Zone Captain (Aircraft CAD Management)

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.

As a Zone Captain, you will work on aircraft-level systems integration within the Advanced Projects group. We are a small but diverse group of multi-disciplinary engineers responsible for the rapid development of future Archer aircraft concepts, taking them from idea to experimental flight testing on aggressive accelerated timelines. In this role, you will play a critical role in integrating and optimizing the systems packaging on large sections of Archer’s future hybrid-electric aircraft platform.

What You’ll Do:

• Collaborate with various engineering disciplines to design high-reliability, safety-critical systems for an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft

• Zonal management of the digital mock-up for a large section of the aircraft

• Control space and manage routing envelopes for all subsystems in major aircraft zones

• Ensure all subsystems are accessible and maintainable

• Manage interface requirements models (IRMs) for their zone

• Govern the top aircraft assembly part number and BOM structure

• Hold regular design fly through meetings resolving any conflicts and maturing the design through CDR

• Manage master geometry models for the respective zone

• Ensure all system separation requirements are upheld

• Directly collaborate with manufacturing engineering and prototype build teams to implement design-for-assembly (DFA) and ensure the physical build process is efficient, reliable, and compliant with rapid iteration cycles.

What You Need:

• 8+ years of mechanical design, systems integration or structural design engineering experience, preferably in the Aerospace industry or on other complex engineered systems (automotive, robotics, etc)

• Strong candidates with less years of experience are also encouraged to apply

• BS, MS, or PhD in Mechanical, Aerospace or related engineering fields

• Expert proficiency in CAD (NX strongly preferred) with a focus on advanced DMU tools, large assembly management, and Master Model/Skeleton architecture implementation.

• Understanding of mass budgeting, configuration management, and systems integration

• Strong interpersonal communication skills. The ideal candidate should demonstrate the ability to coordinate cross-functional technical initiatives across multiple subsystem teams

• Excellent project management skills

Bonus Qualifications:

• Aerospace development and certification experience

• Deep understanding of prototype development lifecycle and the unique requirements for experimental flight test vehicles

• Familiarity with regulatory requirements and design practices for system separation (e.g., flight-critical vs. non-critical systems).

• Experience with HV electric propulsion systems or hybrid powertrains, electromechanical devices, or advanced sensor systems

• Demonstrated hand-on experience in a prototype environment through prior work or personal projects

• Self-motivated with exceptional attention to detail and systems-thinking approach

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 [email protected]. Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

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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 [email protected]. All employment processes are managed by the Archer People Team.