---
title: 'Optical Engineering Manager at Atom Computing'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/optical-engineering-manager-atom-computing-boulder-aytvdrdshkw0'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Optical Engineering Manager at Atom Computing

- **Company:** Atom Computing
- **Location:** Boulder, CO
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-02
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/atomcomputing/6ed77bdb-b5f2-4370-a055-38aca8d99917

## 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.

As Optical Engineering Manager, you will lead a team of optical engineers who are driving the development and implementation of optical solutions for our quantum computers. You will bring in-depth knowledge of laser systems, optical design and laser materials processing.

Job Requirements

- Hire, lead, mentor and manage a team of high-performing optical engineers, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
- Provide technical leadership for the design, development, and optimization of complex optical systems for laser-based semiconductor equipment.
- Lead the development of optical specifications, tolerance analysis and performance models.
- Ensure the integration of optical systems with mechanical and software components.
- Develop and execute project plans, timelines, and budgets, while ensuring cross-functional alignment. Provide clear direction to ensure targets are met and consistent updates to all relevant stakeholders.
- Manage vendor relationships and procurement of optical components.
- Oversee the creation of detailed technical documentation, including design specifications, test reports and user manuals.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, maintaining ongoing communication with technical managers, project leaders, peers and support staff.
- Ensure adherence to quality standards and regulatory requirements.
- Capable of lifting and moving objects that weigh up to 25 pounds.
- Performs other duties as assigned or required.

## Experience & Education

- Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Engineering, or a related field required
- 5+ years in optical system design and development, preferably in optoelectronics, lasers, optical communications, or optics in computing.

## Qualifications

- Temperamentally suited to work at a fast-growing, early-stage startup: self-motivated, humble, driven, collaborative, and has a high tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty
- Ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with a diverse team of experimental physicists, hardware and software engineers, and support staff
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects in a changing work environment
- Experience with Fourier Optics, flat field relay optical systems, and telecentric imaging
- Experience in the design of high-numerical-aperture imaging systems
- Experience with Zemax, FRED, or equivalent ray-tracing software
- Experience with Onshape, Solidworks, or equivalent 3D CAD design software
- Deep understanding of optics, laser physics, and optical instrumentation
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Experience and proficiency to manage projects and teams effectively
- Ability and passion for recruiting the best Optical Engineers from academia and industry

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 between $160,000 - $185,000, commensurate with experience. In addition to salary, we offer a bonus plan and incentive stock options for 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

- [Platform Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/platform-engineer-atom-computing-boulder-6mg7ytrwqkpy) — Boulder, CO
- [Principal Platform Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-platform-engineer-atom-computing-boulder-czdhprdra52z) — Boulder, CO
- [Senior Embedded Platform Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-embedded-platform-engineer-atom-computing-boulder-pweseq20aq5b) — Boulder, CO
- [Senior Infrastructure Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-infrastructure-engineer-atom-computing-boulder-gqhrh0qas3jq) — Boulder, CO
- [General Application](https://feeny.ai/job/general-application-atom-computing-boulder-txp57rz50d1r) — Boulder, CO
- [Quantum Software Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/quantum-software-manager-atom-computing-berkeley-2111vsvgqg6v) — Berkeley, CA
- [Senior Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-systems-engineer-atom-computing-boulder-c9bq34x14bbp) — Boulder, CO
- [Principal Hardware Engineer: High Speed Mixed Signal Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-hardware-engineer-high-speed-mixed-signal-designer-atom-computing-7yyw5ehqhcaw) — Boulder, CO
- [Optical Physicist](https://feeny.ai/job/optical-physicist-atom-computing-boulder-rw1ypr5601m7) — Boulder, CO
- [Senior ASIC Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-asic-design-engineer-atom-computing-boulder-8xadrawfz8nr) — Boulder, CO