Head of Innovation Engineering (Director)

At Archer · San Jose, CA, USA

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.

What You'll Do

As the Head of Innovation Engineering, you will lead a high-performing team of engineers focused on rapidly identifying, prototyping, and delivering transformative solutions that leverage AI/ML and emerging technologies to solve real-world problems across the business. Reporting directly to the Chief Digital Officer, you will set the vision and technical direction for innovation engineering while remaining deeply hands-on — writing code, building prototypes, and shipping alongside your team. This is a director-level leadership role for someone who thrives at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and practical impact.

• Define and drive the innovation engineering roadmap, identifying high-value opportunities where AI/ML, agentic AI systems, and rapid prototyping can accelerate Archer's mission and digital capabilities.
• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of engineers who share a passion for building fast, learning faster, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible — fostering a culture of experimentation, ownership, and technical excellence.
• Architect and build AI-powered solutions, including autonomous agents, intelligent workflows, and ML-driven tools that address complex operational and engineering challenges.
• Operate as a player/coach — personally contributing production-quality code, building MVPs, and prototyping concepts while coaching and unblocking your team to do the same.
• Champion a rapid prototyping and MVP-driven development approach, moving ideas from concept to working software quickly, validating assumptions early, and iterating based on real user feedback.
• Partner cross-functionally with engineering, operations, product, and business stakeholders to identify pain points, scope opportunities, and deliver solutions that create measurable value.
• Stay at the forefront of AI/ML advancements, including large language models, agentic frameworks, and emerging tooling — evaluating and adopting technologies that give Archer a competitive edge.

What You Need

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 4 years in a technical leadership or management role.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Deep hands-on expertise in ML/AI, including applied machine learning, LLMs, and agentic AI systems (e.g., tool-using agents, multi-agent architectures, autonomous workflows).
• Proven track record of rapid prototyping and MVP delivery — turning ambiguous problems into working software quickly.
• Strong proficiency in modern programming languages and frameworks (e.g., Python, TypeScript) with a demonstrated commitment to writing code daily.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire engineering teams while maintaining a hands-on, code-first approach — true player/coach mentality.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders and influence at the executive level.
• Comfort operating in fast-paced, ambiguous environments where priorities shift and scrappiness is a virtue.

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience in aerospace, aviation, manufacturing, or other hardware-intensive industries.
• Familiarity with MLOps, model deployment pipelines, and scaling AI solutions in production environments.
• Experience building with modern agentic AI frameworks (e.g., LangChain, CrewAI, AutoGen, or custom agent orchestration systems).
• Background in full-stack development with experience shipping user-facing products end-to-end.
• Prior experience reporting to or partnering closely with C-suite executives on digital transformation initiatives.

Please note that this job description is intended to provide a general overview of the position and does not include an exhaustive list of responsibilities and qualifications.

At Archer we aim to attract, retain, and motivate talent that possess the skills and leadership necessary to grow our business. We drive a pay-for-performance culture and reward performance that supports the Company's business strategy. For this position we are targeting a base pay between $219k –$300k. Actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

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 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.