Back to jobs
New

Staff Airframe/Systems Thermal Engineer

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 a highly skilled and experienced Staff Thermal Engineer to join our Thermal Management Team within the Flight Sciences organization. This role will be a key contributor to the thermal design, analysis, and optimization of our eVTOL aircraft, with a specific focus on airframe thermal management, as well as the thermal behavior of various vehicle systems and LRUs. The successful candidate will play a critical role in ensuring optimal thermal performance, safety, and reliability across the aircraft.

What you’ll do:

  • Perform detailed thermal analysis of the airframe, considering external heating, solar radiation, internal heat sources, and insulation 
  • Develop and implement thermal management solutions for airframe composite structures to mitigate thermal stress, manage material temperatures limits, and maintain structural integrity
  • Design and optimize cooling solutions (e.g. forced and/or natural convection, heat pipes, liquid cooling etc.) for aircraft systems and LRUs, including but not limited to actuators, flight control, avionics, and electrical distribution systems, to ensure operation within specified temperature limits in accordance with the vehicle design envelope
  • Perform parametric studies and sensitivity analyses to optimize thermal design of aircraft structure as well as vehicle systems and LRUs
  • Develop, refine, and use advanced CFD and FEA models to simulate complex thermal scenarios and validate design assumptions 
  • Support the planning and execution of test campaigns at component, system, and aircraft levels to collect data for thermal models correlation and validation 
  • Collaborate closely with Aerodynamics, Airframe, Flight Control, Actuation, Avionics, Propulsion, Battery, and Manufacturing teams to develop and integrate thermal solutions and address interdependences
  • Participate in design reviews, document analysis results, design recommendations, and contribute to technical reports 

What you need:

  • BS / MS / PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering or a related field
  • 5+ years of experience in thermal analysis and design within the aerospace or automotive industry
  • Strong understanding of heat transfer fundamentals (conduction, convection, radiation) and their application in aerospace and/or automotive systems
  • Demonstrated experience with thermal management of aerospace structures and/or high-power density systems and LRUs
  • Demonstrated 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)
  • Demonstrated experience with thermal testing and test-data correlation
  • Familiarity with aerospace design principles, materials, and manufacturing processes
  • Familiarity in Python programming (strongly preferred) or Matlab/Simulink programming coding experience
  • Excellent work planning and issue resolution skills
  • Strong technical, written, and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to work in groups and individually
  • Experience in a fast-paced design environment

Bonus Qualifications:

  • Experience with eVTOLs or other electric aircraft or automotive programs
  • Familiarity with thermal management of high-voltage battery systems and electric motors
  • Familiarity with thermal management of avionics and power electronics
  • 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 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 $180,000 - $210,000. 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.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Archer’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.