---
title: 'Senior System Integration & Optical Validation Engineer at PsiQuantum'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-system-integration-optical-validation-engineer-psiquantum-milpitas-bvaysb3d22qt'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-12'
---

# Senior System Integration & Optical Validation Engineer at PsiQuantum

- **Company:** PsiQuantum
- **Location:** Milpitas California, United States
- **Posted:** 2026-09-30
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-12
- **Apply:** https://www.psiquantum.com/apply?gh_jid=8009508003

## Job description

PsiQuantum's mission is to build the first useful quantum computers: machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum systems.

Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that even the most advanced supercomputers or AI systems will never reach. Their impact will span energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries.

Our architecture and approach is based on silicon photonics. By leveraging the advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry, including partners like GlobalFoundries, we use the same high-volume processes that already produce billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics. Photonics offers natural advantages for scale: photons don't feel heat, are immune to electromagnetic interference, and integrate with existing cryogenic cooling and standard fiber-optic infrastructure.

That approach has since been tested at the highest level of scrutiny the U.S. government applies to emerging technology, and it has held up. In 2025, PsiQuantum closed a $1 billion funding round that valued the company at $7 billion. In 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce signed a $100 million Letter of Intent under the CHIPS and Science Act, followed by a $125 million agreement with DARPA under Stage C of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, PsiQuantum's most valuable U.S. government agreement to date. This year, we also broke ground on our utility-scale quantum computer in Brisbane, Australia, and continued building out our Chicago site. Victor Peng, our CEO, and co-founder Jeremy O'Brien, now Executive Chairman, lead a team and board that reflects how seriously the world is taking this build, joined this year by Intel's Lip-Bu Tan and Atomico's Niklas Zennström.

PsiQuantum also develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable. Our application, software, and industry teams work directly with leading Fortune 500 companies, including Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical, to prepare quantum solutions for real-world impact.

Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. It represents a fundamental shift, and a path to mastering challenges that cannot be solved any other way. The potential is enormous, and we now have the funding, the government validation, and the sites under construction to make it real.

Job Summary:

The Senior System Integration & Optical Validation Engineer is responsible for leading the integration, system-level verification and validation (IV&V), and operational readiness of complex photonic quantum computing systems. This role develops integration strategies, test methodologies, validation processes, and deployment procedures to ensure integrated systems meet performance, reliability, and operational requirements.

Responsibilities:

- Lead the integration, bring-up, verification, and validation of complex photonic, optical, electro-optical, and electronic subsystems for photonic quantum computing platforms.
- Define and lead system-level integration and test strategies, including the design of experiments, to verify functionality, performance, and readiness of integrated systems using classical optical methodologies.
- Develop system acceptance criteria, verification methodologies, commissioning processes, and validation roadmaps to enable consistent, repeatable deployment and product maturation.
- Drive root-cause investigations and technical problem resolution through structured experimental methods, data-driven analysis, and close collaboration across Optical, Quantum, Electronics, Controls, and Test Engineering teams.
- Own the development and continuous improvement of system integration and test infrastructure, including automation, laboratory instrumentation, engineering documentation, and scalable validation processes to improve efficiency, scalability, and system reliability.
- Lead system installation, integration, bring-up, and operational readiness activities, including planning, execution, reporting, and technical training of engineering and operations personnel.
- Provide technical leadership by establishing system integration and optical validation best practices and influencing system architecture to improve testability, deployability, manufacturability, reliability, and serviceability.
- Mentor and develop engineers and technicians while fostering engineering excellence and cross-functional collaboration.

Experience/Qualifications:

- M.S. or Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Physics, or a related technical field with 5+ years of relevant industry experience, or B.S. with 10+ years of equivalent experience.
- Extensive experience integrating, validating, and deploying complex optical, photonic, or electro-optical systems, including the specification, selection, qualification, and application of laboratory instrumentation and optical test equipment.
- Demonstrated expertise in developing system-level test strategies, verification methodologies, acceptance criteria, and experimental approaches for complex integrated systems.
- Strong understanding of optical technologies, including lasers, fiber optics, photonic components, optical instrumentation, and measurement techniques.
- Proven ability to troubleshoot multidisciplinary optical systems using structured experimental methods, quantitative data analysis, and systematic root-cause investigation.
- Experience developing automated test software, instrumentation control software, and engineering tools using Python or similar programming languages, with knowledge of Design of Experiments (DOE) and statistical data analysis.
- Strong analytical, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to make sound technical decisions in fast-paced engineering environments.
- Experience with cryogenic systems or quantum technologies is highly desirable.

PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.

Note: PsiQuantum will only reach out to you using an official PsiQuantum email address and will never ask you for bank account information as part of the interview process. Please report any suspicious activity to recruiting@psiquantum.com.

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.

