How to apply for Senior Software Engineer, Full Stack

About Archer

Archer is at the forefront of urban air mobility, developing eVTOL aircraft to reduce commute times and carbon emissions. Working here means contributing to a transformative technology that could reshape transportation in cities worldwide.

About the role

As a Senior Full Stack Engineer, you'll build the digital infrastructure for Archer's aircraft operations, from real-time dashboards to APIs that power AI-driven insights. Your work directly enables safe, efficient flight management and enhances the user experience for pilots and ground crews.

A typical day

You'll start by checking the performance of the live dashboards and APIs you maintain, then join a standup with the full-stack team. The rest of your day might involve coding a new data visualization for flight paths, reviewing a colleague's PR for a backend API, or collaborating with data scientists to deploy a new model that predicts battery health.

Who Archer is looking for

• You have 5+ years of full-stack experience with a strong portfolio in React/TypeScript and Python/Node.js, and have built real-time features like live maps or monitoring dashboards.
• You're comfortable with WebSockets and SSE for streaming data, and have designed REST or GraphQL APIs that handle high-throughput data from IoT or aviation systems.
• You've worked closely with data science teams to integrate machine learning models into production web applications.
• You thrive in a fast-paced startup environment and are excited about the challenges of aerospace-grade reliability and safety.

Tips for this application

• Highlight any experience with geospatial data or mapping libraries (e.g., Mapbox, Leaflet) as they are crucial for the real-time dashboards.
• Mention specific projects where you integrated AI/ML models into a frontend interface, especially if you used Python for backend inference.
• Showcase your experience with PostgreSQL and Redis, particularly in a context of time-series data or caching for performance.
• Tailor your resume to emphasize full-stack ownership: include examples where you designed both frontend and backend for a single feature.
• Research Archer's aircraft technology and mention how your skills could apply to flight data visualization or predictive maintenance.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Express passion for sustainable aviation and urban air mobility.', 'Describe a past project where you built a real-time data dashboard or streaming feature.', 'Emphasize your ability to collaborate across teams (Backend, Data Science, DevOps) to deliver integrated solutions.', 'Mention familiarity with aerospace software standards or safety-critical systems, if applicable.']

Research before applying

• Read about Archer's Midnight aircraft and its key specifications (range, speed, noise level) to understand the product.
• Explore Archer's partnerships (e.g., with United Airlines) and their certification timeline with the FAA.
• Check out Archer's recent blog posts or news about their software platform and digital twin technology.
• Review the company's culture and values on their careers page to align your application.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Design a real-time flight tracking dashboard with WebSocket updates and map integration.
• How would you architect an API to ingest telemetry data from multiple aircraft and serve it to a frontend with low latency?
• Explain your approach to integrating a machine learning model (e.g., predictive maintenance) into a full-stack application.
• Discuss strategies for handling data consistency and caching in a distributed system with Redis and PostgreSQL.
• How do you ensure code quality and reliability in a rapid development environment, especially for safety-related features?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Avoid generic applications that don't mention aviation or real-time data; this role is very specific.
• Don't ignore the real-time aspect—if your experience is mostly CRUD apps, it's a red flag.
• Don't claim expertise in technologies you don't know; be honest and show willingness to learn.