Senior Manager, Compute Infrastructure Engineering

IonQ is developing the world's most powerful full-stack quantum computer based on trapped-ion technology. We are pushing past the limits of classical physics and current supercomputing technology to unlock a new era of computing. Quantum computing has the potential to impact every area of human society for the better. IonQ’s computers will soon redefine industries like medicine, materials science, finance, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cryptography, and more. IonQ is at the forefront of this technological revolution.

IonQ is defining the future of computing. We are seeking a seasoned Senior Manager, Compute Infrastructure Engineering to own the global compute platform that powers the world’s most powerful trapped-ion quantum computers.

In this role, you will hold the architectural vision and operational mandate for our compute services, powering our development environments and hosting software that operates our quantum systems. You will lead the team responsible for a complex hybrid environment, orchestrating workloads across on-premise quantum control systems and commercial clouds.

This is a leadership role grounded in deep technical reality. We are looking for a manager who has "been there and done that"; someone who understands Kubernetes internals and distributed systems well enough to challenge assumptions, guide architectural strategy, and mentor senior engineers, without needing to generate code yourself. You will focus on building the team, the roadmap, and the culture required to push past the limits of classical physics.

Responsibilities:

• Own the architectural strategy and operational excellence of IonQ’s global compute platform, optimizing virtual machines, Kubernetes clusters, and bare-metal resources for scale and reliability.

• Lead, mentor, and grow a diverse team of infrastructure engineers. Establish clear career paths, foster a culture of "One Team," and scale the organization effectively over the next 6-12 months.

• Design and manage a complex hybrid environment that seamlessly integrates on-premise systems with cloud resources.

• Define SLIs/SLOs and oversee incident management. Serve as the escalation point for high-severity incidents, ensuring our "customer mindset" translates into high availability and security. Integrate the Compute platform with developer tooling to promote resilient engineering practices.

• Manage the global compute budget and lead high-stakes negotiations with vendors and partners to ensure our capacity meets the demands of our roadmap.

• Collaborate with quantum physicists, SREs, and software engineers to ensure our infrastructure supports the unique development environment necessary to build the world’s best quantum computers.

You’d be a good fit with:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience (untraditional backgrounds are encouraged to apply)

• 10+ years of engineering experience in compute infrastructure (containerized workloads, VMs, kubernetes), with a deep focus on distributed systems

• 5+ years of engineering management, with a proven history of balancing technical leadership with people management. You have grown teams, managed performance, and mentored engineers

• Expert-level knowledge of Kubernetes (or other containerized control plane platforms) internals and container technologies. You don't just use K8s (or analogous control plane compute platform); you understand cloud-based scheduler, networking, and storage primitives

• Extensive experience with at least one major cloud provider (AWS EC2/EKS, Azure AKS, or GCP GKE) and a solid grasp of hybrid networking.

You’d be a great fit with:

• 10+ years of engineering management experience

• 5+ years experience supporting 24/7 production environments across multiple continents

• Past experience owning vendor relationships and a $2MM+ budget

• Past experience working within compliance frameworks such as NIST 800-171 or FedRAMP, or within govcloud

Location: This is a hybrid role based at our office in College Park, MD or Bothell, Washington or Boulder, Colorado.
Travel: Up to 15%
Job ID: 1356

The approximate base salary range for this position is $200,698 - $$262,765. The total compensation package includes base, bonus, and equity.

Compensation will vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Posted base salary figures are subject to change as new market data becomes available. Beyond base salary, total compensation includes a variable bonus and equity component and a range of benefit options found on our career site at ionq.co/jobs. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided when a candidate receives an offer of employment. Our US benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, matching 401K, unlimited PTO and paid holidays, parental/adoption leave, legal insurance, a home internet stipend, and pet insurance!

IonQ's HQ is located in College Park, Maryland, just outside of Washington DC. We are actively building out our recently opened manufacturing and production facility in Bothell, WA (near Seattle). Depending on the position, you may be required to be near one of our offices in College Park, Seattle, Toronto, Canada, and Basel, Switzerland. However, IonQ will expand into additional domestic and international geographies, so don’t let this stop you from applying!

At IonQ, we believe in fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all while striving to identify and eliminate barriers. We empower employees to thrive by fostering a culture of autonomy, productivity, and respect. We are dedicated to creating an environment where individuals can feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued.

We are committed to equity and justice. We welcome different voices and viewpoints and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

US Technical Jobs. The position you are applying for will require access to technology that is subject to U.S. export control and government contract restrictions. Employment with IonQ is contingent on either verifying “U.S. Person” (e.g., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum) status for export controls and government contracts work, obtaining any necessary license, and/or confirming the availability of a license exception under U.S. export controls. Please note that in the absence of confirming you are a U.S. Person for export control and government contracts work purposes, IonQ may choose not to apply for a license or decline to use a license exception (if available) for you to access export-controlled technology that may require authorization, and similarly, you may not qualify for government contracts work that requires U.S. Persons, and IonQ may decline to proceed with your application on those bases alone. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law.

US Non-Technical Jobs. Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law.

If you are interested in being a part of our team and mission, we encourage you to apply!