Staff UX Designer

Archer is an aerospace and defense company headquartered in San Jose, California, building the aircraft and technology that will define the next era of flight. The company works across air taxis, UAS, AI and powertrain development — building real-world systems that combine software intelligence with physical hardware. That includes Midnight, Archer's all-electric air taxi; Halo, an autonomous vertical takeoff and landing aircraft built for both commercial and defense use; and ZEE, Archer's AI foundation model built specifically for aviation. We’re seeking exceptional engineers, operators and builders to join us on our mission to build the future of aerospace and defense.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.Archer is best known for Midnight, our electric aircraft. This role isn't on that program. The AI Products Org is building software for the general aviation industry: mobile apps, websites, and web apps for consumer end users. We haven't announced what we're working on, and we're not going to spoil it in a job posting. What we can tell you: it's early, it's greenfield, and the design decisions made in the next year will define these products for a long time.That's why we're hiring a Staff Designer. Not someone to execute a roadmap that's already figured out, but someone who can take a loosely defined problem, explore it, and come back with something worth building.What You’ll Do:Own product design for consumer end-user software end to end: mobile apps, websites, and web applicationsTake products from 0 to 1. Some of what you'll work on doesn't exist yet in any form, not even a briefRun product explorations — sketch out directions, pressure-test them with the team, kill the weak ones earlyWork with minimal direction. You'll get context and constraints from PM and engineering, but the design leadership on your projects is you ship. Then keep refining what shipped based on how people actually use itRaise the bar on craft across the org, through your own work and through feedback on everyone else'sWhat You Need:8+ years of product design experience minimum. Realistically, the person we're picturing has 12–15Products you've designed that are live and in users' hands. We will ask about them, in detail: what you decided, what you got wrong, what you'd changeReal 01 experience: you've built the first version of something, not just iterated on a mature productStrong systems thinking across mobile and web. You know when a pattern should be shared across platforms and when it shouldn'tComfort with ambiguity. If you need a fully scoped ticket before you can start, this won't be a fitA portfolio that shows your thinking, not just polished final screensBonus Qualifications:Experience designing for aviation, or an interest in general aviation. Pilots and aviation nerds, this is your momentExperience working alongside AI/ML teams, or designing products with AI-driven featuresYou've shipped consumer products in a domain with real-world constraints (regulated industries, safety-adjacent, hardware-adjacent) and know how that shapes designAbout The Team:AI Products is a roughly 100-person software org inside a company of aerospace engineers, and we expect to grow substantially over the next year. You get the resources and momentum of a real org, but the products themselves are early — which means senior designers here get the kind of ownership that usually only exists at startups.If you want to hear more about what we're building before you apply, you can't. Apply, and we'll tell you plenty.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 $175,00.00 - $215,000.00 . 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 View email address on us.fitly.work. 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 View email address on us.fitly.work. All employment processes are managed by the Archer People Team.