Sr. Staff SRE Engineer

Archer; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 163,000 - 204,000; Full time

Job summary

Archer in San Jose is seeking an experienced Site Reliability Engineer to lead the design and operation of our cloud-native infrastructure on AWS EKS. You will build scalable, secure systems and drive reliability as we expand our all-electric aircraft program.

The role emphasizes observability, data pipelines, and CI/CD, with on-call rotations and mentoring. A strong background in Docker, Kubernetes, scripting (Python, Bash, PowerShell), and cloud security is essential.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in SRE/DevOps roles.
• Deep expertise with Amazon EKS and cluster management.
• Experience with observability stacks (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK).
• Proven data pipeline design (Kafka, Airflow, Spark).
• Strong CI/CD background (Jenkins, GitLab CI, ArgoCD).
• Cloud expertise (AWS) and IaC fundamentals.
• Security practices for cloud environments.
• Docker containerization expertise.
• Scripting in Python, Bash, and PowerShell.
• Strong networking, distributed systems, and OS knowledge.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication; team collaboration.
• Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, implementation, and maintenance of scalable, secure cloud-native infrastructure on AWS EKS.
• Develop observability strategies with monitoring, logging, and alerting.
• Architect and optimize data pipelines (Kafka, Airflow, Spark).
• Improve CI/CD pipelines and automated testing, deployment, and release processes.
• Champion cloud-first strategies across infrastructure, services, and operations.
• Enforce security best practices across infrastructure, apps, and data.
• Design and maintain Docker-based containerization.
• Create automation scripts in Python, Bash, and PowerShell.
• Collaborate with development teams to bake reliability into SDLC.
• Troubleshoot production issues and implement preventative measures.
• Mentor junior SREs and participate in on-call rotations.

Skills

SRE/DevOps

Amazon EKS

Observability tools

CI/CD tooling

Docker

Python scripting

Bash scripting

PowerShell

Networking concepts

Distributed systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

Jenkins

GitLab CI

ArgoCD

Kafka

Airflow

Spark

Prometheus

Grafana

ELK stack

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

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:

• Lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of highly available, scalable, and secure cloud-native infrastructure on Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS).
• Develop and implement comprehensive observability strategies, including monitoring, logging, and alerting, to ensure the health and performance of our systems.
• Architect and optimize data pipelines to ensure efficient and reliable data flow across various platforms.
• Drive the continuous improvement of our CI/CD pipelines, promoting best practices for automated testing, deployment, and release management.
• Champion cloud-first strategies, leveraging the full capabilities of cloud platforms for infrastructure, services, and operations.
• Implement and enforce robust security practices across our infrastructure, applications, and data.
• Design and maintain Docker-based containerization solutions for our applications.
• Develop and maintain automation scripts and tools using Python, Bash, and PowerShell.
• Collaborate with development teams to ensure reliability is built into the software development lifecycle from inception.
• Troubleshoot complex production issues across various layers of the stack, identifying root causes and implementing preventative measures.
• Mentor and guide junior SREs, sharing knowledge and fostering a culture of operational excellence.
• Participate in on-call rotations to support production systems.

What you need:

• 10+ years of experience in Site Reliability Engineering, DevOps, or a similar role with a strong focus on operational excellence.
• Deep expertise in Amazon EKS, including cluster provisioning, management, and troubleshooting.
• Extensive experience with observability tools and practices, including Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack, or similar.
• Proven track record in designing and implementing robust data pipelines (e.g., Kafka, Airflow, Spark).
• Strong background in CI/CD methodologies and tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, ArgoCD).
• Expert-level knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS preferred), including infrastructure-as-code principles.
• Comprehensive understanding of security best practices for cloud environments, applications, and data.
• Proficiency in Docker for containerization and orchestration.
• Advanced scripting and programming skills in Python, Bash, and PowerShell.
• Solid understanding of networking concepts, distributed systems, and operating systems.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a highly collaborative team.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Qualification:

• Experience with other Kubernetes distributions or cloud providers.
• Familiarity with compliance frameworks (e.g., SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR).
• Certifications in AWS, Kubernetes, or other relevant technologies.

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 $163,000 - $204,000. Actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws.

By applying, you agree to be bound by our candidate privacy policy.

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 [e-mail]. Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Information collected and processed as part of any job applications you choose to submit is subject to Archer's Candidate Privacy Policy.

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

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 Aviation does not engage with external recruiting agencies/individual recruiters with whom it does not have a prior written agreement. Archer reserves the right to make use of any unsolicited resumes that it receives and bears no responsibility for payment of any fees asserted from the use of unsolicited resumes. If you are a recruiting agency or individual recruiter wishing to do business with Archer, please reach out to [e-mail]. All employment processes are managed by the Archer People Team.