Staff Systems Engineer - Quantum Gravity Gradiometer
About the role
Infleqtion is a leader in atom-based quantum technology, developing quantum information processing systems, precision timekeeping, and quantum sensing solutions. We operate globally with offices in Louisville, CO; Madison, WI; Chicago, IL; Oxford, UK; and Melbourne, AU. This role supports multidisciplinary government and commercial R&D projects within our Emerging Technologies portfolio.
Responsibilities
Own and manage system requirements for the Quantum Gravity Gradiometer program, including customer-facing requirement cleanup, internal requirement decomposition, requirements traceability, and alignment across engineering teams.
Maintain Jama or equivalent requirements management tooling 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 of interfaces across the sensor head, electronics/subcontractor, laser, laser electronics, command and telemetry, software, 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.
Capture and package test data for internal and customer review during integration and test activities at multiple assembly levels.
Drive systems engineering documentation quality, including document templates, folder structure, SharePoint organization, revision control, release status, and document readiness before external delivery.
Author major systems engineering documents and assign technical sections to subject-matter experts as needed, including requirements documents, ICDs, architecture documents, CONOPs, verification plans, test plans, review packages, and customer deliverables.
Define required deliverables, select review entry and exit criteria, prepare design-review packages, and track review closure actions for PLC execution.
Establish repeatable design-review structure, including standard review slide decks, review expectations, required artifacts, action-item tracking, and customer-facing closure evidence.
Support risk communication with program management and customers, including risk retirement plans, mitigation owners, schedule impacts, and linkage to technical decisions.
Work with physicists and subsystem leads to ensure operations concepts are consistent with system architecture, interfaces, modes, states, constraints, and expected use cases.
Own and maintain system architecture documentation, including architecture diagrams, subsystem responsibilities, functional allocations, interface definitions, operating modes, and change propagation across teams.
Manage source-of-truth SWaP tracking by collecting updated size, weight, and power estimates from IPT leads, documenting assumptions and margins, and communicating impacts to architecture, requirements, risk, and customer deliverables.
Implement lean, right-sized systems engineering processes suitable for deep-tech R&D and early product development 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 Qualifications
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: 160,000-180,000 USD/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