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Roadrunner Venture Studios

Co-founds, accelerates deep-tech ventures.

Head of Hardware Engineering

Full-Time
No salary listed
Mid, Senior
Bachelor's
Albuquerque, NM, USA
HybridWork arrangement can be tailored between in-person and remote; frequent travel is required.
Engineering ManagementEngineering Leadership

About the job

Requirements
  • Experience leading complex hardware from concept through prototype builds, operational qualification, and production planning.
  • High proficiency with computer-aided design software such as SolidWorks or NX and product lifecycle management systems.
  • Experience with engineering release processes, configuration control, drawings, bills of materials, and supplier documentation.
  • Experience with design for manufacturing and assembly for industrial, aerospace, automotive, robotics, energy, or other complex hardware.
  • Experience with combustion hardware, thermal systems, fluid systems, gas handling, pressure systems, large field equipment, or power systems.
  • Experience with test instrumentation, data acquisition, controls interfaces, inspection methods, qualification plans, and operational readiness reviews.
  • Experience managing engineering firms, fabrication shops, suppliers, contract manufacturers, or engineering, procurement, and construction partners.
  • Experience supporting field tests or deployments and making engineering decisions under changing operating conditions.
  • At least three years of experience leading hardware development and developing engineering talent.
  • Ability to move quickly, take broad ownership, and solve complex problems with limited resources in a startup environment.
  • Experience with computational fluid dynamics, especially for combustion, heat transfer, fluid flow, or gas-handling systems.
  • Experience taking hardware from prototype builds into first-article or low-rate production.
  • Experience with aerospace, defense, energy, automotive, robotics, or other high-reliability hardware programs.
  • Experience building a hardware engineering function at an early-stage company.
Responsibilities
  • Own requirements and architecture across mechanical, thermal, combustion, structural, fluid, gas-handling, controls, and instrumentation systems.
  • Lead the system from early design through prototypes, integrated builds, field-ready hardware, and production planning.
  • Lead the design and qualification of combustion hardware, fuel and gas handling, flow and pressure systems, and thermal management.
  • Define verification methods and lead shop tests, integrated system tests, field qualification, troubleshooting, and failure reviews.
  • Turn engineering concepts into computer-aided design models, drawings, bills of materials, supplier packages, build instructions, and acceptance criteria.
  • Lead design for manufacturing and assembly so prototypes can mature into reliable production hardware.
  • Manage engineering, procurement, and construction firms, fabricators, suppliers, contract manufacturers, and other external partners.
  • Use test data, field observations, supplier feedback, and failure analysis to drive design improvements and production readiness.
  • Own the hardware schedule, budget, qualification timeline, technical quality, partner deliverables, and production plan.
  • Recruit, mentor, and manage a small team of hardware engineers.
  • Work across science, field operations, business, and external partners to resolve technical risks and keep the hardware program moving.

About the company

R

Roadrunner Venture Studios

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Roadrunner Venture Studios partners with leading scientists to co-found deep-tech startups in Energy, Space, Clean Tech, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Quantum, and High Performance Computing. They engage at the earliest idea stages—whiteboard sketches or initial concepts—and rapidly move from concept to a venture-ready company by shaping the product, business, and team while securing initial funding. Unlike traditional incubators, they provide an end-to-end starter kit: a functioning company with a founding team, initial customers, and seed capital. Their goal is to turn kernel ideas into venture-backed growth engines that can scale into market-ready businesses.

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

$4.4M

Headquarters

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Founded

2022

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • New Mexico opened the Quantum Lab on September 29, 2026, signaling real execution.
  • Roadrunner secured $25 million state funding and up to $50 million from SIC.
  • Tenants and partners expanded fast, including Q-Cat, Photon Queue, and Quantum Machines.

What critics are saying

  • Roadrunner depends on New Mexico subsidies; a 2027 budget fight squeezes expansion.
  • Quantum tenants need years to commercialize, leaving Roadrunner exposed to slow adoption and churn.
  • If founding startups stall, the studio becomes an expensive real-estate subsidy, not a venture engine.

What makes Roadrunner Venture Studios unique

  • New Mexico backs Roadrunner Quantum Lab, combining 35,000 square feet with Sandia and Los Alamos.
  • Roadrunner co-locates founders, national labs, and tenants like IonQ, QuEra, and Diraq.
  • Its venture studio model converts lab research into startups, not just passive financing.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Company Equity
  • Flexible Work Hours
  • Conference Attendance Budget
  • Professional Development Budget

Company News

Yahoo Finance
Oct 2nd, 2026
Ex-Intel CEO backs New Mexico's quantum push with $75M investment commitment

Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger addressed the Roadrunner Technology Forum in New Mexico, urging companies to embrace artificial intelligence, quantum computing and robotics despite potential job displacement. Gelsinger, who led Intel from 2021 to 2024 and oversaw the expansion of its Rio Rancho factory, is now a partner at Playground Global, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm with $1.2 billion in assets under management. The forum followed the opening of Roadrunner's quantum lab in Downtown Albuquerque, backed by a $25 million state grant. New Mexico's State Investment Council has committed $85 million to Playground Global and up to $50 million to Roadrunner Venture Studios, an Albuquerque-based venture studio investing in deep-tech startups.

