Test and Inspection Engineer
IonQ · United States · 18h ago
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.
Role Overview
Role:
IonQ is building the packaging and test capability behind the next generations of trapped ion quantum computers. Inspection of ion trap chips is already demanding on current devices, and it gets considerably harder as the critical area of each chip grows by orders of magnitude. The next device generation arrives in the middle of next year, and our inspection process has to be ready for it.
This role owns automated optical inspection from end to end, from the equipment itself through to the data and the reporting that comes out of it. You will take a process that is currently manual, slow and not yet catching everything we need it to catch, and turn it into something repeatable that scales. It is a high ownership role in the QPU Production team in College Park, Maryland, and it exists because this problem now deserves its own engineer.
Responsibilities:
You will own our automated optical inspection capability for ion trap chips and packaged Quantum Processing Units, both before and after packaging. That covers the equipment itself, the inspection recipes that detect and classify micron scale defects across electrical and optical features, the calibration and maintenance that keep results consistent, and the training and procedures that let operators and engineers run the tool and get the same answer.
Alongside the inspection, you will build the systems that capture, store and report test and inspection data. That means defining how data flows from the tools into a central record, producing certificates of conformance for trap chips and QPUs, and establishing traceability so that every device has a complete and retrievable test and imaging history to support yield analysis and root cause work. You will have real freedom over how results are captured and reported, working with the science, photonics and CMOS teams on what we are inspecting for and why.
Key responsibilities include:
- Own the automated optical inspection platform, from installation and programming through to qualification, calibration and uptime.
- Develop inspection recipes that reliably detect and classify micron scale defects.
- Build automated capture, storage and reporting of trap chip and QPU test data.
- Produce certificates of conformance that are repeatable and auditable.
- Work with equipment vendors on selection, acceptance and troubleshooting.
Requirements:
We are looking for someone who has owned, programmed or deployed automated inspection, machine vision or optical metrology equipment in a laboratory or a manufacturing setting, and who is comfortable writing the code that sits around it. You will not be reviewing images one at a time, because the point of the role is to make that unnecessary. A degree in engineering, physics, optics, materials science or a related technical field is a good route in, as is equivalent hands on experience. Wafer level inspection is much closer to this work than surface mount inspection.
Disposition matters as much as the background. This capability is being built rather than maintained, so we need someone who will ask the science team why a specification is written the way it is, and who is content to work through a problem nobody has fully defined yet. If you have strong inspection and automation experience and the curiosity to pick up the data and reporting side, we would rather hear from you than not.
You’d be a great fit with:
- Three or more years with automated inspection, machine vision or optical metrology.
- Strong Python or similar, applied to instrument control, image processing or data automation.
- Experience organising technical data, for example databases, pipelines or automated reporting.
- A semiconductor, advanced packaging, photonics or MEMS background, ideally with some materials characterisation.
- Comfortable working hands on in a cleanroom or laboratory environment.
This role is based at our College Park office in Maryland, with a minimum of three days on site each week.
If this role has a commission structure, the compensation range below just reflects the base compensation range.
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!