Director, Datacenter System Architecture

Job Title

Director, Datacenter System Architecture

Role Summary

Lead the platform and system architecture to deliver an integrated product that combines PsiQuantum's photonic engine with partner-built systems and components. Own system-level requirements, architecture, delivery model, and cross-subsystem trade-offs from specification through prototype and production.

Coordinate with OEMs, ODMs, manufacturing, test, and strategic partners to ensure designs meet manufacturability, testability, deployment, and customer orchestration needs.

Experience Level

Senior - requires extensive systems engineering and leadership experience (see Requirements for details).

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include defining system specifications, delivery strategy, and ensuring end-to-end manufacturable designs.

• Create and own the system requirements specification: radix, form factor, rack height, connectors, faceplate, power, thermal, monitoring, redundancy, and serviceability.
• Define delivery strategy: determine what is built in-house versus by partners and how the product is integrated.
• Own thermal and power budgets as architectural constraints.
• Define control and management interface strategy for customer orchestration.
• Identify and manage OEM/ODM/JV and strategic partners; align partners to system requirements and delivery goals.
• Arbitrate cross-subsystem trade-offs and enforce system-level decisions over local optimizations.
• Ensure design for manufacturability (DFM) and test access are addressed from the start with manufacturing and test teams.

Requirements

Must-have qualifications and relevant skills.

• 10+ years in hardware systems engineering.
• 3+ years directing system architecture for a rack-mounted networking or datacenter product that shipped.
• Direct knowledge of datacenter hardware constraints: rack unit budgets, airflow, power delivery, front-panel density, serviceability, and environmental standards.
• Experience taking a system from specification through prototype and partner or contract-manufacturer build.
• Familiarity with datacenter cabling and high-density front-panel port counts.
• Proven ability to write clear, buildable engineering specifications.
• Experience working with OEM/ODM partners and coordinating manufacturing/test readiness.

Nice-to-have: prior work with photonics-based systems, experience with large-scale datacenter deployments, or prior engagement with government/defense programs.

Education Requirements

Not specified.

Compensation note: The posting lists U.S. geographic zone-based annual base pay ranges; actual compensation depends on location and candidate factors.

Security notice: PsiQuantum will only contact candidates from official company email addresses and will never request bank account information as part of the interview process. Report suspicious activity to recruiting@psiquantum.com.

About the Company

Company: PsiQuantum

Headquarters: Palo Alto, CA, United States

PsiQuantum develops silicon-photonic quantum computers aimed at building million-qubit, fault-tolerant systems. Founded in 2016, the company combines semiconductor manufacturing processes, photonic hardware, and quantum software to scale quantum systems for commercial and government applications.