Lead Mission Systems & Integration Engineer – Special Programs
About The Position
Special Programs is Archer's rapid-prototyping, cross-functional engineering team supporting advanced and defense-focused development efforts. We operate as a small, empowered group capable of moving quickly across disciplines — from early technical assessment of new opportunities through hands-on design, analysis, and prototype development. The Lead Special Programs Engineer – Mission Systems & Integration brings deep mission systems engineering expertise as their organic core competency — defining and integrating the payloads, sensors, and mission equipment that let prototype vehicles perform their intended mission.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Systems, or Electrical Engineering (advanced degree a plus)
- Demonstrated experience defining and integrating mission systems, payloads, or sensor packages for aerospace or defense platforms
- Familiarity with mission-system requirements management and payload-to-airframe integration
- Demonstrated ability to work across the full development lifecycle — concept through prototype — in a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment
- Experience or strong aptitude for evaluating technical feasibility of early-stage concepts, not just executing against defined requirements
- Comfort operating as a generalist when needed — willingness and ability to contribute outside your core focus area in support of program needs
- Ability to work independently with significant technical ownership and no direct-report support structure
- 8–12 years of relevant engineering experience (or equivalent demonstrated experience in rapid-prototyping / advanced-programs environments)
- Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, asylee, or refugee), as defined by ITAR/EAR
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance
Nice To Haves
- advanced degree a plus
Responsibilities
- Lead mission systems design, requirements definition, and integration for prototype vehicles, including payload and sensor integration, mission equipment packaging, and operator/mission-system interfaces
- Support rapid prototyping efforts end-to-end, from concept mission architecture through integration, ground test, and flight test support
- Own the mission systems discipline within Special Programs — setting technical approach, standards, and integration methods used across the program’s mission systems work
- Conduct technical feasibility assessments of new opportunities — evaluating whether emerging concepts, RFPs, or mission requirements are viable within your focus area and what approach they would require
- Serve as a cross-functional technical contributor across Special Programs efforts outside your core focus area when program needs require it
- Collaborate with program leads, other Special Programs engineers, and broader Archer engineering teams to align technical approaches with program timelines and constraints
- Produce technical documentation, trade studies, and analysis packages supporting both design maturity reviews and opportunity/capture decisions
- Represent Special Programs work in your focus area in internal reviews and, as needed, in discussions with government stakeholders
Benefits
- pay-for-performance culture and reward performance that supports the Company’s strategy
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
