Airframe Design Lead, Wing
Company websitearcher.com (Archer, opens in new tab)
Base salary $172,800 to $216,000
Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in San Jose, CA
You apply on the employer's own site. Six Figure Work does not handle applications.
- LocationSan Jose, CA
- WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
- Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
- Last checked (3 h ago) · observed since
About this job
Headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, Archer is a leader in the next-gen aerospace sector building an end-to-end advanced air mobility platform that delivers air taxis, unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS”), aviation-related physical artificial intelligence (“AI”) solutions, and other technologies to customers worldwide across the commercial aerospace and defense sectors.
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:
- 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
What you need:
- 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 Catia (preferred), NX, Solidworks, or Creo
- Experience with the design of
- Large bonded structures
- Sandwich construction
- Hand laid prepreg carbon fiber1
- 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
Bonus Qualifications:
- 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
At Archer we aim to attract, retain, and motivate talent that possess the skills and leadership necessary to grow our business. For this position we are offering $172,800 - $216,000 per year.
Archer is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, or disability status.
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 [email protected]. 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.
Certain positions may be eligible for visa sponsorship.
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 [email protected]. All employment processes are managed by the Archer People Team.
Source: Archer on Greenhouse · View original posting (opens in new tab)
Pay in context
This role's base floor ($172,800) is above 56% of the 359 Design roles in California listed on this site. Their median floor is $167,000; the middle half runs from $141,000 to $195,000.
Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 7, 2026.
This listingAirframe Design Lead, Wing$172,800 to $216,000
Aircraft Architecture & Integration Engineer$172,800 to $237,600
Staff Engineering Program Manager, UAS Programs$172,800 to $227,600
Staff Power Electronics Engineer$172,800 to $216,000
Vehicle Architect — Conceptual Sizing$172,800 to $237,600
Manager, Mechanical Actuator Development$172K to $230K
Staff Software Engineer, Full Stack$180K to $215K
Chart as a table
| Role | Published base |
|---|---|
| Airframe Design Lead, Wing (this listing) | $172,800 - $216,000 |
| Aircraft Architecture & Integration Engineer | $172,800 - $237,600 |
| Staff Engineering Program Manager, UAS Programs | $172,800 - $227,600 |
| Staff Power Electronics Engineer | $172,800 - $216,000 |
| Vehicle Architect — Conceptual Sizing | $172,800 - $237,600 |
| Manager, Mechanical Actuator Development | $172K - $230K |
| Staff Software Engineer, Full Stack | $180K - $215K |
Observed changes
- First observed on the employer's board
- Began meeting the published-salary criteria
- Observed since
- Employer-stated posting date
- 2026-05-31
Where this pay comes from
Location as the employer wrote it: San Jose, California, United States
Archer we aim to attract, retain, and motivate talent that possess the skills and leadership necessary to grow our business. For this position we are offering $172,800 - $216,000 per year.
- Method
- Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
- Checked
- Rule set
- us-base-v2
The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.
What we verified
- The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
- The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
- The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.
We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.