GovTech
Sep 30th, 2026
$25M state-backed Quantum Lab opens in Albuquerque, N.M.

$25M state-backed Quantum Lab opens in Albuquerque, N.M. The facility, from Roadrunner Venture Studios, is housed in a 35,000-square-foot warehouse. The state's multimillion-dollar investment is part of its $450 million push to build a quantum industry. September 30, 2026 - Justin Horwath, Albuquerque Journal (TNS) - Roadrunner Venture Studios cut the ribbon Tuesday on its Albuquerque quantum lab, a $25 million state-backed facility that officials say will help build a new industry in New Mexico. Roadrunner, a venture capital studio that invests in early-stage technology companies, is housing the lab in a 35,000-square-foot warehouse in Downtown Albuquerque's Innovation District. The state's multimillion-dollar investment is part of a broader $450 million push over the past two years to build a quantum industry and workforce. State Rep. Meredith Dixon, D-Albuquerque, helped secure the state money. On Tuesday during the ribbon-cutting event, she told crowdgoers that "building a strong future requires robust investment in the industries and the workforce of tomorrow." That is why, she said, lawmakers dedicated millions of dollars over the past two years to develop the state's burgeoning quantum industry and workforce. She pointed to state investment in the University of New Mexico's Quantum New Mexico Institute, ABQ-Net, the first open-access quantum network in the country, and the Roadrunner Quantum Lab. "When we fought for this funding in the 2025 session, this is exactly what we pictured: A facility that gives quantum companies the infrastructure and partnerships they need to reach their full potential," Dixon said. Several companies have already committed to setting up shop in the quantum lab. QuEra, a Boston company, said in February it will build a $4 million open-access facility where researchers can use hybrid quantum computers to move quantum technology into commercial markets. Australian company Diraq on Tuesday announced plans to establish a research and development space at the quantum lab. Expected to open by year's end, it will include a dilution refrigerator made by Maybell Quantum Industries, a Denver company founded in 2021. One of Maybell's dilution refrigerators stood on display at the event. Corban Tillemann-Dick, founder and CEO of Maybell, said that when the machine is on, it creates the coldest place in the known universe, about 500 times colder than deep space, nearly 460 degrees below zero. Quantum processors, which are sensitive to heat, need cold temperatures to manipulate quantum bits, the basic units of information in a quantum computer. So-called qubits - objects such as electrical circuits, ions or atoms - are manipulated into sophisticated forms of bits, the ones and zeros that translate energy into information on traditional computers. "The reason you need a refrigerator like this for quantum computing is that when you are directly manipulating quantum states, you need the environment to be incredibly quiet," Tillemann-Dick said, showing off the refrigerator. "So the vibration of atoms themselves, the formation of quasi-particles, all of the noise of the universe that we live in, will disrupt these fragile quantum states." Tillemann-Dick said quantum computing will usher in a new era in human technology and "will allow us to take problems that are impossible today and make them trivially easy to solve." "It will usher in an era where infectious disease, cancer and climate change will be things of the past because of problems that will be solved in systems like this," he said. Adam Hammer, co-founder and CEO of Roadrunner, said in a speech that "people think that this country can't build big and important things anymore." "Well, what we're opening today, the Roadrunner Quantum Lab powered by the state of New Mexico, is proof of a different model," he said.

Quantum Computing Report
Sep 30th, 2026
Diraq expands U.S. Footprint with New Mexico quantum R&D laboratory to advance DARPA QBI milestones.

Diraq expands U.S. Footprint with New Mexico quantum R&D laboratory to advance DARPA QBI milestones. Silicon spin-qubit hardware developer Diraq has executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the New Mexico Technology and Innovation Office (TIO) and Roadrunner Venture Studios to establish a dedicated research and development laboratory in Albuquerque. Situated inside the newly opened Roadrunner Quantum Lab (RQL), the facility will house specialized measurement engineering teams focused on characterization, low-temperature testing, and device calibration for CMOS-compatible silicon quantum dots. The state-backed expansion directly aligns with Diraq's participation in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (DARPA QBI), where Diraq is performing as an active Stage B contractor. State matching funds provided through New Mexico's $450 million quantum technology allocation will directly finance the specialized cryogenic testing and characterization infrastructure at RQL. The Albuquerque lab will integrate sub-kelvin Maybell Quantum dilution refrigeration systems to characterize high-density silicon spin-qubit chips, complementing Diraq's existing North American sites (Palo Alto, Chicago, Los Angeles) and primary R&D headquarters in Sydney, Australia. By leveraging standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication processes, Diraq aims to achieve high-density qubit packing on standard silicon wafers, bypassing the footprint and interconnect bottlenecks that challenge non-semiconductor quantum platforms. The Albuquerque measurement laboratory will begin operational bring-up by the end of 2026, serving as a key testing node for verifying multi-qubit gate fidelities and control electronics required for utility-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing. Review the corporate disclosure via Diraq Newsdesk here and inspect state expansion details on New Mexico Economic Development Department here, and examine its recent coverage on the Roadrunner Quantum Lab facility opening and tenant ecosystem here. In GQI Portal The players behind the news. The team that writes QCR tracks every company, deal and technology in the GQI Factory, GQI's verified database of the quantum industry. Next up: every story linked to its players, coming to QCR's paid plans. * Players | Companies and institutions across the quantum industry, by segment. * Scorecards | How the players compare on hardware, software, funding and more. QCR Alerts in your inbox. The latest reporting and analysis from Quantum Computing Report. Free, unsubscribe any time.