## About PsiQuantum

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: PsiQuantum is building and deploying the world’s first utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers using a photonic approach and commercial semiconductor manufacturing.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series E)
- **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2016
- **Founders**: Prof. Jeremy O’Brien, Prof. Terry Rudolph, Dr. Pete Shadbolt, Prof. Mark Thompson

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Quantum Computing
- **Target customers**: Enterprises, governments, and researchers in energy, materials, pharmaceuticals, finance, and national security sectors
- **Mission**: To build and deploy useful, fault-tolerant quantum computers that can solve previously intractable problems.

## Products & Services
- **[Omega Chipset]**: A silicon photonic chipset, manufactured at scale at GlobalFoundries’ Fab 8 (Malta, NY), integrating all photonic components (superconducting detectors, single photon sources, optical switches) for fault-tolerant quantum computing.
- **[Construct Platform]**: A free, open-access software platform launched in May 2026 for designing quantum circuits, writing and simulating fault-tolerant quantum algorithms, and optimizing resources. Supports visual circuit design and Python-based tools.
- **[Utility-Scale Quantum Computers]**: Modular, fault-tolerant quantum computers being built at two sites — Moreton Bay Central, Queensland, Australia (ground broken June 2026) and the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) in Chicago, USA.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Total Funding**: Not publicly disclosed, but the company raised a **$1 billion Series E** financing round in 2025. It also signed a **$100 million Letter of Intent** with the U.S. Department of Commerce under the CHIPS and Science Act (May 2026).
- **Key Metric**: **500+ employees** (as of 2026)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**:
  - U.S. Department of Commerce (CHIPS Act incentives)
  - DARPA (advanced to final phase of US2QC program within the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative)
  - U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory ($22.5 million contract)
  - Australian Commonwealth and Queensland governments (A$940 million investment package announced April 2024)
  - GlobalFoundries (manufacturing partner)
  - Hartree Centre (UK research partnership)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Broke ground on the world’s first utility-scale quantum computer site in Australia (June 2026).
  - Opened a new Test & Validation Lab at Griffith University, Brisbane (2024-2025).
  - Launched Construct software platform to all developers (May 2026), expanding community reach.
  - Established an R&D facility at STFC Daresbury Laboratory, UK.
  - Government Advisory Board established with senior former U.S. officials.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Photonic Approach**: Uses photons (light) as qubits, which do not feel heat or electromagnetic interference. This allows control electronics to be colocated close to the qubit, reducing system size and cost.
- **Semiconductor Leverage**: Manufactures chips at a commercial, high-volume foundry (GlobalFoundries), leveraging trillions of dollars of existing infrastructure — a stark contrast to the custom cleanroom approach of most quantum startups.
- **Modular & Fiber-Based Scaling**: Uses standard telecom optical fiber to network chips, solving the inter-chip connection challenge with ultra-low-loss (reduced from ~50% to ~1%), enabling error-correction-compatible scaling.
- **Government Backing**: Deep partnerships with U.S. and Australian governments, DARPA, and key national labs signal strong trust and long-term strategic alignment.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale to Utility**: Building the world’s first utility-scale (million-qubit) fault-tolerant quantum computers and deploying them as infrastructure.
- **Geographic Expansion**: Simultaneous buildouts in Australia (Moreton Bay) and the U.S. (Chicago), with R&D in the UK.
- **Ecosystem Development**: Growing the developer community through the free Construct platform to build applications and algorithms before the hardware is fully online.
- **Technology Stack Integration**: Continuous improvement of the Omega chipset, cryogenic cabinets, networking, and control systems as an integrated platform.

## Why Work Here
- **Groundbreaking Mission**: Opportunity to work on one of the hardest engineering challenges of our time — building useful quantum computers that could reshape energy, materials, pharma, and national security.
- **Career Impact**: Be part of a team scaling from “lab to fab” with a strong track record of meeting DARPA milestones and government contracts. The company is moving from R&D into construction and deployment.
- **Flexible Work Policy**: Offers in-office, hybrid, and remote options depending on team and location.
- **Benefits**:
  - Competitive health, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents
  - 401(k) with company match, equity grants, financial wellness tools
  - Generous parental leave policy
  - Discretionary Time Off (DTO) plus federal holidays and end-of-year company shutdown
  - $200 quarterly health reimbursement
  - 12 therapy + 6 coaching sessions with Modern Health
  - Annual membership to Care.com
- **Locations**: Palo Alto (HQ, CA), Brisbane (QLD, Aus), Chicago (IL), Daresbury (UK), Malta (NY). Global team with multiple R&D and manufacturing hubs.

## Sources
1. [PsiQuantum Official Site](https://www.psiquantum.com/)
2. [PsiQuantum About Page](https://www.psiquantum.com/about)
3. [PsiQuantum Careers Page](https://www.psiquantum.com/careers)
4. [PsiQuantum Technology Page](https://www.psiquantum.com/technology)
5. [Wikipedia - PsiQuantum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PsiQuantum)

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