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Staff Propulsion Controls Engineer - Hybrid/Generator Systems

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.

What you'll do:

We are seeking a highly skilled Propulsion Controls Engineer to design, develop, and optimize control systems for our advanced electric propulsion and power generation systems. The successful candidate will play a critical role in bringing safe, sustainable, and scalable urban air mobility to life through innovative propulsion control technologies.

  • Design and implement advanced control algorithms for electric propulsion systems
  • Develop interfaces between flight control computers, propulsion controls, generators, and battery management systems
  • Coordinate with aerodynamics, structures, and flight controls teams to optimize propulsion system performance
  • Create and maintain control system architectures, including hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing environments
  • Design redundant fault detection, isolation, and recovery systems for safe flight operations
  • Conduct system-level testing and validation of control algorithms
  • Perform hardware-in-the-loop and iron-bird testing for flight-critical systems
  • Support flight testing activities and data analysis for control system validation
  • Collaborate with flight test team to validate propulsion performance across flight envelope
  • Ensure compliance with DO-178C (software), DO-254 (hardware), and other applicable aviation standards
  • Maintain rigorous configuration management of flight-critical control system software

What you need:

  • 7+ years of experience in aircraft propulsion systems, flight controls, electric vehicle powertrains, or energy storage systems
  • Experience with distributed propulsion systems or multi-motor control architectures preferred
  • Background in flight-critical or safety-critical system development
  • Expert-level proficiency in control integration, state machine design, high-voltage systems, and fault-tolerant control
  • Proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink, C/C++ for real-time embedded control systems, and Python for analysis
  • Advanced system modeling, control system simulation, and plant model development experience
  • Knowledge of battery management systems and high-voltage safety
  • Experience with system hardware bring-up, HIL testing, and integration

Personal Attributes

  • Passion for sustainable aviation and urban air mobility
  • Strong systems thinking and ability to work across multidisciplinary teams
  • Exceptional attention to detail with focus on flight safety
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment
  • Strong communication skills for technical presentations and documentation
  • Self-motivated with ability to drive projects to completion
  • Commitment to Archer's mission of safe, sustainable urban aviation

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 $134,400.00 - $168,000.00. 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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