PR Newswire
Sep 29th, 2026
New Mexico's $450M quantum lab opens in Albuquerque with 12 founding tenants

Roadrunner Quantum Lab has opened in Albuquerque's Innovation District, welcoming its first twelve tenants to a 35,000-square-foot facility. The lab is part of New Mexico's $450 million commitment to quantum technology. Supported by the State of New Mexico, the facility provides lab space, specialised equipment, and access to researchers. Tenants include quantum companies Diraq, IonQ, Quantum Machines, Conductor Quantum, Mesa Quantum, QBoltz, Photon Queue, QuEra, and Manzano Systems. Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory will help operate the Quantum Demonstration Facility on-site. Elevate Quantum, the federally designated quantum Tech Hub for New Mexico and Colorado, will establish testing and workforce development capabilities at the location. Roadrunner Venture Studios operates the facility, selected by the state to establish and run a quantum venture studio.

HPCwire
Sep 29th, 2026
Roadrunner Quantum Lab opens in Albuquerque with IonQ, Diraq and QuEra among Initial tenants.

Roadrunner Quantum Lab opens in Albuquerque with IonQ, Diraq and QuEra among Initial tenants. September 29, 2026 Press play to listen to this content ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Sept. 29, 2026 - Roadrunner Venture Studios and New Mexico's Technology and Innovation Office (TIO) today debuted the Roadrunner Quantum Lab (RQL) Powered by the State of New Mexico. Built in Albuquerque's Innovation District, the new 35,000-square-foot facility will be an anchor for New Mexico's $450M commitment to quantum, granting essential access to resources such as lab space, specialized equipment, and collaborations with leading researchers. "The Roadrunner Quantum Lab cements New Mexico's place at the forefront of quantum research in America," said Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. "It's paying off in high-paying jobs and meaningful opportunities for New Mexicans to lead at the cutting edge of quantum technology." The RQL has already attracted leading quantum information science companies to the space to build alongside new startups and researchers. These companies include Diraq, IonQ, Quantum Machines, Conductor Quantum, Mesa Quantum, QBoltz, Photon Queue, QuEra, and Manzano Systems as well as Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Elevate Quantum, and the Quantum New Mexico Institute. "New Mexico has been a home for quantum information science for decades, and it's now emerging as a place where quantum companies can grow and thrive," said David Kistin, the Director of the Roadrunner Quantum Lab. "The RQL is helping bring together researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and industry partners to build a stronger quantum ecosystem across the Southwest." The lab is a direct result of the State of New Mexico's selection of Roadrunner Venture Studios and its coalition partners to establish and operate a quantum venture studio. "New Mexico doesn't just talk about the future of quantum; we build the room where it happens," said Economic Development New Mexico Secretary Rob Black. "The Roadrunner Quantum Lab gives quantum startups access to the infrastructure, equipment and connections they need to turn breakthrough research into companies, products and high-skill jobs here in New Mexico." Initial tenants at the RQL include: * Diraq * IonQ * Sandia National Laboratories * Los Alamos National Laboratory * Quantum Machines * QBoltz * Mesa Quantum * Elevate Quantum * QuEra Computing * Conductor Quantum * Photon Queue * Manzano Systems * Noblespace "A year ago, we set out to prove that New Mexico could turn decades of research strength into real companies and real jobs," said TIO Director Nora Meyers Sackett. "Today that promise has walls, equipment, and startups walking through the door. This is what we mean when we say, 'Next starts here.'" To support the work of the studio and RQL, Roadrunner organized a New Mexico quantum coalition last year, which includes nearly a dozen partners spanning national laboratories (Sandia, Los Alamos), private industry (QuEra Computing, Maybell, Qunnect, Resonance), academic institutions (University of New Mexico) and venture capital firms (DCVC, Playground Global, Quantonation). To find out more about the facility, visit its website at roadrunnerquantumlab.com. About Roadrunner Venture Studios Roadrunner is the nation's first venture studio purpose-built for hard science company creation. The studio works with national labs, research institutions, and venture capital firms to turn research in advanced energy, robotics, precision manufacturing, and quantum into scalable, venture-backable companies. For more information, visit www.roadrunnerventurestudios.com. The U.S. Department of Energy is launching a competition with up to $215 million in planned... OpenAI says one of its AI systems has solved a math problem that has stumped... Quantum practitioners should stop wondering if quantum computer hardware is ready soon and start worrying... IBM has made its Nighthawk r2 quantum processor available through the IBM Quantum Platform, with... The recently launched Genesis Mission includes a wide range of projects aimed at using advanced... Scientists running large simulations can end up with terabytes of data that then has to...