Physicist, Resilience Engineering & Operations

We are looking for a Physicist, System Operations to join our Resilience Engineering & Operations team at IonQ. In this role you will operate, maintain and improve our trapped-ion quantum computers, contributing to the team's mission of keeping our quantum systems running reliably, safely and effectively. You will take ownership of system maintenance and day to day operational performance, working closely with cross-functional teams to ensure our commercial and development systems remain available and well understood.

This role sits at the intersection of physics, hardware operations and system reliability, and will help shape how we scale operational excellence across our quantum platforms. This is an on-site role based in Oxford, working alongside colleagues in Bothell, College Park and Daejeon., You will work on the day to day operation, monitoring, maintenance and optimisation of complex quantum systems, supporting the effective delivery of high-performing commercial and development hardware.

You will have the opportunity to improve uptime, strengthen maintenance practices and build a deeper operational understanding of system behaviour through hands-on work, data interpretation and close collaboration with technical teams across the business. Participate in follow-the-sun on-call rotations to support uptime and respond to system issues as they arise. Take ownership of regular and emergency maintenance activities to keep systems running reliably.

Build and maintain observability, automation and operational practices that improve system performance and resilience. Interpret telemetry and system behaviour to diagnose issues, guide troubleshooting and improve hardware understanding. Work collaboratively across teams, time zones and occasionally locations, including coordinating access, communicating status and supporting training where needed.

To be successful you will need a strong experimental background in physics, optical engineering or a related physical science discipline, along with hands-on experience working with complex technical systems in a lab or hardware environment. We are looking for someone who can operate carefully in a fast-moving setting, communicate well across teams, and take practical ownership of keeping systems running., You'd be a great fit with: A Bachelor's, Master's or PhD in physics, engineering or another relevant physical science discipline.

Hands-on experience in atomic, optical or closely related experimental environments, including optical setups, alignment and maintenance of complex hardware systems. Strong communication skills, a collaborative mindset, and the ability to work effectively with distributed teams and varied stakeholders. Flexibility to work as part of an on-call rotation, with regular on-site presence in Oxford and the ability to travel occasionally if required.

Experience with telemetry, data analysis, scripting or software tools such as Python or Rust, and ideally exposure to RF, analog, digital or precision control systems. 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 o