Aerodynamics Engineer

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:

• Perform and oversee low/mid/high fidelity aerodynamic simulations of Archer eVTOL aircraft
• Lead the aerodynamic design and optimization of aircraft OML components to maximize performance and efficiency
• Architect linear, non-linear, and real-time aerodynamic models to predict aircraft behavior, performance, stability, and control
• Analyze flight test and wind tunnel data to identify model discrepancies, validating and improving vehicle aerodynamic models
• Develop efficient methods to integrate flight test data back into aerodynamic simulation models of various fidelities and complexities
• Contribute to the development of Archer aerodynamic software stack, improving methods and workflows
• Partner with flight test pilots and multidisciplinary teams to resolve complex modelling issues and update flight simulators

What you need:

• BS / MS / PhD in Aerospace Engineering or a related field
• 10+ years of experience with BS, or 8+ years of experience with MS, or 4+ years of experience with PhD modeling rotorcraft, tiltrotor, eVTOL aerodynamics at full-vehicle level
• Expert level understanding of fixed-wing and rotorcraft aerodynamics, performance, and stability & control
• Proven experience with gradient-based and gradient-free optimization techniques
• Experience with aerodynamic design of airfoils, wings, control surfaces or similar.

Experience with surrogate modeling techniques (Kriging, Neural Networks or similar) for aerodynamic modeling and design

• Advanced Python proficiency
• Experience with software development tools and best practices: version control (Git), software testing, environment management, CI/CD
• Experience with experimental data processing and reduction techniques
• Excellent work planning and issue resolution skills
• Exceptional technical communication and the ability to drive results in a high-velocity, collaborative design environment

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience in eVTOL and/or multicopter vehicle aerodynamics design and analysis, including 6 DoF vehicle trim and transition corridor optimization
• Experience with wind tunnel campaigns planning, execution, and data processing
• Experience with flight test data processing and SysID data ingestion
• Work experience with rotorcraft comprehensive analysis tools, such as RCAS or CAMRAD2
• Experience utilizing high-performance computing (HPC) to parallelize workflows
• Familiarity with conventional airplane Part 23/25 or rotorcraft Part 27/29 certification basis and test methods
• Familiarity with ASTM standards for fixed wing and rotorcraft
• Familiarity with Matlab/Simulink, and Fortran/C++ coding

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 $160,000 - $220,000. Actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

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.