Senior Airframe Architect: Lead High-Performance Aircraft

Engg; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 243,000 - 322,000; Full time

Job summary

Archer Aviation in San Jose seeks an experienced engineer to lead airframe development from concept through flight testing, collaborating with the Chief Engineer to meet stringent requirements. You will trade structural layouts, evaluate materials for weight and manufacturability, and develop weight models for fuselage, wing, tail, and nacelle structures.

You will size major components using analytical methods or FEM and mentor junior engineers while ensuring robust, cost-effective designs and

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience with innovative aircraft structures.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• Strong CAD skills in NX, SolidWorks, Catia or Creo.
• Hands-on manufacturing with composites and machining aerospace parts.
• Experience leading civil or military aircraft development programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead airframe development from concept through build and flight test, collaborating with the Chief Engineer and program leaders to meet target requirements.
• Evaluate and trade structural layouts and material selections across candidate configurations for weight, manufacturability, and cost.
• Develop conceptual airframe architecture and parametric structural weight models for fuselage, wing, tail, and nacelle structures.
• Size major structural components using classical analytical methods and/or conceptual FEM.
• Apply in-depth understanding of load paths, design best practices, and hand calcs to design robust, manufacturable, and cost effective structural configurations.
• Mentor junior engineers on design, analysis, and manufacturing techniques.
• Own the validation and verification of airframe requirements.

Skills

Leadership

Teamwork

Self-starter

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

Catia

Creo

Job description

Archer Aviation in San Jose seeks an experienced engineer to lead airframe development from concept through flight testing, collaborating with the Chief Engineer to meet stringent requirements. You will trade structural layouts, evaluate materials for weight and manufacturability, and develop weight models for fuselage, wing, tail, and nacelle structures.

You will size major components using analytical methods or FEM and mentor junior engineers while ensuring robust, cost-effective designs and