Quantum Technical Program Manager
Microsoft · United States · 1d ago
At Microsoft Quantum, we aim to empower science and scientists to solve the world’s biggest problems by realizing advanced computing platforms at the intersection of high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum information technology. Microsoft Quantum will change the world of computing and help solve some of humankind’s currently unsolvable problems. For more information about our team, visit https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/quantum.
Microsoft Quantum is seeking a Quantum Technical Program Manager to join the Quantum Program Management team and represent the needs and perspective of Quantum Engineering across our most strategic partnerships and engagements. You will translate engineering roadmaps, architecture decisions, technical dependencies, and delivery risks into clear program requirements and executable cross-functional plans. Acting as the bridge between Quantum PM, business development and commercial strategy, Finance, Legal, Sourcing, and partner organizations, you will ensure that partnership structures, procurement commitments, and contractual terms support technical outcomes and Microsoft’s long-term quantum roadmap. This technical program leadership role is accountable for program judgment, engineering alignment, and end-to-end execution.
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.
Responsibilities
- Represent Quantum Engineering in partner strategy, procurement, and agreement discussions, ensuring technical priorities and constraints drive decisions.
- Own program requirements and technical success criteria for external hardware, components, systems, capacity, and engineering services.
- Translate architecture, roadmap, integration, performance, reliability, and schedule needs into clear partner requirements, evaluation criteria, and decision frameworks.
- Partner with engineering leaders on build-versus-partner decisions, assessing technology readiness, integration complexity, technical differentiation, and long-term platform implications.
- Serve as the primary bridge between Quantum PM and Engineering and Microsoft business development, finance, legal, sourcing, compliance, and executive stakeholders, converting technical needs into actionable inputs for deal structures, budgets, sourcing strategies, and contracts without losing engineering intent.
- Develop concise executive recommendations integrating technical evidence, product strategy, cost, schedule, partner capability, and risk, and establish the governance, decision rights, escalation paths, and operating rhythms that keep teams and partners aligned.
- Lead technical engagement with quantum hardware partners, component suppliers, and research institutions across joint roadmap reviews, architecture discussions, interface definition, milestone planning, and technical issue resolution.
- Coordinate technical diligence and partner evaluation spanning performance, scalability, quality, manufacturability, security, compliance, supportability, and integration readiness.
- Define acceptance criteria and measurable outcomes for prototypes, development programs, hardware deliveries, capacity commitments, and technical services, and track execution end-to-end through delivery.
- Partner with sourcing, Finance, and Legal on negotiation strategy, investment models, and contract terms covering technical deliverables, IP boundaries, data and security requirements, warranties, and change control, then monitor partner performance against those obligations after signature.
- Embody our culture and values.
Qualifications
Required/minimum qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree AND 8+ years experience in engineering, product/technical program management, data analysis, or product development
- OR equivalent experience.
- 6+ years of experience managing cross-functional and/or cross-team projects.
Other Requirements:
- Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:
- Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
- Citizenship & Citizenship Verification: This role will require access to information that is controlled for export under export control regulations, potentially under the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the EU Dual Use Regulation, and/or other export control regulations. As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be required to provide either proof of their country of citizenship or proof of their U.S. permanent residency or other protected status (e.g., under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3)) for assessment of eligibility to access the export-controlled information. To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate’s citizenship will be verified with a valid passport. Lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees may verify status using other documents, where applicable.
- Ability to apply AI to accelerate engineering and lab workflows. Design and build AI agents/copilots that assist with experiment setup, log triage, measurement report generation, protocol templating, and knowledge retrieval (e.g., instrument manuals, design docs).
- Ability to evaluate agentic solutions with measurable metrics and human in the loop safeguards following Microsoft Responsible AI requirements for generative AI.
Additional or preferred qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree AND 15+ years experience engineering, product/technical program management, data analysis, or product development
- OR equivalent experience.
- 10+ years of experience managing cross-functional and/or cross-team projects.
- 1+ year(s) of experience reading and/or writing code (e.g., sample documentation, product demos).
- Experience evaluating external technologies and partners through technical diligence, requirements definition, integration planning, and measurable acceptance criteria.
- Experience applying program judgment and systems thinking to balance performance, reliability, scalability, manufacturability, cost, schedule, supply, and long-term architecture.
- Experience working effectively with business development, finance, legal, sourcing, compliance, and senior executive stakeholders on complex partnerships or procurement initiatives.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to make complex technical issues clear to nontechnical stakeholders and commercial constraints clear to engineering teams.
Technical Program Management IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $165,600 - $296,400 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $220,800 - $331,200 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.