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Lead Diffractive Optical Engineer - 981

Quantinuum

Broomfield, COFull-time$148–199K/yrPosted 1mo agoStill listed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$148–199K/yr
Location
Broomfield, CO
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Bachelor's degree, required

Job overview

Quantinuum seeks a Lead Diffractive Optical Engineer in Broomfield, Colorado, to support commercial and research quantum-computing systems. The role develops and tests optical and photonic components, and leads design projects that validate technologies, methods, alignment, and suppliers for production solutions. Applicants must meet the stated degree, experience, and U.S. person requirements; the company also values advanced degrees and a range of optical design and measurement experience.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Optical Design, requiredHigh NA Photonic Collection Optics, nice to haveOptical System Tolerancing, nice to haveCoherent Optics, nice to haveDiffractive Optics, nice to haveMetasurfaces, nice to haveMicro-Optics, nice to haveFiber Optics, nice to havePhotonic Components, nice to haveOptical Measurement, nice to havePolarization Optics, nice to haveOptical Troubleshooting, nice to haveWavelengths UV to Infrared, nice to haveZemax, nice to haveCode V, nice to haveLightTools, nice to haveFRED, nice to haveCAD Software, nice to have

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree, required8+ Years Optical Design Experience, requiredU.S. Person, requiredMaster's or PhD in Optics or Applied Physics, nice to have

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Match
Paid Time Off
Parental Leave

Full job description

We are seeking a Lead Diffractive Optical Engineer in our Broomfield, CO location.

All applicants for placement in safety-sensitive positions will be required to submit to a pre-employment drug test.

Key Responsibilities:

• Participate in a team of physicists, optical, and opto-mechanical engineers supporting the development of commercial and research systems for quantum computing

• Test, Assemble, and Develop metasurface components, lenses, micro-optical, and photonic systems in new and novel ways to create, deliver and measure light in our next generation quantum computer systems

• Lead development and design projects that validate technologies, methods, alignment, and suppliers that leads to production solutions.

YOU MUST HAVE:

• Bachelor’s Degree minimum

• Minimum 8+ years’ experience (advanced degree inclusive) with optical design of refractive, reflective, diffractive, photonics components and systems.

• Due to Contractual requirements, must be a U.S. Person. defined as, U.S. citizen permanent resident or green card holder, workers granted asylum or refugee status

WE VALUE:

• Ph.D. or Masters in Optics, Applied Physics, or a related field

• Designing high NA photonic collection optics

• Experience tolerancing and analysis of optical systems

• Experience with coherent optics utilizing diffractive optics (DOEs) and/or metasurfaces

• Experience with micro-optics, fiber optics, and/or photonic components

• Experience with the measurement of optical components and systems

• Experience with polarization optical components

• Experience debugging and troubleshooting optical and photonic systems

• Experience working with wavelengths from UV to Infrared

• Experience with optical modeling software (Zemax preferred, Code V, LighTools, FRED)

• Experience with CAD software a plus

Quantinuum is a leading quantum computing company delivering a full stack platform designed to make quantum computing deployable in real-world environments. With active engagements spanning pharmaceuticals, material science, financial services, government, industrial sectors, and leading academic and research institutions worldwide, we are helping organizations unlock the transformative potential of quantum computing.

Our global team of more than 800 employees includes many of the world's leading scientists, engineers, and researchers, with more than 70% of our technology team holding advanced degrees at the Master's or PhD level. Headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, Quantinuum operates across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Singapore.

By joining Quantinuum, you’ll help shape the future of quantum computing, pushing the limits of technology, and making the impossible possible.

What’s in it for you?

We believe our people are our greatest strength and offer a comprehensive rewards package that supports your professional growth, well-being, and long-term success.

  • Competitive compensation and the opportunity to work on groundbreaking technology

  • Flexible work arrangements that support work-life balance

  • Employer-subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance

  • 401(k) retirement savings plan with company match and student loan repayment benefit

  • Equity opportunities

  • Generous paid time off, sick leave, and 12 paid holidays annually

  • Paid parental leave

  • Employee discount programs

Equal Employment Opportunity

Quantinuum is an equal opportunity employer. We make employment decisions based on job-related qualifications and business needs, without regard to race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, creed, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, age, physical or mental disability, serious medical condition, genetic information, marital status, spousal affiliation, military status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Consideration of citizenship or immigration status is limited to cases where a law, regulation, executive order, or government contract requires it.

Quantinuum is a federal contractor and provides equal employment opportunity to qualified individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

We provide reasonable accommodations for disabilities, serious medical conditions, pregnancy-related needs, and sincerely held religious beliefs. To request an accommodation at any stage of the application or interview process, contact [email/link].

Know Your Rights: Workplace discrimination is illegal. [https://www.eeoc.gov/poster]

Export Control Notice (U.S. Positions)

Some Quantinuum positions involve access to technology or software subject to U.S. export control laws, including the Export Administration Regulations. For these positions, Quantinuum may need to obtain U.S. government authorization, such as an export license, before a candidate who is not a “U.S. person” can access controlled technology. “U.S. persons” include U.S. citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents, and individuals granted asylum or refugee status. Quantinuum may ask candidates for information needed to determine whether authorization is required. Any hiring decision on this basis will turn on whether required authorization can be obtained. Quantinuum does not otherwise consider citizenship, immigration status, or national origin.

We are committed to making our recruitment process accessible to all. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know use the Lets talk contact form.

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis, there is no application deadline for this position.

How this job compares

Set against the 434 open Optical Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$148–199K/yr
  • Colorado median$131–180K/yr60 salary ranges
  • US median$115–201K/yr384 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $174K, is 7% above the Colorado median midpoint ($163K) — in the middle half of Optical Engineer salary ranges in Colorado.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 60 open Optical Engineer jobs in Colorado and 434 across the US. Under 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Colorado
Experience
This posting asks for at least 8 years of experience — more than three in four Optical Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 377 postings).
Education
This posting asks for a bachelor's degree; 264 of the 434 open Optical Engineer jobs (61%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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