---
title: 'Senior Process Engineer - Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) at Rigetti Computing'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-process-engineer-physical-vapor-deposition-pvd-rigetti-computing-fremont-pwbqkhks9v69'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-10'
---

# Senior Process Engineer - Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) at Rigetti Computing

- **Company:** Rigetti Computing
- **Location:** Fremont, CA
- **Compensation:** $170k–$200k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-07-09
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/rigetti/c23b1efb-102c-4487-b9d0-c714384fbd8e

## Job description

Rigetti Computing is developing superconducting quantum computers to solve some of humanity's most challenging computational problems. We are a highly interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers working at the forefront of quantum computing, materials science, and semiconductor fabrication. We value collaboration, curiosity, and technical excellence, and believe that diverse backgrounds and perspectives drive innovation. As a Senior Process Engineer – Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), you will own the process health and performance of one or more production deposition modules used to fabricate superconducting quantum processors — developing, optimizing, and qualifying thin-film deposition processes, and using data to drive continuous improvement. As you grow in the role, you will take on increasing scope in setting technical direction for your process area, mentoring other engineers, and representing process engineering in cross-functional decisions. You will work closely with equipment, facilities, process integration, materials, design, and quantum engineering teams to solve complex technical problems and support the continued scaling of Rigetti's quantum hardware platform. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to both day-to-day manufacturing and, with growing scope, the technical direction of next-generation superconducting fabrication processes. The ideal candidate has significant hands-on experience owning PVD processes in a production or scaled R&D fab. Experience leading a process or equipment qualification end-to-end, or mentoring other engineers, is a strong plus but not required — candidates who are ready to grow into that scope are encouraged to apply. They are technically curious, comfortable operating with real autonomy, and excited to shape both day-to-day manufacturing and the development of next-generation superconducting technologies.

## Key Responsibilities

Core Responsibilities:

- Own the process health and performance of assigned PVD modules through SPC, process monitoring, and data analysis.

- Develop, optimize, and qualify thin-film deposition processes for superconducting resonators, signal wiring, and interconnect structures — including qualification of new equipment, materials, and process technologies.

- Analyze process, metrology, and electrical characterization data to improve reproducibility and device performance.

- Lead root-cause investigations and implement corrective and preventive actions for process, equipment, and materials-related issues, including those requiring cross-functional coordination.

- Partner with facilities and equipment engineering to coordinate preventive maintenance, support equipment recovery, and lead process qualification following maintenance or repairs.

- Document process development activities, author and maintain standard operating procedures, and train process technicians on new processes and equipment operation.

Growth/Stretch Responsibilities:

- Contribute to and, with increasing scope, help set the technical roadmap for your process area — equipment strategy, capability investments, and long-term scalability.

- Mentor and technically review the work of process engineers or technicians as opportunities arise.

- Represent process engineering in cross-functional design and technical reviews, helping drive trade-off decisions across materials, process integration, design, and quantum engineering.

## Qualifications

- Master's degree with 4–6 years of relevant industry or research experience, or a PhD with 2+ years of relevant industry, postdoctoral, or research experience, in Materials Science, Physics, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.

- Hands-on experience with PVD equipment (sputtering, e-beam, or thermal evaporation) and semiconductor fabrication processes; direct, sustained experience with 4-inch or 6-inch wafer processing required.

- Strong working knowledge of vacuum systems and thin-film deposition processes, including diagnosing process or tool drift.

- Strong understanding of semiconductor fabrication processes and superconducting or semiconductor device physics.

- Experience with process development, experimental design (DOE), and engineering data analysis, with examples of using data to drive process decisions.

- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including technical documentation.

- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collaborative, cross-functional engineering environment.

- Comfortable operating with real autonomy in a fast-paced R&D environment with evolving technical priorities.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience leading the end-to-end qualification of a new process, tool, or material into production or scaled R&D use.

- Experience mentoring other engineers or technicians, or setting technical direction within a process area.

- Experience owning a process module through multiple technology generations or major equipment transitions.

- Track record of publications, patents, or documented internal process-capability improvements.

