Thermal Engineer, Electric Propulsion

What You’ll Do

• Develop and maintain models for electric motors, inverters, thermal management systems, gearboxes, and power distribution systems.
• Create integrated multi-physics models coupling electrical, thermal, mechanical, and controls domains.
• Use analysis to inform design decisions and optimize overall propulsion system performance. Lead trade studies evaluating design alternatives to determine optimal thermal solutions.
• Design creative high performance thermal systems, then build engineering prototypes to confirm performance. 
• Design and build thermal test setups to measure system critical temperatures, flowrates, and pressures and confirm performance. 
• Plan and oversee execution of thermal test campaigns validating your thermal models, including FAA certification testing related to the thermal system. 
• Collaborate with other engineers to develop propulsion system thermal boundary requirements (external cooling flows, temperatures) and ensure propulsion system thermal design is optimized for vehicle level performance.  
• Collaborate with mechanical design teams to package your thermal designs within the volume and mass constraints of the aircraft.
• Collaborate with Software and Controls teams to develop and implement embedded thermal models, observers, and overheat prevention. 
• Clearly document and communicate thermal design rationale, analysis methodologies, and test results. 
• Review measured thermal data from propulsion systems on Archer aircraft, confirm thermal systems are meeting performance requirements on aircraft

What You’ll Need

• BS / MS / PhD in Mechanical Engineering, or Aerospace Engineering
• 4+ years experience in thermal design and simulation, preferably within the aerospace or automotive sectors.
• Strong fundamentals and demonstrated understanding of heat transfer and flow physics, including, conduction, convection and radiation
• Experience with power electronics, electric motor, heat exchanger, and gearbox thermal design. 
• Strong Experience in MATLAB/Simulink and Python (including object-oriented programming and version control via Git).
• Experience with industry-standard tools such as StarCCM+, Ansys Fluent, Ansys ICEpak and Thermal analysis packages, 
• A systematic approach to problem-solving and the ability to communicate complex technical rationale to multidisciplinary stakeholders.
• Experience with lumped parameter thermal networks modeling, reduced-order modeling, kalman filters, control theory and application, and advanced signal processing.
• Experience with thermal testing and test-data correlation
• Self-motivated with ability to work independently and drive technical initiatives
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, experience writing technical reports. 

Bonus Qualifications

• Prior experience with eVTOL aircraft
• Familiarity with FAA certification basis (Part 23/25 or 27/29)
• Experience with CAD modeling systems (e.g . NX, CATIA, Solidworks)
• Experience with embedded microcontroller software development in C
• Experience utilizing high-performance computing (HPC) to parallelize workflows
• Knowledge of simulation model validation, model calibration, and uncertainty quantification methods

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to work in laboratory and test environments
• May require occasional travel to test facilities

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 support the Company's strategy. For this position, we are targeting a base pay range of $172,000 - $225,000. 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.