Staff Design for Manufacturing Engineer

Archer•San Jose, CA

About The Position

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. As a Staff DFM Engineer, you'll play a critical role in ensuring our printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) are optimized for manufacturability, reliability, and scalability in our revolutionary eVTOL aircraft. You'll be the bridge between design and production, driving manufacturing excellence while supporting Archer's mission to transform urban transportation.

Requirements

BS Degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Materials Science Engineering with 10+ years or MS with 6+ years of experience in related fields.
Experience developing and implementing DFM processes for rigid, flex, and rigid-flex printed circuit board designs for aerospace, automotive, or industrial applications.
Experience developing processes for press-fit applications.
A working knowledge of the materials, material properties, and processes used in PCBA manufacturing.
A working knowledge of IPC-610.
Experience developing, deploying, and enforcing processes at subcontractor sites.
Experience investigating and resolving issues encountered at subcontractor sites.
Ability to travel frequently, ~20%.
Excellent organizational and communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Altium Designer.
Experienced in the development of RoHS compliant assemblies.
Experience performing schematic capture for mixed signal, high voltage, and high power applications.

Responsibilities

Lead PCBA manufacturing strategy for eVTOL applications, establishing scalable build processes from prototype to mass production.
Qualify and verify manufacturing partners, evaluating technical capabilities, quality systems, and production capacity for both quick-turn prototypes and high-volume manufacturing.
Develop and maintain DFM standards, creating comprehensive procedures, checklists, and best practices for rigid, flex, and rigid-flex PCB designs.
Provide expert DFM guidance by reviewing PCBA designs and recommending optimizations to enhance manufacturability, yield, and cost-effectiveness.
Drive process excellence at subcontractor sites by developing, implementing, and enforcing manufacturing procedures and quality standards.
Conduct materials research and qualification through Design of Experiments (DoEs) to identify optimal materials for demanding eVTOL aerospace applications.
Collaborate with eCAD librarians to develop component footprints that meet DFM requirements and manufacturing constraints.
Lead root cause analysis for PCBA failures encountered during reliability testing and field operations, implementing corrective actions.
Champion yield improvement initiatives at subcontractor assembly lines through data-driven problem solving.
Partner cross-functionally with electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, program management, and product lifecycle teams to deliver exceptional results.