Overview
Senior Technical Lead, Government Programs Jobs in Coquitlam, Canada at Photonic
Description
As our quantum systems mature toward program milestones, we need a rare leader who can hold rigorous technical depth and exceptional stakeholder management in the same hand. This role will be the primary interface between our engineering teams and government program offices — translating cutting-edge spin qubit R&D into credible, contract-compliant deliverables. You will operate at the intersection of:
- Full-stack quantum computing product development,
- Government and systems engineering benchmarking and evaluation,
- Quantum engineering and integrated chip engineering,
- Hardware and software engineering,
- Critical customer management and technical communication, and
- Application-level utility and performance validation
This is not a generic product or communications role. It requires deep quantum engineering fluency, attention to detail, and outstanding interpersonal skills.
Please include a cover letter with your resume (in one file) describing how you would be a great fit at Photonic and what attributes you could bring to our growing team.
WHAT WE NEED YOU TO DO
Government contract execution and stakeholder management
- Coordinate and develop the technical communications and technical product delivery for key government contacts: deliver against all contract expectations
- Manage all customer expectations, communications, experiences, and any change management as required
- Feedback into technical planning process to triage key customer feature requests.
- Define internal KPIs and defensible benchmarking methodology aligned with customer criteria.
- Communicate contract status and execution risks to executives and internal stakeholders.
Quantum Computing Product Strategy
- Contribute to the CQO office, as well as the product management team
- Translate component metrics into system-level performance milestones and delightful customer experiences
- Deliver government product milestones on time and on budget
- Contribute to product roadmap planning across all engineering and architecture teams with agile component-level TRL development
WHAT YOU BRING TO OUR TEAM
Technical Fluency
- Demonstrable working knowledge of quantum computing systems — sufficient to engage credibly with PhD-level engineers on topics such as error correction, gate fidelity, qubit coherence, control hardware, quantum software stack, and system-level performance trade-offs. This may have been gained through a graduate degree, industry experience, or both.
- Ability to critically evaluate technical claims, customer concerns, benchmark methodologies, and program milestones without needing to be the domain expert in the room.
Government Program Experience
- Demonstrated experience managing or executing on government contracts, ideally in Canada and/or the US.
- Familiarity with government program structures: milestone-based funding, evaluation criteria, reporting cadences, communication styles, and the expectations of technically sophisticated program officers.
- Experience navigating government review settings — including preparing teams for high-stakes evaluations and translating technical progress into language that satisfies contract requirements.
Leadership & Communication
- Proven track record of owning and delivering a technical communications across cross-functional engineering teams — on time and within contract or budget constraints.
- Demonstrated ability to manage stakeholder expectations across technical, executive, and customer audiences simultaneously.
- Experience leading without direct authority — coordinating across product, research, engineering, and architecture teams toward shared program milestones.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to produce and oversee the production of high-quality technical deliverables for external audiences.
- Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, high-accountability environment where the stakes of miscommunication are high.
You’ll thrive in this role if you’ve spent meaningful time in the quantum stack — debugging spin qubit devices or interpreting noisy cryogenic data. You’re equally comfortable discussing QLDPC codes or single-photon indistinguishability with a quantum physicist as you are presenting program…
Title: Senior Technical Lead, Government Programs
Company: Photonic
Location: Coquitlam, Canada
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