About this role
Headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, Archer is a leader in the next-gen aerospace sector building an end-to-end advanced air mobility platform that delivers air taxis, unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS”), aviation-related physical artificial intelligence (“AI”) solutions, and other technologies to customers worldwide across the commercial aerospace and defense sectors.
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.
What You’ll Do:
The General Manager (GM) is responsible for the overall leadership, safety, financial performance, and day-to-day operations of our Fixed Base Operator (FBO) facility, Hawthorne Municipal Airport. This includes fuel sales and dispensing, aircraft ground handling, customer service, hangar and ramp operations, facility maintenance, and staff management. The GM serves as the primary point of contact with airport authorities, tenants, vendors, and regulatory agencies, ensuring the facility operates safely, efficiently, and profitably while delivering a high standard of customer service to based and transient aircraft operators.
Key Responsibilities:
Operations Management
- Own daily FBO operations: fuel sales, line service, towing/marshaling, ramp and hangar scheduling
- Enforce HHR-specific noise abatement and airfield restrictions (runup zones, non-movement areas, curfew-adjacent taxi-back limits) across line staff
- Coordinate ramp and hangar access/scheduling with Archer flight test and ground-support activity to avoid conflicts with commercial FBO traffic
- Maintain compliance with FAA, NATA Safety 1st, NFPA fueling codes, and TSA requirements
Financial Performance
- Manage the FBO P&L: fuel margins, hangar/tie-down revenue, and ancillary services
- Build and track the annual operating budget and report performance up to leadership
- Manage fuel supply and vendor contracts
Team Leadership
- Lead line service technician team and customer service team
- Maintain staff certifications (fueling, ramp safety, hazmat) and drive a safety-first culture appropriate to a tight, mixed-use urban airfield
- Lead incident investigations and corrective actions
Stakeholder & Community Relations
- Serve as the primary FBO point of contact for based tenants, transient pilots, and charter operators (e.g., Advanced Air)
- Represent FBO operations in coordination with the City of Hawthorne's Community Network Committee on noise and community-impact matters
- Liaise closely with Archer's airport operations and flight test teams on shared-use scheduling, safety cases, and buildout timelines
- Interface with FAA, tower operations contractor, and local emergency response for planning
Safety & Compliance
- Maintain SMS protocols and conduct regular safety audits appropriate to a towered field with mixed conventional and eVTOL/flight-test traffic
- Ensure OSHA, EPA (fuel storage/spill prevention), and airport-specific compliance
- Support emergency response planning for fuel, aircraft, and severe weather incidents
Required Qualiifications:
- 5+ years aviation operations experience, 2+ years in FBO, airport, or airline station management
- Proven supervisory experience leading frontline ramp/line teams
- Working knowledge of fuel handling regulations, NATA Safety 1st standards, and towered-airport procedures
- Strong financial acumen — budgeting, P&L ownership, vendor negotiation
- Comfort operating in a fast-changing environment
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience at a constrained, noise-sensitive urban GA airfield
- NATA Safety 1st Line Service Supervisor certification
- Familiarity with X1 and TRAQPak FBO
- Exposure to eVTOL, advanced air mobility, or flight test ground operations
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 $132,200 - $165,200. 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 [email protected] . Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
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