- Experience with superconducting thin films or device fabrication.

- Experience developing thin-film processes for semiconductor, superconducting, or quantum technologies.

- Hands-on experience with thin-film characterization techniques such as ellipsometry, AFM, SEM, XRR, XRD, or related methods.

- Experience analyzing engineering data using statistical methods and tools such as JMP, Python, MATLAB, or similar software.

- Exposure to quantum computing, cryogenic measurements, or superconducting device technologies.
- Experience working in a startup or R&D-focused engineering environment.

As engineering leaders, we value diversity and are committed to building a culture of inclusion to attract and engage innovative thinkers. Our technology, meant to serve all of humanity, cannot succeed if those who built it do not mirror the diversity of the communities we serve. Applications from women, minorities, and other under-represented groups are encouraged.

## About Rigetti

Rigetti Computing is a pioneer in full-stack quantum computing. The company has operated quantum computers over the cloud since 2017 and serves global enterprise, government, and research clients through its Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services platform. The company’s proprietary quantum-classical infrastructure provides ultra-low latency integration with public and private clouds for high-performance practical quantum computing. Rigetti has developed the industry’s first multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems. The company designs and manufactures its chips in-house at Fab-1, the industry’s first dedicated and integrated quantum device manufacturing facility. Rigetti was founded in 2013 and today employs more than 150 people with offices in the United States, U.K., and Australia. Learn more at www.rigetti.com.

Don't see the job you want? Apply here so we can keep in touch with you when the right role opens up in the future!

Export Licensing Compliance Rigetti is committed to full compliance with applicable anti-discrimination laws. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We strive to create an inclusive work environment and will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

## About Rigetti Computing

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Rigetti Computing builds full-stack superconducting quantum computers and processors, offering cloud-based quantum computing services to enterprises, governments, and researchers.
- **Entity Type**: Public (NASDAQ: RGTI)
- **Headquarters**: Berkeley, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2013
- **Founders**: Chad Rigetti

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Quantum computing hardware and software, superconducting quantum processors, cloud quantum services.
- **Target customers**: B2B, Enterprise, Government, Research institutions (DOE, DOD, national labs, financial institutions, hyperscalers).
- **Mission or purpose**: Build the world’s most powerful computers to help solve humanity’s most important and pressing problems.

## Products & Services
- **Quantum Processors (QPU)**: Superconducting quantum chips, including the latest Cepheus-1-108Q (108-qubit chiplet-based system) with 99.1% median two-qubit gate fidelity. Available via cloud and on-premises.
- **Quantum Cloud Services (QCS)**: Platform for hybrid quantum-classical computing, offering ultra-low latency connectivity between classical HPC and Rigetti QPUs. Accessible via AWS Braket, Microsoft Azure, and qBraid.
- **Fab-1**: Dedicated quantum integrated circuit foundry in Fremont, CA, enabling vertical integration for chip design and fabrication.
- **Open-Source Software**: Suite of tools for writing, simulating, and running quantum programs (e.g., Quilc, pyQuil).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available in provided sources (public company, ticker RGTI; market cap varies with trading).
- **Key Metric**: ~$569 million cash, cash equivalents, and available-for-sale investments (as of March 31, 2026). Also, 19 quantum systems deployed to date.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Quanta (committed $250M over 5 years, $35M invested at $11.59/share), UK National Quantum Computing Centre, Air Force Research Lab, C-DAC (India), Fermilab SQMS Center, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, ADIA Lab, Moody’s Analytics, NASA, USRA, AWS, Microsoft Azure.
- **Growth Signals**: Deployed 108-qubit chiplet system in April 2026; aiming for 1,000+ qubits at 99.9% median 2Q fidelity within ~3 years; expanding into Asian markets (India, Japan); 285 issued/pending patents; 164 employees; 70,000 combined sq. ft. of facilities.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Vertical integration**: Full ownership of Fab-1, the world’s first dedicated quantum chip foundry, enabling rapid iteration and proprietary chiplet scaling.
- **Chiplet architecture**: Demonstrated scaling path from 9-qubit chiplets to 108-qubit systems, with a roadmap to 1,000+ qubits.
- **Fast gate speeds**: 60 ns two-qubit gate speed (targeting <50 ns) with high fidelity (99.1% median 2Q, 99.9% 1Q). Best-in-class coherence times (T1 ~40 µs).
- **Strong IP portfolio**: 123 issued and 162 pending patents covering quantum engineering, fabrication, and algorithms.
- **Multi-cloud distribution**: QPUs integrated into AWS, Azure, and other cloud providers, lowering access barriers for customers.

