Product Program Manager - Quantum Computing

As a member of the product organization, you’ll be part of a team with diverse skills whose mission is to lead IonQ on its journey to build the world’s best quantum computing solutions to solve the world’s most complex and impactful problems. As the Program Manager for the product team, you will keep all product-related programs progressing on target (schedule, cost, and quality), and resolve obstacles along the way. Most programs in the product team require a high degree of cross-organizational and partner dependency to organize, coordinate, unblock, and strategize to keep the program on target.

Product development in quantum computing is no different from any other early-stage industries, with the exciting difference that you get to be among the first people in history to ever grapple with these challenges. Quantum computers and their associated systems rely on cutting-edge technologies across diverse engineering disciplines, including Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, data analysis, and a hybrid execution model that relies on both quantum computers and classical computing resources. Having interest and experience in these fields will serve you well at IonQ, but we don’t expect you to be an expert in any of them. 

You mostly need to have the ability to see the bigger picture, understand development practices, maintain a steady hand, and a sense of order in an otherwise less predictable system with lots of dependencies and potential points of failure. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on IonQ’s market success and help transform IonQ’s vision into reality.

Responsibilities:

• Manage and own the development of processes that drive greater efficiency associated with the product organization and deliver cross-functional programs tied to business results and OKRs (Objectives and Key Results).
• Help translate corporate strategy into well-written (SMART) goals, develope the metrics against which those goals are measured and track the team’s progress in a regular cadence.
• Keep all product-related programs progressing on target (schedule, cost, and quality), and resolve obstacles along the way. Most programs in the product team require a high degree of cross-organizational and partner dependency to organize, coordinate, unblock, and strategize to keep the program on target.
• Lead cross-functional efforts to address go-to-market, pricing, and customer challenges, as they pertain to IonQ’s products. Lead efforts to understand each challenge, document known facts, and facilitate a cross-functional effort to address them in an efficient and effective manner.
• Facilitate internal product-related processes such as Product Reviews, and Roadmap Reviews, capture outcomes, action items, and communicate progress (or challenges) as well as metrics on a regular basis.
• Help organize incoming requests for product changes and challenges. Categorize, prioretize and assign tasks for the team to handle.
• Drive the team’s Monthly Business Review process, including metrics, accomplishments, challenges, mitigation plans, and any other business-impacting callouts.
• Collaborate and manage engagements with partners around product integrations and services that relate to IonQ’s products.
• Collaborate very closely with all product managers, marketing managers, technical program managers in engineering, engineering leads, apps development team, and go-to-market teams.
• Exhibit a strong bias for action, maintain momentum on critical projects, and enable leadership to stay informed of critical decisions and timelines.
• Foster a culture of dedication, delivery, and continuous improvement while maintaining and enhancing it.

You’d be a good fit if you... 

• Possess 4+ years of experience in program or project management.
• Experience managing and working with various aspects of complex product development (development that involve multiple teams and inter-dependencies including less predictable research elements)
• Demonstrate the ability to tackle and make program progress with complex cross-dependencies across multiple functions including multiple engineering teams, sales, finance, marketing, legal and others.
• Ability to anticipate leadership and organizational needs and make appropriate course corrections to meet OKRs, budgets, and general changes in direction.
• Manage program strategy and end-to-end delivery and communicate progress and results to senior leadership.
• Experience with formal project/program management tools and project management standards.
• Experience managing project/program budgets, spending approvals, and relationships with vendors and partners.
• Possess strong inter-personal communication, organizational, and technical skills with the ability to explain organizational objectives and requirements to a wide range of audiences, including executives, engineering managers, sales and marketing leaders.
• Demonstrate the ability to prioritize and deliver on deadlines, provide leadership to the team, and work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities and generate innovative solutions in a fast-paced environment.

You’d be a great fit if you...

• Experience working on very very innovative (first time ever) products and collaborated with both engineering and product managers to push programs forward despite endless challenges.
• Proven ability to not get overwhelmed by juggling multiple programs/projects and assist others in predicting challenges and navigating possible solutions.
• Have exceptional interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal).
• Have low ego and willingness to do whatever it takes to push a program/project forward to successful conclusion.