

## Basic understanding of machining practice and processes

- Organized and self-motivated, with a positive attitude

- Able to lift 50 lb, work on ladders and under tables, and spend most of the day on your feet in a lab.

- Clear written and verbal communication; knowledge of task documentation processes.

## Nice to have

- Soldering and cable construction
- CNC programming (conversational or CAM) and experience standing up a small shop.
- Basic CAD (SolidWorks or Inventor) to model fixtures or fix a drawing.
- Experience writing work instructions or SOPs, or training others to a procedure.

- Familiarity with vacuum hardware, opto-mechanics, and/or cleanroom practice.

- Experience supporting a transition of in-house designs to contract manufacturing (FAI, supplier visits, process qualification).

- Welding, brazing, or sheet-metal fabrication.

Why this role:

You'll be building machines that very few people in the world know how to build, on a team small enough that your work is visible every day. You'll have real ownership of a shop and a process, be a direct support for the engineers designing the hardware, and help shape how QuEra manufactures its next generation of quantum computers.

The salary for this role is $125,000+. We consistently monitor external market data and update base salary ranges accordingly.  We determine base compensation decisions on several factors, including as geographic placement, role-specific knowledge, skills, and/or experience.  In addition to our base salary offerings, we also provide equity grants for all new hires.

QuEra is committed to cultivating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We highly value diversity in our current and future employees and do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

## #LI-DA1

## About QuEra Computing, Inc.

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: QuEra Computing builds and commercializes neutral-atom quantum computers, aiming to deliver fault-tolerant systems for scientific, industrial, and government applications.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B)
- **Headquarters**: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- **Founded**: 2018
- **Founders**: Mikhail Lukin (Chief Scientist, Harvard), Vladan Vuletić (CTO, MIT), and additional Harvard/MIT scientists

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Quantum computing (hardware, software, and cloud services)
- **Target customers**: High-performance computing (HPC) centers, public sector agencies, enterprise innovators, and research institutions – primarily B2B
- **Mission**: *“A world where quantum computing is a trusted tool for solving high-value problems in science, industry, and society.”* [quera.com](https://www.quera.com/about)

## Products & Services
- **Aquila**: A 256-qubit neutral-atom quantum computer that became the first publicly accessible neutral-atom system on Amazon Braket (launched 2023). Used for quantum simulation and research.
- **Gemini**: QuEra’s first commercially available gate-based neutral-atom quantum computer, deployed on-premises (first system delivered to Japan in 2023).
- **Quantum Innovation Platform**: A full-stack offering combining hardware, software, and co-design services to help partners develop quantum solutions for specific industries.
- **Roadmap to Fault Tolerance**: QuEra plans to reach megaquop logical performance with hundreds of logical qubits by 2028, and gigaquop performance with ~1,000 logical qubits shortly after. [quera.com](https://www.quera.com/)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed; raised >$230M in Series B financing (backed by Google, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Valor, and later expanded by NVIDIA’s NVentures). Total known funding: $17M seed (2021) + $230M+ Series B.
- **Key Metric**: Total funding ~$247M+ (private company; revenue not publicly available)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Google, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Valor Equity Partners, NVIDIA (NVentures), and others.
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Selected by Japan’s AIST for a ~$40M on-premises neutral-atom computer integrated with the NVIDIA-powered ABCI-Q supercomputer.
  - Chosen for DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) Stages A and B.
  - Demonstrated a logical quantum processor with 48 logical qubits (2024 Physics World Breakthrough).
  - Published first experimental demonstration of magic state distillation for universal logical quantum computing.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Neutral-atom technology**: Scalable to thousands of qubits using optical tweezers, offering a path to fault-tolerant quantum computing that is widely recognized as highly promising.
- **Strong academic roots**: Built on pioneering research from Harvard University and MIT, with founders who are leading physicists in the field.
- **Early ecosystem leadership**: First neutral-atom system on a public cloud (Amazon Braket), first commercially available gate-based neutral-atom system, and active partnerships with major HPC centers and governments.
- **Fault-tolerance roadmap**: Clear technical milestones (megaquop by 2028, gigaquop shortly after) backed by published breakthroughs in error correction and logical qubits.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling toward fault tolerance**: Executing a roadmap to deliver error-corrected logical quantum computers by 2028.
- **Commercial expansion**: Deploying on-premises systems to HPC centers and government labs (e.g., AIST in Japan, DARPA).
- **Ecosystem building**: Co-designing applications with enterprise and public-sector partners, and integrating with classical supercomputing infrastructure (e.g., NVIDIA GPU clusters).
- **International presence**: Establishing QuEra Computing Japan to support the country’s national quantum strategy.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as “more science, less fiction” with a focus on real physics, precision engineering, and collaborative learning across disciplines. [quera.com/careers](https://www.quera.com/careers)
- **Benefits**: Company-subsidized medical insurance with Health Reimbursement Account, 100% company-paid dental and vision, 401(k) with dollar-for-dollar match up to 5% (immediate vesting), flexible time off, paid holidays, sick leave, free parking, catered lunch-and-learns, stocked kitchens, and employee events.
- **Work environment**: Based in Boston, MA. The engineering team develops classical control systems that operate neutral-atom quantum computers, moving quantum from lab experiments to production-grade systems.
- **Team**: Leadership includes experienced executives (CEO Andy Ory, CFO Ed Durkin, CCO Yuval Boger) and world-class scientists (CTO Vladan Vuletić, Chief Scientist Mikhail Lukin). The company emphasizes internal cross-disciplinary collaboration and external partnerships.

## Sources
1. [quera.com](https://www.quera.com/) – Official website, roadmap, and product details.
2. [quera.com/careers](https://www.quera.com/careers) – Careers page with benefits and culture.
3. [quera.com/about](https://www.quera.com/about) – Company history, leadership, funding, and milestones.
4. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/quera-computing) – Company overview and financial data.
5. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/quera-computing-inc) – LinkedIn company page.

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