Principal Technical Program Manager - Quantum

Microsoft is dedicated to building the first scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computer, and they are seeking a Principal Technical Program Manager to lead high-impact programs connecting strategy to execution across engineering, product, and research. The role involves driving clarity in ambiguous spaces, aligning stakeholders, and establishing operating cadences to surface risks and enable timely decisions.

Responsibilities:

• Drive execution excellence by managing project scope, timelines, and resources to deliver high-quality results aligned with strategic objectives
• Build and maintain roadmaps, milestone plans, and dependency maps; align priorities to strategy and execution realities
• Drive alignment across engineering, product, and research across multiple sites (e.g., Denmark, Redmond, Santa Barbara, DC); clarify owners, interfaces, and decision paths, including with external partners as needed
• Establish and run a global operating cadence (planning cycles, weekly execution reviews, business reviews) across time zones; produce exec-ready status, metrics, and action tracking
• Identify and reduce technical and execution risks; drive tradeoffs, remove blockers, and track mitigations through closure
• Deliver concise, data-driven updates on progress, risks, dependencies, and impact; influence decisions across senior stakeholders
• Serve as a strategic advisor and operational partner to Quantum’s leadership. Synthesize organizational information, surface insights, and recommend actions to leadership on program status, team health, and strategic opportunities

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree AND 6+ years experience in Business, Engineering or Computer Science, or related field
• • OR equivalent experience
• 3+ years of experience managing cross-functional and/or cross-team projects
• 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
• Citizenship & Citizenship Verification: This role will require access to information that is controlled for export under export control regulations, potentially under the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the EU Dual Use Regulation, and/or other export control regulations. As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be required to provide either proof of their country of citizenship or proof of their U.S. permanent residency or other protected status (e.g., under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3)) for assessment of eligibility to access the export-controlled information. To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate's citizenship will be verified with a valid passport. Lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees may verify status using other documents, where applicable
• Ability to work in an 'AI-first' environment using modern AI tools to accelerate discovery through both hardware and software development
• Leadership & Adaptability: Demonstrated leadership through influence, with a proactive, self-driven approach to achieving results. Ability to thrive in ambiguous, evolving environments, adapting to new challenges and motivating teams through change. A passion for emerging technologies (e.g., cloud, AI, or quantum computing) and continuous learning
• Bachelor's degree AND 10+ years of business, program management and/or strategic operations experience in related fields
• Background in roles with significant operational responsibilities such as managing organizational rhythms and operational excellence
• Experience working in a fast-paced, matrixed organization, with success implementing programs or processes that supported significant team or product growth. Past involvement in scaling teams, improving engineering productivity, or coordinating large multi-team projects is beneficial
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams (e.g. software development, product management, engineering, research) is essential
• Experience exhibiting strong organizational skills including the ability to manage multiple workstreams and implement structured processes for scaling teams or projects
• Experience leveraging exceptional written and verbal communication skills to influence without direct authority, and build trusted relationships across all levels of an organization
• Demonstrated interest in driving customer-centric user experiences across the full software stack
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities with a talent for problem-solving and driving decisions using data. Ability to quickly synthesize information, identify risks or gaps, and propose actionable solutions aligned with strategic goals