Senior Applications Lead - Defense

Accountabilities:

• • Lead the development of defense and national security applications, identifying and shaping high-value use cases where fault-tolerant quantum computing can provide meaningful strategic or mission advantages.
  • Partner with business development teams on strategic accounts, customer engagements, conference participation, proposals, briefings, and senior-level stakeholder discussions.
  • Build trusted relationships with senior officials, defense primes, national laboratories, FFRDCs, service research organizations, and other strategic government and industry partners.
  • Translate defense and national security priorities into clearly defined application opportunities, assessing mission relevance, technical feasibility, potential quantum advantage, adoption pathways, and strategic value.
  • Develop compelling customer-facing materials, including technical narratives, white papers, proposals, briefings, and conference content that connect quantum technology roadmaps with defense-relevant challenges.
  • Collaborate closely with applications, algorithms, software, and other technical teams to evaluate feasibility, define project scope, identify technical and delivery risks, and develop paths toward customer-facing engagements.
  • Own selected defense and national security projects, establishing project charters, milestones, deliverables, stakeholder alignment, communications, and execution plans.
  • Contribute to the broader defense applications strategy by identifying priority use cases, target customers, strategic partners, funding opportunities, and go-to-market approaches.
  • Help develop the organization's understanding of defense-sector opportunities and continuously refine application priorities as quantum capabilities and customer needs evolve.

  Requirements:

  • Bring significant professional experience within the U.S. defense industry, national security, intelligence, aerospace, or an adjacent government technology ecosystem, with the credibility to engage senior stakeholders.
  • Hold a Ph.D. in physics, engineering, applied mathematics, chemistry, materials science, or a closely related technical discipline.
  • Be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance; an active TS/SCI clearance is strongly preferred.
  • Demonstrate strong scientific and technical judgment, with the ability to understand complex technical concepts and translate them into practical applications and compelling customer narratives.
  • Have familiarity with quantum computing, quantum algorithms, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, or related advanced technologies; direct quantum experience is advantageous.
  • Demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience creating technical briefings, proposals, white papers, conference materials, or other customer-facing content.
  • Be comfortable working across multidisciplinary teams and influencing stakeholders without direct authority.
  • Possess strong project ownership skills, with the ability to manage ambiguity, evolving priorities, multiple stakeholders, and complex initiatives in a fast-paced environment.
  • Be a self-starter who combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution and can move effectively between high-level strategy, technical analysis, and customer engagement.

  Benefits:

  • Base salary: $164,000–$192,700 USD annually for the Washington, D.C. Zone 2 market.
  • Equity grants as part of the overall compensation package.
  • Competitive health coverage for employees and eligible dependents.
  • 401(k) retirement plan with company matching.
  • Financial wellness tools and planning resources.
  • Wellness benefits and family support programs.
  • Life and disability insurance.
  • Paid leave programs and company-designated paid holidays.
  • Discretionary time off (DTO) and an end-of-year company shutdown.
  • Remote and flexible working opportunities, with the role ideally based in the Washington, D.C. area.
  • Opportunity to work at the forefront of quantum computing and help shape applications with significant national security and strategic implications.