Staff Software Engineer, Backend San Jose, California, United States

Archer Aviation; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 172,800 - 216,000; Full time

Job summary

Archer Aviation in San Jose is seeking a Staff Software Backend Engineer to build and scale core application logic, streaming pipelines, and data layers powering our real-time AI tracking platform. You will ensure high-frequency telemetry is ingested and served to downstream apps and models.

You bring 5+ years of backend and data pipeline experience, strong Java/Python/Rust skills, and familiarity with Pulsar or Kafka, PostgreSQL, Redis/Valkey, Docker and cloud environments.

Qualifications

• BS/MS degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain high-performance backend systems and APIs.

Skills

Backend systems

Data pipelines

Java

Python

Rust

Distributed messaging

Docker

Cloud

Education

BS/MS degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

PostgreSQL

Redis

Valkey

Docker

Kubernetes

Parquet

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

As a Staff Software Backend Engineer, you will build and scale the core application logic, streaming pipelines, and data layers that power our real-time AI tracking platform. You will focus on the intersection of backend service architecture and data engineering—ensuring high-frequency telemetry data is ingested via streaming queues, accurately modeled, and reliably served to downstream web apps and AI models.

• Design, develop, and maintain high-performance backend systems, microservices, and APIs alongside real-time data pipelines.
• Implement stateful stream-processing applications to clean, transform, and window high-frequency telemetry and event data.
• Architect robust data models and schemas optimized for low-latency writes and fast real-time queries across relational, time-series, and caching layers.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with frontend and AI/data science to expose clean, structured data and integrated AI insights via scalable APIs.
• Participate in the full software development lifecycle, including writing integration tests, code reviews, deployment, and monitoring pipeline health.
• Investigate, debug, and optimize application bottlenecks, data serialization overhead, and query performance in production.

What You Need

• BS/MS degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience with a balanced focus on backend systems and data pipeline development.
• Proficiency in Java, Python and/or Rust to build backend services.
• Awareness of distributed messaging systems and event-driven architectures, such as Apache Pulsar or Kafka.
• Understanding of data modeling concepts related to relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL) and in-memory data structures (e.g., Redis/Valkey).
• Familiarity with containerization (Docker) and modern cloud environments (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Able to leverage AI coding assistants to increase velocity while fully understanding and taking absolute ownership of all backend code and schemas you commit.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a collaborative mindset to handle the complexities of real-time data flow.

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience with column-oriented or time-series data storage and analytical file formats (e.g., Parquet).
• Familiarity with geographic/spatial data processing and mapping APIs.
• Basic understanding of Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, and GitOps workflows.
• Prior experience or a deep interest in aerospace, aviation, or high-throughput tracking systems.

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.

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 $172,800 - $216,000. Actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

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.