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Sr. Manager, Thermal Management

San Jose, California, United States

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.

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Senior Manager for our Thermal Management Team within the Flight Sciences organization. This critical leadership role will be responsible for defining, developing, and executing the thermal management strategies and solutions for our company across multiple programs. The successful candidate will lead a small team of talented engineers in the design, analysis, testing, and optimization of thermal solutions across various aircraft subsystems, ensuring optimal performance, safety, and reliability throughout the flight envelope.

What you’ll do:

  • Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of thermal engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement
  • Develop and implement the overall thermal management strategy and roadmap for all aircraft platforms, aligning with company goals and regulatory requirements
  • Oversee the end-to-end thermal design, analysis, and optimization of complex aircraft systems, including vehicle primary and secondary structures, propulsion, battery, avionics, actuation, and environment control system
  • Drive trade studies and partner with other cross-functional teams to inform critical design decisions and to integrate thermal solutions seamlessly into overall aircraft design
  • Identify and mitigate potential thermal risks throughout the aircraft development lifecycle
  • Establish and maintain methods, processes, and best practices for thermal design, analysis, and validation 
  • Direct the development and application of models for thermal design and analysis, from first principles to advanced CFD and FEA
  • Communicate effectively with program management, leadership, and other stakeholders on technical progress, challenges, and solutions

What you need:

  • BS / MS / PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering or a related field
  • 10+ years of experience in thermal management within the aerospace or automotive industry, with at least 3 years in a leadership position or a senior technical lead role 
  • Strong understanding of heat transfer fundamentals (conduction, convection, radiation) and their application in aerospace and/or automotive systems
  • Proven track record of leading successful thermal design and analysis projects as well as test campaigns for complex aerospace and/or automotive products
  • Demonstrated experience solving thermal challenges specific to electric propulsion systems, high-density battery packs, power electronics and electro-mechanic actuation systems, and composite structures
  • Extensive experience with CFD and FEA software packages (e.g. NASA Overflow and/or Fun3D CFD solvers, StarCCM+, Ansys Fluent and Thermal analysis packages, Abacus, Nastran)
  • Familiarity in Python programming (strongly preferred) or Matlab/Simulink programming coding experience
  • Excellent work planning and issue resolution skills
  • Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to inspire and motivate team members
  • Experience in a fast-paced design environment

Bonus Qualifications:

  • Experience with CAD modeling systems (e.g . NX, CATIA, Solidworks)
  • Experience with gradient-based and gradient-free optimization techniques
  • Experience with surrogate modeling techniques and statistical analysis
  • Experience with shape design techniques
  • Experience with system-level lab or wind tunnel testing as well as vehicle-level testing (ideally flight test experience). Experience with test campaign planning, execution, and data processing
  • Experience with experimental data processing and reduction techniques
  • Experience with software development, object-oriented, version control best practices, as well as Git, CICD, Conda
  • 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

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 $240,000 - $280,000. 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 people@archer.com. 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 People@archer.com. All employment processes are managed by the Archer People Team.

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