Product and Engineering Lead

Deteqt is an early-stage, venture-backed startup building a diamond-on-chip quantum sensing platform. We are seeking a hands-on and mission-driven Product and Engineering Lead to drive the development and delivery of Deteqt's first field-ready prototype. This role bridges deep technical design with systems integration, customer co-development, and program delivery, ensuring we bring a compact, high-performance sensing platform into real-world evaluation environments.

You will own the architecture and systems integration of the device, spanning our quantum sensing core (diamond, optics, chip), electronics, and embedded systems through to downstream integration requirements. Beyond technical leadership, you will act as the primary liaison with customers and partners, translating requirements into product specifications and milestones. You will report directly to the CEO, managing priorities, progress, and workload across the development team. Your remit includes leading a cross-functional engineering team, establishing project management frameworks, guiding co-development with external partners, and ensuring alignment with budgets, risks, and delivery timelines. This is a key leadership role at the intersection of engineering execution, customer engagement, and market deployment.

• Technical Leadership
• Lead the system-level design of Deteqt's quantum magnetometry device, spanning hardware, optics, electronics, software, and embedded integration.
• Provide hands-on technical guidance while mentoring and coordinating the engineering team.
• Make informed trade-offs to balance experimental performance, manufacturability, and field robustness.
• Act as the primary point of contact for customer and co-development meetings, translating requirements into technical specifications and product milestones.
• Serve as the technical liaison with external manufacturing and integration partners to ensure alignment with go-to-market needs.
  • Prototype Development & Integration
  • Deliver functional prototypes for field pilots on schedule and to specification.
  • Oversee component selection, system integration, validation, and field testing.
  • Lead and participate in bench testing, simulations, and debugging.
    • Field Deployment Readiness
    • Align system design with field pilot needs including power, packaging, robustness, calibration, and user interfaces.
    • Build in diagnostics, error handling, and documentation to support operability in real-world environments.
    • Establish and maintain project management frameworks and tools that provide visibility on progress, priorities, and workload.
    • Own project planning, scope, and delivery milestones, anticipating and unblocking roadblocks across teams.
    • Manage project budgets and track costs across internal builds and partner deliverables.
    • Identify, assess, and mitigate technical and operational risks to ensure reliable delivery.
    Required skills and experience
    • 10+ years experience in systems engineering for high-tech hardware products.
    • Proven track record delivering functional prototypes into field use.
    • Demonstrated ability to engage directly with customers and partners, translating requirements into technical specifications and product milestones.
    • Experience managing project budgets, timelines, and risk in complex technical programs.
    • Experience in applied sensing technology, ideally in navigation, mineral resource discovery or medical imaging.
    • Experience leading end-to-end system builds that involve optics, embedded systems, and electronic design.
    • Strong interdisciplinary communication skills; can translate between physics, engineering, software, and commercial needs.
    Desirable skills and experience
    • Prod, or photonics-based instrumentation.
    • Experience working with CMOS/ASIC integration, MCU or PCB-level hardware.
    • Programming skills for hardware control and data analysis.
    • Experience working with contract manufacturers or OEM engineering partners.
    What does success in this role look like?
    • A field-deployable prototype delivered on time, tested with customers and partners, and meeting performance goals.
    • A well-integrated, manufacturable system that demonstrates Deteqt's core technical advantage and readiness for productisation.
    • A scalable project delivery framework is in place, providing transparency on workload, priorities, and timelines as the company grows.
    • Strong alignment across internal teams, external partners, and co-development customers, with clear technical leadership.
    • Effective management of budgets, risks, and delivery milestones, ensuring reliable execution.
    • A solid foundation laid for scale-up beyond the pilot, with customer feedback directly informing the product roadmap.
    Why Join Us?
    • Ground-floor impact: Be part of a well-funded, fast-growing startup at a pivotal stage, shaping a globally significant technology.
    • Values-led culture: We prioritise curiosity, diversity of thought, and building with integrity.
    • Mission with meaning: Help bring quantum sensing out of the lab and into real-world domains that matter — from secure navigation to sustainable resource discovery.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences.

See our progress on linkedin.com/company/deteqt

To Apply: Please submit your resume and a cover letter to info@deteqt.tech