{"id":1096126,"url":"https://alion.io/job/quera-computing-technical-buyer-laser-and-optical-systems","title":"Technical Buyer - Laser and Optical Systems","company":{"id":179594,"name":"QuEra Computing","domain":"quera.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/quera-computing","size_band":"11-50","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":68,"ghost_share":0.338,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":88,"computed_at":"2026-10-15T05:46:00Z"}},"role":"Operations","role_family":"Operations","seniority":"junior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Boston, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":55000,"max_usd":114000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":2247},"experience_years_min":2,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-21T17:33:28Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-21","last_verified_at":"2026-10-15T23:07:34Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":24,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":23},"description":"Summary \nQuEra builds neutral-atom quantum computers. Every machine depends on a large and growing set of laser and optical systems, sourced from specialist suppliers worldwide and deployed across our global sites. \nThe Technical Buyer will report to the head of Supply Chain, but work hand in hand with the Laser and Optical Systems team to manage QuEra’s Optical and Laser Vendor Base. QuEra’s Optical and Laser vendor base is the most critical aspect of the supply chain. The role requires competencies in both the technical and commercial sides of the business. \nThis is a vendor management role with fundamental technical competences in optics. You will work with Optical Systems Team to establish technical specifications with the vendor based on the latest R&D. You will need enough fluency to read a specification, judge a quotation against it, and hold a supplier to what was ordered. You will also need to operate in technical and commercial spaces that are fluid. You must be able to balance technical requirements and deliverable within commercial constraints. \nThe hardware purchases you will be managing are often state-of-the-art New Products (NPI) for our vendors. Specifications are not always settled when an order is placed; few suppliers can meet them, and nothing is held in stock. Lead times are long, every unit is verified on arrival before it is deployed. Sourcing spans multiple regions with trade compliance and controlled handling. Your skillset should be able to help develop vendor KPI’s, keep vendors accountable for non-conforming materials, and find opportunities for new relationships. \nFocus Areas \nActive components: laser sources, optical amplifiers, modulators, and servo electronics. \nPassive components: optical isolators, nonlinear optical materials, and polarization-maintaining components. \nCustom fiber optics and assemblies, including high-power handling and specialty terminations. \nIntegrated laser modules, precision optical assemblies, and associated spares and service parts. \nRoutine catalog items continue through the existing purchasing process. \nResponsibilities \nSourcing and purchasing \nEvaluate vendor competencies based on QuEra's R&D specifications and capacity. \nTurn approved specifications into quotable requests; collect and normalize quotations for like-for-like comparison across development cost, lead time, and warranty. \nUnderstand the vendors ability to both delivery quality product and scale capacity as QuEra moves towards a production environment. \nDevelop and Maintain an RFI / RFP / RFQ for new and existing vendors in a dynamic R&D environment. \nMaintain the qualified supplier list by category and track supplier delivery and quality performance \nAct as the intermediary for the Optics and Laser Systems Team and G&A for all high dollar procurements. Ensure that all technical and administrative details have been completed before contracts and purchase orders are executed. \nWork with internal stakeholders on material delivery plan and hold vendors accountable to that plan. \nCoordinate factory acceptance, witness testing, pre-shipment documentation, and incoming quality inspection. \nRMAs, warranty, and disputes \nOwn Vendor RMA’s and systematize processes that drive down their likelihood of reoccurring. \nCarry the supplier correspondence on RMAs, warranty claims, and disputes. \nResolve commercial disputes over specification conformance, delivery, or damage, working with the technical team on the technical position and with Legal where required. \nHave a general understanding of how to implement Supplier Corrective Action Requests. \nMaintain warranty records, flag expiry in advance, and report RMA volume, turnaround, and recurring causes. \nLogistics and compliance \nSupport Custom Packaging Projects for Laser and Optics Systems with the Engineering Team. \nSupport the Logistics Team with Customs and Export Compliance as necessary. \nRequired Qualifications \nDegree in a science or engineering field, or equivalent hands-on technical training in technical sales, optical engineering or optics quality management. \nTwo or more years working hands-on with lasers or optical systems, in a lab, field service, applications engineering, or technical sales role. \nTwo or more years in supplier-facing commercial work in a hardware environment. \nAbility to read a technical specification and hold a supplier accountable to it. \nExperience with ERP or QMS systems. \nRigorous documentation habits: purchase records, serial numbers, and configuration states recorded as a matter of course. \nExperience with laser and optical specifications: power, wavelength, linewidth, polarization, and fiber interfaces. \nPreferred Qualifications \nPhotonics or precision instrumentation background \nFamiliarity with procurement under federal funding \nMulti-site or multi-country operations experience \nIf you have spent your career on the technical side of lasers and optics and want to move into a role that runs the commercial and logistics path, we would like to hear from you. \nQuEra is committed to cultivating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We highly value diversity in our current and future employees and do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5492,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":2,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"phd","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Quantum Science & Computing","Quantum Computing Hardware"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-21T18:15:57Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 10","filings_12m":10,"filings_prev_12m":8,"green_card_filings_12m":0,"median_offered_wage_usd":177500,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-15T11:24:14+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":87,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.875,"p_room":1,"age_days":23,"expected_fill_days":88,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:early","comp:junior"],"computed_at":"2026-10-15T05:46:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/quera-computing-technical-buyer-laser-and-optical-systems","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/quera-computing-technical-buyer-laser-and-optical-systems.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-15T23:43:02Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":35930,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-16T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":179594},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=179594"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fquera-computing-technical-buyer-laser-and-optical-systems"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fquera-computing-technical-buyer-laser-and-optical-systems"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fquera-computing-technical-buyer-laser-and-optical-systems"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/quera-computing-technical-buyer-laser-and-optical-systems\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fquera-computing-technical-buyer-laser-and-optical-systems"}]}