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.
As a Staff AI Systems Engineer, you will architect, deploy, and manage the critical infrastructure services required for large-scale AI model training and inference. You will ensure our machine learning platforms are robust and efficient, bridging the gap between raw data and high-performance AI models.
- Infrastructure & Orchestration: Deploy, scale, and manage resilient infrastructure services tailored for distributed AI model training and low-latency inference.
- Maturity & MLOps: Utilize and maintain end-to-end tooling—including MLflow for experiment tracking and model registry—to streamline and optimize the AI development lifecycle.
- Compute & Inference Optimization: Leverage specialized frameworks to maximize hardware utilization, managing multi-cloud compute scheduling alongside advanced LLM serving engines.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with AI researchers and Software Engineers to productionize cutting-edge models, establish monitoring systems, and debug complex performance bottlenecks at the hardware-software interface.
- Education: BS/MS/PhD degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
- Experience: 5+ years of professional software engineering experience with a dedicated focus on AI/ML systems, high-performance computing (HPC), or ML infrastructure.
- Multi-Cloud & Compute Management: Familiarity with hyper-scaler infrastructure (AWS) alongside specialized AI-centric bare-metal and GPU clouds (Nebius AI Cloud).
- Cloud-Native Orchestration & Abstraction: Hands-on experience with containerization (Docker) and production-grade orchestration (Kubernetes), paired with cloud-agnostic cluster abstractors like SkyPilot to manage multi-region GPU availability.
- LLM Serving Optimization: Deep architectural understanding of large language models and the system infrastructure required to serve them at scale using frameworks like vLLM and SGLang.
- Data Engineering for AI: Experience building high-throughput data pipelines to support large-scale training, including proficiency in SQL, NoSQL, and columnar storage formats optimized for ML (e.g., Parquet).
- Familiarity with audio processing, speech-to-text frameworks, or Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) pipelines.
- Prior experience or a deep technical interest in aerospace, aviation, or autonomous systems (e.g., safety-critical software, edge-AI deployments).
Please note that this job description is intended to provide a general overview of the position and does not include an exhaustive list of responsibilities and qualifications
At Archer we aim to attract, retain, and motivate talent that possess the skills and leadership necessary to grow our business. We drive a pay-for-performance culture and reward performance that supports the Company’s business strategy. For this position we are targeting a base pay between $190,000 - $237,000. Actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
Archer is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. All aspects of employment are decided on the basis of merit, qualifications, and business needs. We do not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.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.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
- BS/MS/PhD degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
- 5+ years professional software engineering experience focused on AI/ML systems, high-performance computing (HPC), or ML infrastructure.
- Experience with hyper-scaler infrastructure (AWS) and specialized AI GPU clouds (e.g., Nebius AI Cloud).
- Containerization and orchestration experience: Docker and Kubernetes.
- Experience with cloud-agnostic cluster abstractors like SkyPilot for multi-region GPU scheduling.
- Experience using MLflow for experiment tracking and model registry.
- Deep architectural understanding and experience optimizing LLM serving and inference using frameworks like vLLM and SGLang.
- Experience building high-throughput data pipelines and proficiency in SQL, NoSQL, and columnar storage formats (Parquet).
- Experience with compute and inference optimization for GPUs and HPC environments.
- Familiarity with audio processing, speech-to-text frameworks, or Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) pipelines.
- Prior experience or deep technical interest in aerospace, aviation, or autonomous systems.
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.
