Senior Program Manager

About the team The Project Management Office is the operationally-focused engine that drives big ideas into reality. We align strategy, streamline execution, and deliver measurable impact at scale. We turn complexity into clarity, empowering teams to achieve more, faster.

About the role As our company grows, we have an emerging need within our Program Management Office for a highly organized and detail-oriented Senior Program Manager. This role will focus on the capture and execution of our external engagements across our global team - from crafting competitive responses, to driving milestone execution and everything in between - this role will help shape the future direction of our cutting-edge quantum technology work. The Senior Program Manager role will be a key, cross-functional role under the global Program Management Office function within the Operations team. This operationally-driven team transcends administrivia and bureaucracy to “get stuff done.” We lean on automation, data, and innovation to meet our charge of scaling ahead of our growth.

What you'll be doing:

• Identify & shape opportunities: Proactively scout global quantum solicitations and agency roadmaps, assess capability fit, and identify strategic teaming partnerships with aerospace/defense primes and research consortia.
• Lead competitive R&D proposals: Drive end-to-end proposal capture for high-value solicitations and contract vehicles—translating technical concepts into compelling, compliant submissions.
• Deliver post-award milestones: Take operational ownership of active R&D contracts, steering cross-functional engineering and research teams to deliver technical milestones and reports on time.
• Steer program governance & finances: Partner with Finance, Operations, and technical teams to manage project budgets, monitor burn rates, and proactively mitigate delivery risks across the contract lifecycle.
• Drive internal and external stakeholder management: Act as the trusted operational bridge connecting our researchers, software/hardware engineers, finance, and leadership with program managers and contracting authorities across government agencies and prime contractors.

Ideally you'll have:

• A science-focused degree or equivalent industry experience
• Up to 5 years of direct project/program management experience, especially supporting engineering or product development work
• Direct experience responding to external funding opportunities such as grants, proposals, tenders, or other funding announcements
• Strong working knowledge of government procurement frameworks, contract vehicles, and compliance requirements
• Proven internal and external stakeholder management skills, with the ability to align multidisciplinary technical teams, executive sponsors, and agency or prime contractor counterparts
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment with evolving priorities
• Ability to synthesize complex technical jargon into pithy, compelling proposals and post-award presentations

It would be fantastic if you have these skills/experience but not essential:

• International program management experience
• Formal project management credentials (e.g. PMP)
• Familiarity and interest in quantum technology

Salary The targeted base salary range for this position is between $190,000 - $230,000 and will ultimately be determined by specific job-related skills, experience, level, location and other contributing factors. Depending on the position offered, this role may be eligible for annual discretionary bonuses, equity and other forms of compensation outside of the targeted base salary range. For more information on benefits at Q-CTRL, please visit our careers page at https://q-ctrl.com/careers.

Should you have any questions related to the compensation package, please speak directly with the Talent Acquisition representative.

About Q-CTRL Q-CTRL is the global leader in AI-powered quantum control infrastructure software. We build the tools that make quantum technology useful, solving the hardest challenges in quantum computing and quantum sensing to deliver real-world impact.

Founded in 2017, we operate globally with offices in Sydney, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Huntsville, Berlin, and Oxford. Our teams bring together technical and multi-disciplinary expertise across the product lifecycle, and we’re hiring talent to help scale every part of the business. We work quickly to turn cutting-edge science into deployable technology.

In 2024 we raised US$113 million in Series B funding, the largest aggregate investment for a quantum software company. Six months later we delivered the first commercial quantum advantage with Ironstone Opal, our field-validated quantum navigation solution for defense and industry.

At Q-CTRL, we prioritize outcomes over hours. We offer flexibility, equity potential, and competitive benefits that reflect our high-performance culture. If you’re ready to help shape the future of quantum, we’d love to hear from you!