Powertrain Architect — Hybrid-Electric Propulsion

As Powertrain Architect, you will evaluate and size the hybrid-electric propulsion system for a next-generation eVTOL, spanning combustion engine selection, electromagnetic sizing, thermal management, and battery behavior. You will contribute resulting models into Archer's broader vehicle-level sizing and optimization stack, working closely with Vehicle and Structures Architects to close the powertrain within the overall vehicle concept.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and trade hybrid-electric powertrain architectures (series, parallel, turbo-electric), integrating battery energy storage and electric motors/inverters, with a turboshaft-driven generator as one of the configurations considered.
• Size electric motors and generators from first principles, validating and refining designs with electromagnetic solvers as needed.
• Size the thermal management system architecture — heat exchangers, ducting, and coolant line routing — for all major powertrain components, using thermal/CFD tools as needed.
• Generate performance and efficiency maps for electric motors and generators across the operating envelope.
• Model battery charge and discharge behavior (C-rates, thermal behavior, degradation) to inform sizing and duty-cycle decisions.
• Estimate thermal limits and duty cycles for motors, inverters, and batteries across representative mission profiles.
• Build powertrain models suitable for integration into Archer's larger vehicle-level MDO stack, supporting the vehicle-level sizing and performance predictions led by the Vehicle Architect.
• Collaborate with the structures and vehicle architects on packaging, weight, and integration of the full powertrain stack.

Requirements

• Background in hybrid-electric, turbo-electric, or conventional turbine aircraft propulsion (aerospace or adjacent high-power industries).
• Some background in optimization, including multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO), is necessary.
• Experience in at least two of the following three areas is required: electromagnetic sizing of motors/generators; thermal management system sizing; battery modeling (equivalent-circuit or electrochemical).

Nice to have

• Proficiency with electromagnetic design tools such as ANSYS Maxwell, Motor-CAD, JMAG, or similar is desired.
• Proficiency with thermal/CFD design tools such as ANSYS Icepak, Fluent, or similar is desired.
• Strong Python proficiency for powertrain modeling and trade studies is strongly preferred.
• Turboshaft/turbine integration experience is desired.