Airframe Design Lead, Fuselage

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.

Responsibilities

Lead the development of major structural airframe assemblies from preliminary design through certification, and manufacturing ramp up; Apply in depth understanding of load paths, design best practices, and hand calcs to design robust structural configurations; Apply design for manufacturing concepts to create designs that are cost effective and easy to fabricate at rate. Preferred experience with composite sandwich construction and adhesive paste bonding; Develop company standards for composite and metallic part CAD models and drawings; Work closely with and mentor other engineers on the design, stress and M&P teams; Provide technical guidance on design concepts (risk vs. cost vs. performance); Support manufacturing to validate and verify that designs meet requirements and specifications

Requirements

10+ years of experience with lightweight structures (aircraft, spacecraft, other high performance vehicles); Bachelor’s degree in an Engineering field; Ability to design and analyze simple components; A deep understanding of load paths and laminate design fundamentals; Strong CAD skills in NX (preferred), Solidworks, Catia or Creo; Experience with the design of large bonded structures; Sandwich construction; Hand laid prepreg carbon fiber; Machined metal; Experience with the manufacturing of composite parts; Knowledge of FAA aircraft certification requirements for Part 23 aircraft; Familiarity with PDM systems; Self-starter, team player, and desire to work in a fast-paced environment

Nice to have

Experience with analyzing and dispositioning product non-conformances; Experience with the design of small passenger aircraft or helicopters; Broad experience across a range of airframe structures (fuselage, wing, pylons, empennage); Experience with composite laminate definition in FiberSim