Engineer – R&D
About the job
- A bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related field and 2–5 years of relevant work experience are required.
- Employees must be U.S. citizens, lawful U.S. permanent residents, or qualifying refugees or asylees to comply with U.S. export control laws.
- Ability to communicate effectively with coworkers and collaborators, both verbally and in writing, is required.
- Hands-on experience with several of the following is required: lasers and optics, electronics, or vacuum systems in an R&D environment; laser and optical system prototyping; electronic test instrumentation such as oscilloscopes, pulse generators, power supplies, and voltmeters; designing, building, and working with electromechanical assemblies; system integration, bring-up, and debugging; basic PCB board bring-up; electromechanical design of custom or semi-custom enclosures for electronic assemblies addressing shielding, grounding, and thermal constraints; computer-aided design; and basic machining.
- Build and test optical, electrical, or vacuum systems.
- Integrate electronics controllers with sensors.
- Set up test equipment and automate data collection.
About the company
Vector Atomic builds high-performance quantum sensing devices, including optical atomic clocks, inertial sensors like gyroscopes and gravimeters, and GPS-free synchronization hardware for defense, aerospace, and national security in harsh environments. These devices use atomic transitions to deliver extremely stable timing and precise motion data; optical clocks provide picosecond-level timing and distribute it via synchronization hardware, while inertial sensors track rotation and gravity for navigation without GPS. The company distinguishes itself through deep physics expertise, strong government contracts, and a path from lab hardware to field-ready products, while staying 100% employee-owned and investor-free; it was acquired by IonQ to merge sensing with computing and networking. Its goal is to speed the deployment of secure, GPS-free navigation and communication by integrating quantum sensing with broader quantum platforms for government and commercial markets.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Acquired
Total Funding
$6.8M
Headquarters
Pleasanton, California
Founded
2018
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- DARPA awarded IonQ a $28 million clock-extension on August 6, 2026.
- IonQ will deliver 125 Evergreen-05 clocks to U.S. government customers.
- Honeywell and DIU tested Vector Atomic-linked navigation hardware in September 2026.
What critics are saying
- IonQ integration can bury Vector Atomic’s niche culture inside a public-company hierarchy.
- DARPA’s $30 million option stays unexercised until performance and manufacturing milestones clear.
- Quantum sensing faces commercialization risk if government demand stalls after 2027 deployments.
What makes Vector Atomic unique
- Evergreen-05 gives Vector Atomic-derived timing in a 5-liter tactical package.
- DARPA began funding Vector Atomic’s core clock technology in 2019.
- IonQ now pairs Vector Atomic sensing with computing, networking, and manufacturing.
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Benefits
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
- Paid Vacation
- Parental Leave