Quantum Solutions Engineer (US)

About Zapata Quantum

Zapata Quantum is shaping the future of quantum computing: setting the standards for what’s viable, valuable, and worth building. The Company powers quantum applications across cryptography, pharmaceuticals, finance, materials discovery, defense, and beyond, translating cutting-edge research into real-world impact.

Zapata is the only organization to have contributed across every technical area of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking program, giving it a uniquely comprehensive view of what it takes to make quantum computing work in practice. Now restructured and sharply focused, Zapata Quantum stands alone as the only publicly traded, pure-play quantum software company fully dedicated to unlocking quantum’s commercial potential.

We’re rebuilding at a pivotal moment for the industry-bringing together a team that will help define how quantum delivers value in the real world, with the opportunity for meaningful ownership as we shape the commercial path forward.

About the role

We are seeking a Quantum Solutions Engineer to work directly with clients to solve real-world problems with quantum computing. This role sits at the intersection of customer engagement and applied quantum engineering-partnering with clients to understand their use cases, then designing, developing, testing, and benchmarking the quantum algorithms and workflows that turn those use cases into deliverable solutions.

You will own end-to-end technical engagements: scoping problems with customers in domains such as cryptography, chemistry, finance, materials discovery, and defense; translating them into concrete quantum circuits and workflows; performing rigorous resource estimation on both near-term and fault-tolerant hardware; and communicating results clearly back to stakeholders. You will partner closely with quantum software engineers, research scientists, and domain experts, and contribute to deliverables for government and commercial programs.

This position offers a high level of individual ownership and is well-suited to engineers who are comfortable working independently within a small, focused team and engaging directly with technical and business stakeholders. This position is classified as exempt under applicable wage and hour laws.

What you'll do

• Work directly with clients to scope, develop, test, and deliver quantum proof-of-concept and production engagements that demonstrate measurable value for their use cases
• Develop, implement, and test quantum algorithms and end-to-end workflows for applications in cryptography, chemistry, finance, materials science, and defense
• Perform end-to-end resource estimation for quantum workloads on both near-term (NISQ) and fault-tolerant hardware architectures, and communicate trade-offs to clients
• Build, benchmark, and harden circuit compilation, error mitigation, and algorithmic primitives in service of client deliverables
• Translate customer and domain-specific problems into well-posed quantum computational tasks and reproducible workflows
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact during client engagements, communicating progress, results, and recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Contribute to technical reports, customer-facing deliverables, peer-reviewed publications, and government program deliverables
• Partner with internal software engineers and scientists to improve the quality, correctness, and performance of product and solution deliverables
• Independently analyze complex scientific and engineering problems and drive them to a working, validated solution

Qualifications

• PhD in Physics, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience delivering quantum solutions
• Deep understanding of quantum computing fundamentals, including the circuit model, quantum error correction, and complexity theory
• Hands-on experience developing and testing quantum algorithms and primitives (e.g., QPE, VQE, QAOA, Hamiltonian simulation, amplitude amplification, block encoding)
• Practical experience building quantum workflows and performing resource estimation for realistic problem instances
• Strong mathematical foundations in linear algebra, probability, and numerical methods
• Proficiency with quantum-related programming and tooling (e.g., circuit simulation, compilation, resource estimation, scientific computing, or modern quantum SDKs)
• Track record of peer-reviewed publications, preprints, open-source contributions, or equivalent technical output
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage clients directly and articulate technical results to both scientific and commercial stakeholders
• Ability to work independently, scope open-ended problems, and manage client deliverables with minimal oversight
• Familiarity with modern AI tools and a drive to use them to make solution development and delivery more efficient

Preferred Experience

• Prior experience in a customer-facing technical role (solutions engineering, applied science, technical consulting, or similar)
• Experience contributing to government-funded quantum research programs
• Track record of designing and implementing novel quantum algorithms, demonstrated through publications, preprints, or open-source contributions
• Deep expertise in either quantum chemistry or quantum cryptography
• Experience leading proof-of-concept engagements from problem scoping through validated deliverable