Staff Software Simulation Engineer

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Archer

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San Jose, CA, United States

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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:

  • Architect and lead the team managing Archer's high fidelity aircraft simulators supporting validation and verification activities, handling quality evaluations, human factor evaluations and test pilot training.
  • Develop and optimize simulation pipelines including CI/CD integration for automated deployment, execution, and monitoring.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with internal groups and suppliers to integrate, instrument and maintain configuration of aircraft hardware and simulation models in a real-time, integrated hardware-in-the-loop environment.
  • Support test infrastructure for flight vehicles (e.g., Midnight Aircraft) and contribute to verification and validation of mission-critical systems.
  • Build simulation models of systems and integrate them into the overall framework.
  • Own end-to-end configuration of simulation environments (e.g., SIL, HIL, CeRT, Iron Bird), including data analysis and simulation correlation with flight test data.
  • Integrate third-party software/hardware systems into cohesive simulation architectures.
  • Set technical standards, provide mentorship, and foster a collaborative and high-performance engineering culture.
  • Design and build graphical user interfaces to control the real-time simulation environment.
  • Lead task decomposition, technical planning, and debugging of complex issues across real-time and distributed systems.

What you need:

  • 10+ years of experience in simulation software development and systems integration.
  • Bachelor's or higher degree in Aerospace, Software, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
  • Seasoned technical lead for an engineering team; providing guidance in planning and execution.
  • Advanced proficiency in C/C++ and Python.
  • Expert in MATLAB/Simulink and Python.
  • Extensive experience developing real-time HIL test infrastructures.
  • Proven ability to develop simulation tools with a focus on usability, modularity, and performance.
  • Expert of communication standards and protocols (RS-422/485, CAN/CAN-FD, ARINC-429, Ethernet, TCP/IP, USB etc…)
  • Experience prototyping Graphical User Interfaces based on user feedback.
  • Knowledgeable with software engineering practices including CI/CD (GitHub Actions, Jenkins), test-driven development, and agile methodologies.
  • Strong problem-solving and debugging skills with a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset.
  • Comfortable working in cross-disciplinary teams and mentoring junior engineers.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with aerospace, spacecraft, or robotics systems—including modeling of flight dynamics, sensor-actuator loops, or avionics.
  • Proficiency in the NI software suite (LabVIEW, VeriStand).
  • Experience developing and troubleshooting custom code (i.e. plugins, logical devices, custom devices) for real-time OS
  • Background in simulation infrastructure for VTOL, rotorcraft, or autonomous vehicles.
  • Understanding of control theory, GNC algorithms, and physics-based modeling.
  • Hands-on experience with HIL/SIL test rigs, hardware communication protocols, and test instrumentation.
  • Exposure to regulatory frameworks (FAA, DoD, NASA) and test certification environments.
  • Startup or fast-paced development experience is a plus.
  • Experience automating and executing test plans.
  • Familiarity with fault injection methodologies.
  • Familiarity with lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers and protocol analyzers.

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 $168,000 - $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.