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Senior Director of Special Projects

Monarch Quantum
San Diego, CA Full Time
POSTED ON 1/7/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 7/5/2026
Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Senior Director of Special Projects working for a CTO. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who thrives in a fluid startup environment. You'll work on cutting edge photonic system technologies as they transition from research to prototypes to support our customer's technology roadmaps. Your key responsibilities are as follows:

  • Serve as an expert in at least one quantum application (sensing, computing, communications, etc) reliant on photonic technology
  • Work with customers to understand their photonic scaling needs, break them down to system requirements, conduct architectural trade studies and propose solutions, that meet customer's performance, environmental, SWAP-C and RAM requirements.
  • Work with Monarch engineering team, customers and suppliers to rapidly prototype solutions, identify and mitigate risks and demonstrate feasibility of the proposed approaches.
  • Work with cutting edge photonic devices however the core responsibility for this position is not laser and PIC development but system level architecture and implementation and demonstration of system capabilities.
  • Responsible for planning and execution of projects on schedule and to budget
  • Key contributor to company' business development including ambassadorship/ networking and technical proposal authorship.
  • Lead matrixed team(s) and may recruit, develop and manage a small team of engineers dedicated to described above projects

Requirements

  • This position requires access to export-controlled information. Employment is contingent upon the applicant being a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C
  • 1324b(a)(3)

Experience:

  • Degree in Engineering or a related field
  • 21 years of relevant experience (including pursuit of relevant higher education), ideally within a startup or technology companies

Skills:

  • Proven record of building and leading engineering teams successfully executing complex system projects thru development, qualification, fielding and support
  • Practical experience and industry recognition in at least one engineering specialty area: systems, software/firmware, electrical, optical/photonic and (opto)mechanical
  • Experience developing hardware and/or algorithms for quantum applications
  • Practical experience with at least one aspect of: specifying, fabricating, testing, packaging and controlling wafer/die level devices (ASICs, MMICs, PICs)

Startup Mindset:

  • You're creative, flexible, and eager to wear multiple hats.
  • You're passionate about building systems from the ground up and comfortable with ambiguity and change

Benefits

The expected annual salary range for this position is $140,000-$225,000.

As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch's comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

  • Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
  • Fidelity 401(k) plan with 4% employer matching
  • 20 paid time off (PTO) days per year
  • 13 paid company holidays
  • 9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off)

Monarch Quantum is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.

Salary : $140,000 - $225,000

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