Principal UHV Systems Engineer

Overview
Microsoft Quantum has a talented and diverse international team to create the world's first scalable quantum computing system. Our full-stack approach involves exciting innovation from physics at the quantum plane to providing global quantum services. The Microsoft Quantum program strives to fundamentally change the world of computing to help solve humankind's currently unsolvable problems. This position offers an opportunity to have a meaningful influence on revolutionary technology. The research and development effort includes a diverse staff of theoretical and experimental physicists, hardware designers and software engineers around the world. Our laboratory in Lyngby Denmark is looking for a Principal Hardware Development Engineer to join our team.  As the Principal hardware engineer, you will serve as the technical authority within our engineering team, ensuring the integrity, performance, and continuous improvement of our ultra-high vacuum (UHV) tools and related systems. Your primary responsibility is to evaluate and guide the designs created by other engineers, identifying potential risks early and ensuring robust, manufacturable solutions that meet user needs. In addition to design oversight, you will take ownership of large-scale hardware development projects, coordinating efforts across the team and ensuring successful delivery of complex systems. You will collaborate closely with engineers, scientists, and stakeholders to translate functional requirements into practical engineering solutions. Beyond new designs, you will own the technical roadmap for improving the quality, reliability, and performance of existing tools. You will also lead initiatives to elevate engineering excellence across the team, driving process improvements, best practices, and knowledge sharing. A key part of this role is working closely with suppliers to ensure quality, schedule and alignment with technical requirements. This is a hands-on role for someone who combines deep UHV expertise with strong system-level thinking, project leadership, and the ability to influence and mentor others.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary technical reviewer for UHV hardware designs, ensuring robustness, manufacturability, and compliance with requirements.
• Lead major hardware development projects, coordinating contributions from multiple engineers and ensuring timely, high-quality delivery.
• Collaborate with engineers and stakeholders to clarify functional needs and translate them into sound engineering solutions.
• Own the technical roadmap for improving existing tools, identifying opportunities for quality, reliability, and performance enhancements.
• Drive engineering excellence by improving processes, standards, and design methodologies.
• Work closely with suppliers to ensure quality, schedule and adherence to specifications.
• Mentor and support a team of engineers, fostering technical growth and knowledge sharing.
• Anticipate and mitigate risks early in the design cycle through systematic evaluation and validation.
• Stay current with UHV technologies, materials, and industry best practices.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications

• Master's or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or related field OR equivalent experience.
• Solid experience in UHV system design, fabrication, and validation.
• Strong understanding of vacuum physics, sealing technologies, and material compatibility.
• Proven ability to review complex designs and identify potential issues before implementation.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex hardware development projects.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills for cross-functional work.
• Experience working with suppliers on technical and quality aspects.

Other Qualifications

• Ability to leverage AI tools to drive innovation and efficiency (e.g., performance modeling and analysis, research gathering, day to day task automation).
• Apply AI to accelerate engineering and lab workflows. Design and build AI agents/copilots that assist with experiment setup, log triage, measurement report generation, protocol templating, and knowledge retrieval (e.g., instrument manuals, design docs).
• Evaluate agentic solutions with measurable metrics and humanintheloop safeguards following Microsoft Responsible AI requirements for generative AI.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in semiconductor or scientific instrumentation industries.
• Familiarity with CAD tools and simulation (FEA, thermal, structural).
• Track record of leading process improvement or engineering excellence initiatives.

Soft Skills

• Strong influencing and mentoring abilities.
• System-level thinking and problem-solving mindset.
• Ability to work with ambiguous requirements and bring clarity.

MICROSOFT BACKGROUND CHECK: Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about
requesting accommodations.