Microsoft

Principal Quantum Engineer

Microsoft • $142K — $274K *
West Lafayette, IN 47906In-Person
Technical Services
Less than 5 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Doctorate in Physics, Engineering, or related field with 3+ years of industry experience or equivalent experience
  • Master's in Physics, Engineering, or related field with 6+ years of industry experience
  • Bachelor's Degree in Physics, Engineering, or related field with 8+ years of industry experience
  • Proficiency in first-principles simulations (DFT) and molecular dynamics
  • Familiarity with high-performance computing environments and collaborative code development in Python

Responsibilities

  • Own the simulation roadmap for crystalline and amorphous materials, defects, and interfaces.
  • Build models and propose experiments for validation and optimization.
  • Partner with fabrication and characterization teams to align theory with practical results.
  • Architect scalable workflows for high-throughput studies on HPC.
  • Communicate recommendations, trade-offs, and risks to engineering and leadership.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work on revolutionary technology in quantum computing
  • Engage with interdisciplinary teams in a fast-paced environment
  • Potential for technical leadership and influence across the organization
  • Flexible work culture encouraging modern AI tool usage
  • Supportive workplace emphasizing collaboration and knowledge sharing
Full Job Description
Overview

As a Principal Quantum Engineer, you will guide process integration decisions and fabrication flows via theoretical insights and atomistic simulations. You'll work closely with other experts in atomistic simulations and with fabrication, growth, characterization, and device engineering teams in a fast-paced, interdisciplinary environment. This role offers a unique opportunity to shape revolutionary technology and accelerate progress toward scalable quantum computing based on topological qubits. As a Principal Quantum Engineer, you will operate at a technical leadership level, guiding development of simulation pipelines and driving decisions. This role expands beyond individual contribution to include technical direction-setting and cross-organization influence.

Responsibilities

  • Simulation Strategy: Own the simulation roadmap (DFT/MD), for crystalline and amorphous materials, defects, and interfaces.


  • Validation & Optimization: Build models and propose experiments for validation, benchmarking and optimization.


  • Experiment Alignment: Partner with growth/fab/characterization/device teams to close gaps between theory and data and translate results into process windows and material choices.


  • Tooling & Scale: Architect scalable workflows, libraries, and data standards for reliable, high-throughput studies on HPC.


  • Decision Making: Communicate clear recommendations, trade-offs, and risks to engineering and leadership.


  • Other:


    • Embody our culture and values


Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

  • Doctorate in Physics, Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years experience in industry or in a research and development environment


    • OR Master's Degree in Physics, Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years experience in industry or in a research and development environment


    • OR Bachelor's Degree in Physics, Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years experience in industry or in a research and development environment


    • OR equivalent experience.


Other Requirements:

  • Ability to work in an "AI-first" environment using modern AI tools to accelerate discovery through both hardware and software development.


  • Ability to 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).


Additional or preferred qualifications

  • Doctorate in Physics, Engineering, or related field AND 5+ years experience in industry or in a research and development environment


    • OR Master's Degree in Physics, Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years experience in industry or in a research and development environment


    • OR Bachelor's Degree in Physics, Engineering, or related field AND 12+ years experience in industry or in a research and development environment


    • OR equivalent experience.


  • Demonstrated technical leadership on complex, multi-disciplinary hardware programs


  • Research experience in atomistic and materials modeling in a commercial or academic setting.


  • Experience with first-principles simulations (e.g., DFT) and molecular dynamics for materials and interfaces.


  • Familiarity with modeling dielectric materials, defects, diffusion, and interfaces.


  • Simulation experience of superconducting and semiconducting materials and their interfaces.


  • Experience modeling finite-temperature dynamics and transport in materials (e.g., diffusion, reactions, amorphization) using MD and related methods.


  • Proficiency with high performance computing environments.


  • Experience with collaborative code development in Python.


#Quantum #QuantumCareers #MDQCareers

Quantum Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800.00 - $274,800.00 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 $188,000.00 - $304,200.00 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.

About Microsoft

Microsoft is an American multinational corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells a range of software products and services. Microsoft’s devices and consumer (D&C) licensing segment licenses the Windows operating system and related software, Microsoft Office for consumers, and the Windows Phone operating system. The company’s computing and gaming hardware segment provides Xbox gaming and entertainment consoles and accessories, second-party and third-party video games, and Xbox Live subscriptions; surface devices and accessories; and Microsoft PC accessories. Its phone hardware segment offers Lumia smartphones and other non-Lumia phones. Its D&C segment provides Windows Store, Xbox Live transactions, and Windows phone store; search advertising; display advertising; Office 365 Home and Office 365 Personal; first-party video games; and other consumer products and services as well as operating retail stores. Microsoft’s commercial licensing segments license server products, including Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Visual Studio, System Center, and related Client Access Licenses (CALs); Windows Embedded; Windows operating system; Microsoft Office for business, including Office, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, and related CALs; Microsoft Dynamics business solutions; and Skype. Its commercial segment offers enterprise services, including premier support services and Microsoft consulting services; commercial cloud comprising Office 365 Commercial, other Microsoft Office online offerings, Dynamics CRM Online, and Microsoft Azure; and other commercial products and online services. The company markets and distributes its products through original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and resellers, as well as online.

Microsoft Careers

Join Microsoft today and be part of a company that values innovation, leadership, and diversity in its workforce. As a global leader in technology and digital transformation, Microsoft offers unparalleled job opportunities that propel your career to new heights.

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Whether you're a seasoned professional looking for your next challenge or a recent graduate eager to start your career, Microsoft has a position that suits your skills and ambitions. We are committed to fostering a culture of growth and learning, where every team member is supported in expanding their horizons.

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Career growth at Microsoft is about more than climbing the corporate ladder; it's about continuous learning, expanding your skills, and improving your capabilities. With access to various leadership and training programs, you can evolve as a professional and make a significant impact within the company and on the global stage.

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Our hiring process is designed to identify true potential. Starting with a review of your resume, followed by interviews that assess your problem-solving abilities and cultural fit, we ensure that all candidates have a fair chance to demonstrate their strengths and potential to contribute to our team.

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Microsoft is a place where you can build a professional network that spans the globe. Our employees benefit from connections with top-tier professionals and industry leaders, which opens doors to innovative projects and collaborative opportunities that are second to none.

Join Our Team

If you're ready to take on exciting challenges and make a difference in the world of technology, explore the job opportunities at Microsoft. Search for open positions that match your skills and interests, and prepare to embark on a rewarding career path filled with innovation and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

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At Microsoft, your future is limitless. Join us in our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Your journey with Microsoft starts here.
Learn more about Microsoft
Size
181,000 employees
Market Cap
$1,762.4 billion
Industry
Enterprise Technology
Net Income
$51.3 billion
Founded
1975
5 Year Trend
+15.5%
Revenue
$153.2 billion
NASDAQ
MSFT
* Ladders Estimates

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