Staff Manufacturing Design Engineer, Methods and Standards

About this role

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.

About The Role:

At Archer, we are scaling production of our cutting-edge eVTOL Aircraft. As a member of the Manufacturing Design Engineering (MDE) team, you will help bridge aircraft design and production.

In this role, you will unify methods and standards across the organization, consolidating complex processes into a central, version-controlled knowledge base. Working cross-functionally with Design, Quality, Supply Chain, and Certification teams, you will define and scale the manufacturing solutions required to bring the future of flight to market.

What You’ll Do:

• Develop, document, and maintain standardized manufacturing engineering methods and best practices across the Manufacturing Design Engineering (MDE) organization

• Define common frameworks for manufacturing planning, process definition, work instruction structure, and build readiness across development, certification, and production phases

• Lead the definition of facility planning standards, including space allocation, line layouts, material flow, aisleways, egress, and infrastructure requirements

• Define and standardize tooling and ground support equipment (GSE) requirements, including classification, readiness criteria, and integration into manufacturing plans

• Develop standardized approaches for test and functional test equipment, ensuring alignment with build sequencing, quality, and certification requirements

• Partner closely with MDE functional teams, Industrialization, Quality, Facilities, and Operations to ensure standards are practical, scalable, and aligned with execution realities

• Support governance of standards adoption, identify gaps through build feedback, and drive continuous improvement based on data and lessons learned

• Act as a technical resource and mentor for MDE engineers, enabling consistent execution across programs and teams

What You Need:

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field

• 10+ years of experience in aerospace manufacturing engineering or a similarly complex, regulated environment

• Deep hands-on experience with manufacturing planning, process definition, work instructions, tooling, and production support