Business Operations Associate

Icarus; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Daily lunch

Job summary

Icarus in El Segundo is seeking a highly motivated individual to own operational projects and improve process efficiencies across the company. You will tackle strategic problems and promote a data-driven approach while working with cross-functional teams.

The ideal candidate has 2-3 years of relevant experience, strong analytical abilities, and excellent communication skills. A competitive salary along with meaningful equity and comprehensive benefits are offered. Immediate relocation to Los Angeles is required, with no remote options available.

Qualifications

• 2-3 years of experience in management consulting, investment banking, internal strategy, or business analyst role.
• Self-directed and proactive in problem ownership.
• Excellent communication skills for working with senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Own operational projects from definition to implementation.
• Drive improvement processes across functions.
• Project manage across large groups of stakeholders.

Skills

Analytical aptitude

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Project management

Job description

Icarus was founded on the belief that the Stratosphere is the Forgotten Frontier and that reclaiming it will define the next era of aerospace and what is possible from the sky. We build solar‑powered aircraft that fly at 60,000 ft for weeks at a time, delivering persistent, affordable, and scalable presence from this layer of the atmosphere.

Mission

Re‑establish and maintain dominance in the Stratosphere.

What you’ll do

• Own operational projects end to end, from definition to solution to implementation. You will be handed ambiguous problems with little prescription for how to solve them. If that does not excite you, this is not the role for you.
• Improve how Icarus operates, working across every function to strengthen the processes that support the company's growth and building the data‑capture and reporting needed to drive lasting improvement.
• Take on high‑priority special projects that impact teams across the company but do not fall within the scope of any existing role, and drive them to resolution. You will be one of the first people we turn to when a difficult, cross‑cutting problem needs solving.
• Work on strategic problems, providing structure to ambiguity and guiding cross‑functional groups toward decisions. The role couples first‑principles thinking with rigorous, iterative analysis to fully detail the impact of potential decisions.
• Work deeply within our business systems (ERP, HRIS, and internal tools), becoming intimately familiar with how they function and leveraging their data to execute analyses on short timelines, while equipping teams with the insights and tools to measure and improve their own processes.
• Project manage across large groups of stakeholders, leading meetings, driving alignment, and translating across Finance, Recruiting, People Operations, Business Development, and leadership to reach decisions.

What we’re looking for

• 2‑3 years of experience in management consulting, investment banking, internal strategy and operations, or a business analyst role.
• Strong analytical aptitude, with a structured, data‑driven approach to solving problems.
• Self‑directed and relentlessly proactive. You take ownership of problems and drive them to resolution without being told to.
• An appetite for building clear frameworks to bring structure to ambiguous problems.
• Excellent communication skills, including comfort presenting to and working with senior leadership.
• A serious commitment to feedback and growth.
• The drive to perform in a fast‑paced, high‑intensity environment.
• Relocation to Los Angeles or ability to work full time on‑site. Remote/hybrid arrangements are not offered.

Why Icarus

• Meaningful equity
• Top market salary and bonuses
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Real ownership, real hardware, real flight
• Small team, massive responsibility (but growing very fast)
• High signal (engineering) to noise (management) culture
• Dream desk setup
• Daily lunch

This is not a normal ops job

• We are pioneers, not corporate managers. Icarus deliberately optimizes for a high signal (engineering) to noise (management) ratio, where engineering, manufacturing, flight, and execution matter more than process, politics, or management overhead.
• You will work alongside the CEO and a small team of world‑class builders, embedded in the real problems of building and flying aircraft.
• We expect full extreme ownership. This is a high‑trust, no‑BS team, and everyone pulls their weight.
• We want builders. No hand‑holding, no fluff, no fake projects. Real problems, real data, and real results.
• You must thrive under pressure, learn fast, and solve problems across functions.
• We move fast. We expect results and an obsession with quality and speed.

No tourists. No bystanders. Only builders.

US salary range

$100,000 ‑ $140,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are considered part of Icarus' total compensation package.

We’re an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all applicants without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.