Industry R&D
Senior Manager, Cryptographic Engineering
IonQ
Geneva, Switzerland
Description
About IonQ:
IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world’s leading quantum platform and merchant supplier - delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. IonQ’s newest generation of quantum computers, the IonQ Tempo, is the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners including Amazon Web Services, and AstraZeneca achieve 20x performance results and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. In 2025, the company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance.
Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ has operations in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our quantum computing services are available through all major cloud providers, while we also meet the needs of networking and sensing customers across land, sea, air, and space. IonQ is making quantum platforms more accessible and impactful than ever before.
Location: This role is based onsite in Geneva, Switzerland.
Travel:
Job ID: 1893
ID Quantique (IDQ), part of IonQ, is a global leader in quantum-safe communications. We provide solutions to protect governments, telecommunication infrastructures, and banking & financial institutions from the “harvest-now, decrypt-later” threat, delivering both terrestrial and space-based quantum-safe networks in live operation globally.
The Role:
We are looking for a Senior Manager reporting to the Senior Manager, Hardware, to lead the people and the execution of our cryptographic engineering team. This team builds post-quantum cryptography (PQC) hardware acceleration for our quantum-safe product portfolio, targeting hardware security module (HSM) and network-appliance applications. This is a people-leadership and delivery role: you will manage and develop a team of 8+ highly specialised engineers, own programme execution, and partner closely with the programme’s senior technical leadership, who own the architecture and technical direction. It is an opportunity to lead exceptional people on a strategic security product line at one of the few companies where quantum-safe security is the core business.
Responsibilities:
You will manage engineers spanning applied cryptography, RTL and FPGA design, firmware and protocols, verification, QA and security certification: recruiting and onboarding, coaching and career development, objective setting, performance management and retention, building a high-performing and collaborative engineering culture. You will own execution of the programme: planning and milestones, dependency and risk management, resource allocation, budget ownership/management, and clear reporting to executive stakeholders. You will put in place the engineering processes the team runs on (development workflow, reviews, tooling, lab operations), remove blockers, and coordinate with talent acquisition, HR, product management, certification bodies, IP vendors and customers. You will work hand in hand with the programme’s senior technical leaders, giving them the room to own technical direction while you make the organisation around them work.
- Lead, recruit, develop and retain a team of highly specialised engineers across cryptography, hardware, software, verification, QA and security disciplines
- Own programme execution end to end: planning, risks, budget ownership/management, processes and executive reporting, in close partnership with the senior technical leadership
Requirements:
We are looking for a candidate with a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or a related field (or equivalent) and at least ten years in the development of complex hardware, embedded or security products, including five or more years of direct people management of engineering teams that shipped certified products. You have enough technical depth in digital hardware, embedded software or security engineering to earn the respect of deep specialists, to follow their trade-offs and to ask the right questions; exposure to cryptography or security products is a strong advantage.
You hire well and have grown senior specialists; you give honest feedback, delegate real ownership, and build teams people want to stay in. You run execution with rigour (planning, risk, reporting) without drowning engineers in process, and you communicate crisply with executives, partners and customers. Fluency in English is required; French or German is an advantage.
- Proven engineering people manager who has built and led specialist teams to shipped hardware or security products
- Execution owner with the technical credibility to lead deep experts, while leaving technical direction to the programme’s senior technical leadership
Preferred Qualifications:
You lead through trust, clarity and service to the team rather than hierarchy. You take pride in the growth of your people and the predictability of your delivery, you protect deep work and a high-trust culture, and you are motivated by making a team of exceptional specialists perform as more than the sum of its parts.
What We Offer:
- A role at one of the fastest growing and most exciting quantum companies in the world
- A competitive compensation scheme, benefits package, and equity plan designed to reward excellence
- Flexible work models that let you balance your life, your family, and your career
- Ongoing training and development to keep your skills sharp and your growth on track
- A career development plan within the IonQ group’s companies
- A dynamic, close-knit environment where you collaborate with a global team of experts
- A performance-driven culture built on trust, teamwork, and shared ambition
Compensation will vary based on individual factors such as education, qualifications, and experience of the final candidate(s), specific office location, and calibration against relevant market data and internal team equity. Posted base salary figures are subject to change as new market data becomes available. Our benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, matching 401(k), unlimited PTO and paid holidays, parental/adoption leave, legal insurance, and a home technology stipend. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided when a candidate receives an offer of employment.
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!