Staff Systems Engineer (Time and Frequency)

Infleqtion is a global quantum technology company solving the world’s most challenging problems. The company harnesses quantum mechanics to build and integrate quantum computers, sensors, and networks. From fundamental physics to leading edge commercial products, Infleqtion enables “quantum everywhere” through our ecosystem of devices and platforms.  

As a deep-tech startup, Infleqtion embraces a results-driven, fast-paced, and customer-focused approach to innovation. We seek an experienced Staff Systems Engineer to support multidisciplinary government and commercial R&D projects.

The duties and responsibilities below describe the expected scope of ownership. Depending on business needs, this role may perform a combination of some or all of the following duties; additional duties may arise.

• Own and manage system requirements for Time & Frequency products and programs, including customer requirement review, internal decomposition, traceability, and alignment across engineering teams.
• Maintain Jama or equivalent requirements-management tools as the source of truth for customer requirements, derived requirements, verification methods, requirement status, version control, and change history.
• Own and manage interface control documentation (ICDs), including source-of-truth documentation, revision control, and coordination across the physics package, lasers and optics, electronics, FPGA/firmware, software, mechanical, thermal, command-and-telemetry, and customer teams.

• Lead verification and validation planning by mapping requirements to verification methods, defining evidence needs, coordinating test-plan inputs, and ensuring customer-facing V&V documentation is complete, consistent, and review-ready.
• Coordinate with AI&T leads and technical teams to define, document, and oversee integration and test activities from subsystem through full-system level, including capture of performance data and preparation of results for internal and customer review.
• Own the quality and readiness of customer-facing systems-engineering documentation, including templates, folder structure, revision control, release status, and delivery readiness.
• Author major systems-engineering documents and assign technical sections to subject-matter experts as needed, including requirements documents, ICDs, system architecture documents, CONOPs, verification plans, test plans, design-review packages, and customer deliverables.
• Drive Product Lifecycle execution for selected R&D, product-development, and customer programs by defining required deliverables, establishing review entry and exit criteria, preparing design-review packages, and tracking closure actions.
• Work with the Chief Engineer and program leadership to establish a repeatable design-review structure, including standard review materials, required artifacts, action-item tracking, and customer-facing closure evidence.
• Maintain the program risk register and support risk communication with program management and customers, including mitigation plans, assigned owners, schedule impacts, and linkage to technical decisions.
• Support and maintain FMEA or similar failure-analysis documentation, ensuring identified failure modes are connected to requirements, design mitigations, test coverage, and program risks.
• Own and maintain system CONOPs by working with physicists, subsystem leads, applications engineering, and customers to ensure operational concepts are consistent with system architecture, interfaces, operating modes, constraints, and intended use cases.
• Own and maintain system architecture documentation for precision timing products, including functional allocations, subsystem responsibilities, timing and frequency-reference architecture, interfaces, operating modes, and change propagation across teams.
• Own source-of-truth SWaP tracking by collecting updated size, weight, power, thermal, and environmental estimates from IPT leads; documenting assumptions and margins; and communicating impacts to architecture, requirements, risk, and customer deliverables.
• Establish lean, right-sized systems-engineering processes suitable for deep-tech R&D, product development, and customer deployment without creating unnecessary process burden.
• Ensure consistent use of systems-engineering tools and methods across selected programs, including requirements management, configuration control, document control, review readiness, traceability, and change management.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, physics, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of progressive systems engineering experience with complex hardware/software systems, ideally including quantum systems, precision sensors, aerospace systems, spacecraft payloads, or other multidisciplinary R&D systems.
• Demonstrated ability to own requirements from customer-level intent through internal decomposition, traceability, change control, and verification planning.
• Experience developing or maintaining ICDs across electrical, mechanical, optical, software, command/telemetry, and customer interfaces.
• Experience creating V&V plans, test plans, verification matrices, and customer-ready evidence packages for complex technical systems.
• Experience with configuration management, document control, revision control, and formal technical review processes.
• Ability to learn enough technical depth in complex physics, hardware, electronics, software, and integration/test systems to drive practical systems engineering decisions and keep teams aligned.
• Demonstrated ability to work with engineers, physicists, program managers, customers, and subcontractors in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
• Professional-level written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to turn incomplete technical inputs into clear customer-facing documentation.

Preferred skills:

• Hands-on experience with Jama, DOORS, Polarion, or comparable requirements management and traceability tools.

• Experience supporting government-funded R&D, NASA programs, aerospace payload development, or customer-facing technical reviews such as SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, or equivalent gate reviews.
• Experience managing FMEA, risk registers, action-item logs, design-review artifacts, or technical decision records.
• Experience with AI&T, hardware bring-up, subsystem integration, environmental testing, qualification planning, or test readiness reviews.
• Experience owning architecture diagrams, CONOPs, SWaP budgets, or interface documentation for systems involving sensors, lasers, electronics, software, controls, or telemetry.
• Experience helping organizations implement lean Product Life Cycle or productization processes for R&D-to-product transition.

Benefits

• Salary Range: 160000 - 210000 per year
• 100% company-paid medical, dental, vision, short/long-term disability  
• Employer-funded Health Savings Account  
• Unlimited PTO  
• 401(k) match  
• Company-paid Life and AD&D Insurance  
• Flexible Savings Account  
• Paid FMLA, Maternity/Paternity Leave  
• Employee Assistance Program  
• Student Loan Repayment 
• Equity Program

Notice to Recruitment Agencies:

Infleqtion does not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. Infleqtion is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.