Archer is an aerospace company based in San Jose, California building an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with a mission to advance the benefits of sustainable air mobility. We are designing, manufacturing, and operating an all-electric aircraft that can carry four passengers while producing minimal noise.
Our sights are set high and our problems are hard, and we believe that diversity in the workplace is what makes us smarter, drives better insights, and will ultimately lift us all to success. We are dedicated to cultivating an equitable and inclusive environment that embraces our differences, and supports and celebrates all of our team members.
What you'll do:
- Lead and grow a team of GNC engineers based in Munich — providing technical direction and mentorship, and owning day-to-day people management including hiring, performance, and career development
- Set technical strategy and roadmap for GNC efforts at the Munich site, in alignment with global GNC leadership and architecture based in San Jose
- Remain hands-on: design and implement flight control algorithms for novel VTOL aircraft alongside the team
- Drive the certification and V&V work required to certify and safely fly Archer’s aircraft
- Represent GNC in program-level design reviews and communicate technical status, risk, and tradeoffs to cross-functional and executive stakeholders
- Implement creative solutions to efficiently verify complex systems and software
- Build simulations to verify and validate system requirements, FHAs, and the vehicle’s handling qualities
- Run trade studies to inform aircraft design and system architecture
- Work with the Flight Test team to design tests that safely evaluate the vehicle's capabilities
- Improve the fidelity and capabilities of our vehicle and environment simulation models
- Author and review software requirements and test cases that drive the design of GNC software
- Collaborate with Systems Engineering to properly decompose higher-level requirements
- Collaborate with Systems Safety and Systems Engineering to identify and correct any deficiencies in the Flight Control System
What you need:
- Demonstrated experience leading, managing, or mentoring a team of engineers, including setting technical direction and developing talent
- Strong knowledge of vehicle dynamics, optimization, and both classical and modern control theory
- BS in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or a related field with at least 12 years of relevant experience OR MS with at least 8 years of relevant experience OR PhD with at least 6 years of relevant experience
- Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink
- Comfortable operating in a hands-on, individual-contributor capacity while also leading a team
Bonus Qualifications:
- Familiarity with aircraft or rotorcraft performance and handling qualities requirements
- Experience verifying GNC systems in simulation and on hardware
- Experience with envelope protection
- Experience with modeling physics, sensors, and actuators
- Experience applying system identification techniques to aircraft or rotorcraft
- Knowledge of fault detection and isolation techniques
- Experience implementing trajectory generation and/or optimization algorithms
- Experience flight testing piloted and/or autonomous aircraft or rotorcraft
- Piloting experience (aircraft or rotorcraft)
- Experience managing engineering teams within a regulated aerospace or automotive environment
Archer is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to job applicants with physical or mental disabilities, and those with sincerely held religious beliefs. Applicants who may require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should provide their name and contact information to Archer's People Team at [email protected]. Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Skills Required
- Demonstrated experience leading, managing, or mentoring a team of engineers
- Strong knowledge of vehicle dynamics, optimization, classical and modern control theory
- BS in Aerospace, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or related field with 12+ years OR MS with 8+ years OR PhD with 6+ years
- Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink
- Comfortable operating hands-on as an individual contributor while also leading a team
- Familiarity with aircraft or rotorcraft performance and handling qualities requirements
- Experience verifying GNC systems in simulation and on hardware
- Experience with envelope protection, modeling physics/sensors/actuators, and system identification
- Knowledge of fault detection and isolation techniques; trajectory generation/optimization experience
- Experience flight testing piloted and/or autonomous aircraft or rotorcraft; piloting experience
- Experience managing engineering teams within a regulated aerospace or automotive environment
Archer Aviation Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Archer Aviation and has not been reviewed or approved by Archer Aviation.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage includes medical, dental, and vision, alongside HSA/FSA options and an Employee Assistance Program, forming a comprehensive base. Wellness activities and company-sponsored outings are additionally referenced.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off includes generous PTO, paid sick days, and paid holidays, with unlimited PTO noted for exempt employees. This breadth provides above-average flexibility for a hardware-focused environment.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Ownership opportunities include company equity, performance bonuses, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan with a purchase discount. Equity is used to keep packages competitive in high-demand roles, creating meaningful upside potential.
Archer Aviation Insights
What We Do
Archer is an aerospace company building an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft focused on improving mobility in cities. The company's mission is to advance the benefits of sustainable air mobility. Archer is designing, manufacturing, and operating a fully electric aircraft that can carry four passengers for 60 miles at speeds of up to 150mph while producing minimal noise. Archer's team is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
