Sr. Systems Engineer
San Jose, CAJob$145–190K/yrPosted 1w agoStill listed 3 days ago
Most applications go out cold — see where you stand first. No sign-up to start.
Watch jobs like this. New roles like this one near San Jose, CA, by email.
Don't just apply. Show up ready.
Olive works from this exact posting.
At a glance
Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.
Job overview
Archer seeks a senior systems engineering leader for its Development Assurance team to build and improve the engineering framework for aircraft development and certification. The role leads compliant processes and toolchains, establishes standards for development artifacts, and partners with engineering and tools teams to support consistent application, traceability, audits, and certification. The work centers on aerospace standards including ARP4754A, DO-178C, and DO-254.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
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:
Join our Development Assurance team, in this pivotal role, you will be instrumental in launching our first certified aircraft by architecting the engineering framework that governs how we work. You will define, deploy, and continuously improve the processes and toolchains that enable our teams to develop cutting-edge aircraft systems with the highest standards of quality, safety, and efficiency. As a multi-disciplinary leader, you will bridge the gap between engineering execution and company strategy, ensuring our development lifecycle is fully compliant ARP4754A and other aerospace industry standards.
-
Lead the definition, implementation, and continuous improvement of a comprehensive Systems Engineering framework fully compliant with ARP4754A. Ensure that our engineering processes and artifacts not only meet the objectives of ARP4754A, DO-178C, and DO-254 but also generate the clear, traceable evidence required for successful audits and certification.
-
Define and govern the standards, templates, and quality criteria for all key development artifacts
-
You'll be a trusted partner and coach to engineering teams, helping them understand the "why" behind the process and integrating their feedback to create a system that works for everyone.
-
Partner directly with multidisciplinary engineering teams to integrate compliant processes and artifact standards into their daily workflows, providing training and support to ensure practical and consistent application.
-
Collaborate with the Product Lifecycle Engineering and Tools teams to configure our engineering toolchain to enforce process compliance, automate traceability, and manage the lifecycle of all certified artifacts.
What You Need:
-
BS, MS, or PhD in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
-
5+ yrs of experience in developing one or more aerospace systems
-
Proven background in developing and verifying highly integrated aerospace systems.
-
Experience with requirements development, configuration, and architecture definition for aircraft.
-
Hands-on experience with civil aviation programs utilizing Systems Engineering processes for certification credit.
-
Deep understanding of systems engineering practices and the underlying reasons and purpose behind them
-
Significant experience using one or more requirements management tools (e.g., Polarion, DOORS, Jama).
-
Full understanding of the Systems Engineering standard used in civil aviation and the underlying reasons and purpose for each process and activity
-
Extensive experience defining, implementing, and providing training for engineering processes
-
Familiarity with regulations and standards for transport and general aviation aircraft (14 CFR Part 23/27)
-
Experience working on Type Certification from concept to completion.
Bonus Qualifications:
-
Experience following systems engineering principles in a non-aerospace industry.
-
Proficiency in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodologies and tools.
-
Knowledge of safety assessment processes (SAE ARP4761).
-
Background in complex hardware/software certification standards (RTCA DO-178 / DO-254).
-
Experience customizing or improving requirements management workflows.
-
Hands on experience with development of Mechanical Systems or Aircraft Structures
-
Experience conducting audits of engineering development processes.
-
Experience defining and applying configuration management strategies
-
Experience interacting with a certifying authority regarding System Development and Safety certification
-
Experience developing cross program processes and guidance
At Archer, we aim to attract, retain, and motivate talent with the skills and leadership needed to grow our business. We drive a pay-for-performance culture and reward performance that supports the Company’s strategy. For this position, we are targeting a base pay range of $145,000 - $190,000. Actual compensation offered will be determined by 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 [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.
How this job compares
Set against the 2,682 open Systems Engineering jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 27, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$145–190K/yr
- California median$160–225K/yr419 salary ranges
- US median$133–205K/yr1,929 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $168K, is 14% below the California median midpoint ($195K) — in the middle half of Systems Engineering salary ranges in California.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 509 open Systems Engineering jobs in California and 2,682 across the US. 5% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in California
- Anduril Industries57 open
- Northrop Grumman38 open
- Anduril36 open
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 5 years of experience; Systems Engineering postings that state a minimum ask for 7 years at the median (2,114 postings).
- Education
- 946 of the 2,682 open Systems Engineering jobs (35%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 27, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
Similar jobs, posted recently
Open roles like this one, listed in the last 30 days.
Systems Engineer Stf - E4Lockheed Martin · Sunnyvale, CA · $131–244K/yr
Flight Software Verification EngineerReliable Robotics Corporation · Remote · location unlistedPosted 5 days agoPosted 5 days ago
Systems Safety EngineerAnduril Industries · Mountain View, CA · $160–211K/yrPosted 1w agoPosted 1w ago
Systems Engineer Level 3 / 4Northrop Grumman · Sunnyvale, CA · $114–171K/yrHardware Systems Lead, DroneApplied Compute · Sunnyvale, CAPosted 1w agoPosted 1w ago
You've read the whole posting — now see how you match it.