Senior Software Engineer, Backend

Archer; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Archer is seeking a talented Software Engineer in San Jose, California to architect and develop core services for their innovative AI products. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in backend systems, embodying a strong commitment to diversity and inclusivity in the workplace.

Your role will involve owning the lifecycle of development while working cross-functionally with various teams to ensure high-quality software delivery. The position offers a salary range of $145,000 to $180,000, in addition to standard corporate benefits.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience focused on backend systems.
• Solid understanding of microservices architecture, distributed systems, and API design.
• Solid experience with relational databases and containerization.

Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, and scale core services for AI products.
• Ensure AI-driven insights are delivered reliably at scale.
• Own the full development lifecycle from design to maintenance.

Skills

Backend systems

Microservices architecture

API design

Python

Rust

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

GCP

Azure

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science or related field

Tools

OpenTofu/Terraform

Ansible

PostgreSQL

Redis

Job description

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

• Architect, develop, and scale the core services and infrastructure that power our cutting‑edge AI products.
• Bridge the gap between complex AI models and production‑ready software, ensuring that our AI‑driven insights are delivered reliably and at scale.
• Design and maintain scalable backend systems, APIs, and data pipelines to support applications powered by AI.
• Leverage infrastructure‑as‑code tooling to build and manage backend environments.
• Work cross‑functionally with AI Research, Engineering, and Data Science teams to deploy and monitor scalable ML and optimization models.
• Own the full development lifecycle—from design and development to deployment, monitoring, and maintenance.
• Monitor system performance and reliability, and respond to production issues with effective debugging and root cause analysis.
• Write clean, maintainable, and well‑documented code.
• Mentor and guide junior team members with diverse technical backgrounds, fostering a culture of engineering excellence and software development best practices.

What You Need

• BS/MS/PhD degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a heavy focus on backend systems.
• Solid understanding of microservices architecture, distributed systems, and API design.
• Strong proficiency in Python and/or Rust, ideally both.
• Solid experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Experience with infrastructure‑as‑code tools such as OpenTofu/Terraform and configuration management with Ansible.
• Solid experience with relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL), in‑memory databases (e.g., Valkey/Redis), and columnar databases built on top of Parquet or similar formats.
• Familiarity with GitOps practices (e.g., Argo CD) and Kubernetes deployments.
• Able to scale yourself with AI coding assistants while still fully understanding and taking ownership of all code you commit.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a proven ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience with AI/ML ops and tooling.
• Rust experience with async runtimes (Tokio), serialization (Cap’n Proto), and message‑driven architectures is highly valued.
• Experience with message brokers (NATS, Kafka) and event‑driven architectures.
• Experience building high‑throughput data pipelines.
• Background in high‑availability, real‑time systems or event‑driven architectures.
• Prior experience or a deep interest in aerospace, robotics, or autonomous systems.

Compensation for this position ranges from $145,000 – $180,000 per year; additional benefits include pay‑for‑performance model and other standard corporate benefits.

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 unable to provide work visa sponsorship for this position at the present time.