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Salary: USD 138,200 - 190,000 / annual
Archer is an aerospace company building all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for sustainable air mobility. The Special Programs team is a rapid-prototyping, cross-functional engineering group supporting advanced and defense-focused development efforts.
In this role, you will lead mechanical design and analysis for prototype systems, including mechanisms, actuation, launch/release hardware, and packaging/integration. You'll own manufacturing and build planning for prototype hardware, driving design-for-manufacturability, fabrication approaches, and production readiness. You'll support deployment and fielding of prototype systems, managing logistics, handling, and field-support considerations throughout the full development lifecycle from concept through prototype.
Key responsibilities include:
- Leading mechanical design, manufacturing, and deployment discipline within Special Programs, setting technical approach, standards, and methods
- Conducting technical feasibility assessments of new opportunities, evaluating emerging concepts, RFPs, and mission requirements
- Supporting rapid prototyping efforts end-to-end, from concept sketches through detailed design, fabrication support, and test
- Serving as a cross-functional technical contributor across Special Programs efforts when program needs require it
- Collaborating with program leads, other engineers, and broader Archer teams to align technical approaches with timelines and constraints
- Producing technical documentation, trade studies, and analysis packages supporting design maturity reviews and opportunity decisions
- Representing Special Programs work in internal reviews and discussions with government stakeholders
You'll work independently with significant technical ownership in a small, empowered team built to move fast on forward-looking defense efforts. This is not a people-management role but rather a deep technical leadership position requiring expertise across the full development lifecycle in a resource-constrained environment.
