Application Guide
How to Apply for Staff DevOps
at Archer
🏢 About Archer
Archer is a pioneering aerospace company focused on making urban air mobility a reality with electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Working here means contributing to a sustainable transportation revolution, backed by strong partnerships and a mission to reduce carbon emissions in cities.
About This Role
As a Staff DevOps Engineer, you will architect and maintain the cloud infrastructure and data pipelines that power Archer's real-time AI applications. Your work directly supports the development and deployment of autonomous flight systems, making urban air taxis safe and efficient.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might start with a stand-up with the AI research team to discuss model deployment needs, then dive into optimizing Flink jobs for sensor data streams. After lunch, you might troubleshoot a latency issue in the production environment and later review IaC changes to scale the cloud infrastructure for upcoming flight tests.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Archer Is Looking For
- Has 5+ years of experience in backend systems and distributed architectures, with a proven track record of building highly available cloud infrastructure.
- Is proficient in Java, Python, or Rust, and comfortable writing high-performance concurrent code for stream-processing.
- Has production experience with Apache Flink and other stream-processing frameworks, handling high-frequency data streams with ultra-low latency.
- Thrives in cross-functional teams, collaborating with AI researchers and data scientists to containerize and deploy ML models at scale.
📝 Tips for Applying to Archer
Highlight any experience with real-time AI/ML model deployment and monitoring, as this role directly supports AI research.
Emphasize your work with Apache Flink in production, including specific latency and throughput metrics.
Tailor your resume to show expertise in infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Terraform, Kubernetes) and cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure).
Mention any familiarity with aviation or autonomous systems, even if tangential, to show passion for the industry.
Include a link to your GitHub or a portfolio demonstrating scalable backend systems or stream-processing projects.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Express enthusiasm for sustainable aviation and Archer's mission to revolutionize urban transport.", 'Detail your experience with Apache Flink and real-time data pipelines, providing concrete examples of ultra-low latency systems.', 'Showcase cross-functional collaboration with AI/ML teams, emphasizing your role in deploying and monitoring models.', 'Highlight your ability to architect highly available systems and your proficiency in Java, Python, or Rust.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Read about Archer's eVTOL aircraft, such as the Midnight, and understand its sensor suite and data requirements.
- → Study Archer's partnerships with United Airlines and other stakeholders to grasp the business context.
- → Review Archer's recent news and blog posts about autonomy and AI integration to speak their language.
- → Familiarize yourself with FAA regulations for eVTOL operations to understand regulatory challenges.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don't focus solely on traditional DevOps (CI/CD, monitoring) without emphasizing stream-processing and ML Ops.
- Avoid generic statements about 'passion for technology' without linking to aviation or sustainability.
- Don't neglect to mention your experience with high-frequency data or real-time systems, as that's core to the role.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!