Senior Flight Sciences Program Lead

Archer; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 173,000 - 216,000; Full time

Job summary

Archer is hiring a Flight Sciences Program Manager in San Jose, CA to coordinate Aerodynamics, Acoustics, Vehicle Performance, and Flight Simulation initiatives. You will partner with Engineering, Aircraft Integration, Flight Test, and Supply Chain to align technical, schedule, and cost goals, enabling vehicle readiness and certification.

The role requires strong technical intuition, disciplined program execution, and the ability to navigate a fast-paced development environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in program management, technical program management, or engineering roles.
• Experience in flight sciences disciplines, including aerodynamics, flight simulation, thermal management and/or acoustics, and how they support aircraft design, integration, and flight test.
• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent degree.
• Experience managing and driving complex, technically driven development programs and distilling large volumes of information into clear, executive-level communication.
• Proven experience managing cross-functional dependencies and technically complex schedules.
• Expertise in identifying schedule drivers and critical paths to optimize simulation and test workflows.
• Experience with scheduling tools (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet) and Jira/Confluence.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships across Archer teams, including Flight Sciences, Aircraft Integration, Engineering, Flight Test, Program Management, and Supply Chain.
• Act as the primary interface between Flight Sciences and cross functional stakeholders on deliverables, priorities, issues, and resolution.
• Own execution for assigned Flight Sciences scope; aligning to program requirements and major milestones.
• Partner with Flight Sciences leadership to plan and execute analysis, simulation, and test campaigns.
• Develop and maintain detailed, task-based schedules supporting simulation development, aero/acoustic analyses, wind tunnel testing and flight test correlation activities.
• Lead program kickoffs, execution reviews, and milestone/gate reviews; track and report progress against the program management plan.
• Drive supplier performance within the flight sciences domain, ensuring all contractual milestones are met.
• Identify, manage, and drive closure of program Risks, Issues, and Opportunities, with focus on performance, correlation, and schedule risk.
• Prepare and present executive-level summaries, performance metrics, and readiness assessments to senior leadership.

Skills

Schedule management

Cross-functional leadership

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Microsoft Project

Smartsheet

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Archer is hiring a Flight Sciences Program Manager in San Jose, CA to coordinate Aerodynamics, Acoustics, Vehicle Performance, and Flight Simulation initiatives. You will partner with Engineering, Aircraft Integration, Flight Test, and Supply Chain to align technical, schedule, and cost goals, enabling vehicle readiness and certification.

The role requires strong technical intuition, disciplined program execution, and the ability to navigate a fast-paced development environment.