Senior People Business Partner

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.

The Senior People Business Partner, Engineering serves as a strategic partner and hands-on HR leader supporting Archer’s engineering organization. This role partners closely with engineering leadership to drive organizational design, workforce planning, and talent strategies that enable rapid growth and operational excellence. The position executes key people initiatives across the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding, performance management, leadership coaching, employee relations, policy execution, compliance, and offboarding, while building scalable processes and improving systems in a fast-paced environment. This role requires strong data-driven decision making, credibility with technical leaders, and the ability to balance strategic influence with tactical execution. This position is based on-site five days per week, partnering closely with leaders and teams to support a high-growth engineering organization.

What you’ll do:

• Strategic Partnership: Act as a dedicated consultant to Engineering leadership, aligning People strategies with technical roadmaps to drive organizational success.

• Organizational Design: Partner with leaders to critically evaluate team structures, headcount planning, and talent makeup to ensure the organization scales efficiently.

• Employee Relations & Coaching: Manage employee relations matters and provide direct coaching to managers of all levels on management effectiveness and team health.

• COE Collaboration: Partner closely with People Centers of Excellence (Recruiting, Total Rewards, Talent Management, Mobility) to design and deploy programs tailored to the unique needs of technical and fast-growing teams.

• Proactive Problem Solving: Navigate complex organizational challenges by thinking and acting quickly on your feet; you don’t just identify fires, you build the systems to prevent them.

• Data-Driven Insights: Utilize people analytics (attrition, engagement, and performance metrics) as signals to influence leadership decisions and provide practical solutions.

• Process Innovation: Execute on all essential People team deliverables while continuously improving processes, identifying automation opportunities, and implementing scalable solutions.

• Operational Excellence: Work closely with People Operations to ensure seamless execution of the full employee lifecycle, from hire to retire.

• Compliance & Integrity: Ensure consistent compliance with local and federal laws while maintaining the highest degree of integrity and confidentiality in all matters.

What you need:

• 5+ years of relevant experience with a Bachelor’s degree in HR or related field.

• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data to build a business case and influence senior leadership.

• Proven ability to manage high-volume, complex workloads in a fast-paced environment without sacrificing quality or attention to detail.

• Ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality, work independently, multi-task, and follow up on a wide range of issues.

• This is an in-office role based at our San Jose headquarters, requiring someone who thrives on real time collaboration and high visibility.

Bonus qualifications:

• Experience working in a startup environment

• Aerospace or Aviation industry experience

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 $145,000 - $180,000. Actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as 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 people@archer.com. 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 People@archer.com. All employment processes are managed by the Archer People Team.