## Strategic Focus
- **Technology roadmap**: Improve median two-qubit gate fidelity to 99.5% in 2026, then to 99.9% at <50 ns gate speed while scaling to 1,000+ qubits to achieve quantum advantage in ~3 years.
- **Commercial expansion**: Target government-sponsored deployments and on-premises sales (e.g., UK, India, Japan) to drive technology development until quantum advantage is realized.
- **Partnerships**: Deepen collaboration with Quanta (joint investment of $500M over 5 years) and financial sector leaders to develop practical quantum use cases.
- **Financial strength**: Maintain strong cash position (~$569M) to fund R&D and scaling efforts.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and a "growth mindset" — employees are encouraged to challenge assumptions, learn from failures, and shape the future of quantum computing.
- **Compensation & benefits**: Full-time employees receive stock-based compensation (ownership in the company), comprehensive medical/dental/vision (96% of employee and 93% of dependent premiums covered), flexible vacation policy, remote work options, and generous parental and military leave.
- **Work environment**: ~164 employees across Berkeley HQ and Fremont Fab-1; hybrid/remote flexibility; early-career talent development through embedded internship programs.
- **Engineering culture**: World-class team of experts (58 PhDs) working on cutting-edge superconducting quantum systems, from chip design to cloud deployment. Opportunities to contribute to real projects in quantum software, algorithms, hardware, and systems.

## Sources
1. [Rigetti Careers Page](https://www.rigetti.com/careers)
2. [Rigetti About Page](https://www.rigetti.com/about-rigetti-computing)
3. [Rigetti Investor Deck - June 2026](https://investors.rigetti.com/static-files/fbac3801-223f-4f0f-a207-47d25084a1d7)
4. [Rigetti Job Listings (Lever)](https://jobs.lever.co/rigetti)
5. [Rigetti Homepage (System Specs)](https://www.rigetti.com/)

## Other roles at Rigetti Computing

- [Field Engineer: Cryogenics & RF Hardware](https://feeny.ai/job/field-engineer-cryogenics-rf-hardware-rigetti-computing-berkeley-ca-or-fremont-z7tz70gq1r43) — Berkeley CA OR Fremont, CA
- [Lead Quantum Engineer, Systems Performance](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-quantum-engineer-systems-performance-rigetti-computing-berkeley-xrx3qcnc1hb5) — Berkeley, CA
- [Senior Quantum Engineer, Gate Calibration](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-quantum-engineer-gate-calibration-rigetti-computing-berkeley-vqsg1847y2k0) — Berkeley, CA
- [Senior Mechanical Engineer - Cryogenic](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-cryogenic-rigetti-computing-berkeley-y0q9887364d2) — Berkeley, CA
- [Quality Control Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/quality-control-technician-rigetti-computing-berkeley-854mtb4qepq7) — Berkeley, CA
- [Director, Global Quantum System Deployment](https://feeny.ai/job/director-global-quantum-system-deployment-rigetti-computing-berkeley-ca-or-q65xkqs9vf6x) — Berkeley CA OR Fremont, CA
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- [Senior Software Engineering Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineering-manager-rigetti-computing-berkeley-ca-or-fremont-as2w9n5qm1jw) — Berkeley CA OR Fremont, CA
- [Senior Technical Program Manager (TPM)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-program-manager-tpm-rigetti-computing-berkeley-a5g35skx4sbe) — Berkeley, CA
- [Future Open Position](https://feeny.ai/job/future-open-position-rigetti-computing-united-states-d0tz4x3f3dyk) — United States