Buyer/Planner, Mechanical & Composites

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

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity

Competitive pay & bonuses

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Ownership of hardware & flight

Small team, big responsibility

Daily lunch

Job summary

Icarus, a California-based aerospace startup, seeks a procurement and supply planning leader to own buying for mechanical, propulsion, composites, and raw materials. You’ll collaborate with engineering and manufacturing to align material availability with the build plan.

You will drive RFQs, supplier negotiations, ERP/MRP usage, and inventory control at the El Segundo factory, five days a week, ensuring traceability and on-time delivery in a fast-paced, equity-driven environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of technical procurement, material planning, or supply chain experience in manufacturing.
• Experience buying mechanical components, build-to-print hardware, composites, or raw materials.
• Ability to interpret drawings, revisions, BOMs, and material specifications with engineering support.
• Hands-on experience with ERP/MRP and spreadsheet-based material analysis.
• Strong follow-through with suppliers and internal customers in a changing build environment.
• Attention to material traceability, accurate transactions, and clear communication of shortages.
• Ability to work at our El Segundo factory five days a week.

Responsibilities

• Material planning: Convert build schedules, BOMs, and engineering changes into requirements for purchased parts and production materials.
• Technical procurement: Run RFQs, evaluate quotes, place purchase orders, and track suppliers through delivery and acceptance.
• Mechanical suppliers: Coordinate drawings, revisions, outside processes, lead times, and delivery commitments for build-to-print hardware.
• Composite and raw-material control: Bring consumption, replenishment, shelf-life considerations, and inventory records into dependable ION workflows.
• Shortage recovery: Identify material gaps early, establish recovery plans, and communicate realistic dates to the production team.
• Planning data: Maintain item records, preferred suppliers, lead times, reorder points, and order quantities.
• Cost and continuity: Support negotiation, alternate sourcing, and practical cost improvements with engineering and the Head of Supply Chain.
• Receiving and reconciliation: Resolve quantity, quality, documentation, and invoice discrepancies with warehouse, engineering, and finance.

Skills

Technical procurement

Material planning

Supply chain

ERP/MRP

Spreadsheet analysis

Vendor management

Communication

Tools

ERP/MRP software

Spreadsheets

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. You will help build the supply chain that makes this possible.

Mission

Re-establish and maintain dominance in the Stratosphere.

The role

You will own buying and supply planning for mechanical, propulsion, composite, and raw-material commodities. Your scope includes machined and build-to-print parts, hardware, motors, servos, actuators, carbon materials, resins, adhesives, foam, and core. You will work with the Head of Supply Chain and the engineering and manufacturing teams to make material availability match the build plan.

What you’ll own

• Material planning. Convert build schedules, BOMs, and engineering changes into requirements for purchased parts and production materials.
• Technical procurement. Run RFQs, evaluate quotes, place purchase orders, and track suppliers through delivery and acceptance.
• Mechanical suppliers. Coordinate drawings, revisions, outside processes, lead times, and delivery commitments for build-to-print hardware.
• Composite and raw-material control. Bring consumption, replenishment, shelf-life considerations, and inventory records into dependable ION workflows.
• Shortage recovery. Identify material gaps early, establish recovery plans, and communicate realistic dates to the production team.
• Planning data. Maintain item records, preferred suppliers, lead times, reorder points, and order quantities.
• Cost and continuity. Support negotiation, alternate sourcing, and practical cost improvements with engineering and the Head of Supply Chain.
• Receiving and reconciliation. Resolve quantity, quality, documentation, and invoice discrepancies with warehouse, engineering, and finance.

What we’re looking for

• 3+ years of technical procurement, material planning, or supply chain experience in manufacturing.
• Experience buying mechanical components, build-to-print hardware, composites, or raw materials.
• Ability to interpret drawings, revisions, BOMs, and material specifications with engineering support.
• Hands‑on experience with ERP/MRP and spreadsheet‑based material analysis.
• Strong follow‑through with suppliers and internal customers in a changing build environment.
• Attention to material traceability, accurate transactions, and clear communication of shortages.
• Ability to work at our El Segundo factory five days a week.

Bonus

• Experience with precision machining, electromechanical actuators, carbon composites, adhesives, or controlled-shelf‑life materials.
• Worked in aerospace, defense, robotics, or a hardware startup.
• Experience with ION, manufacturing BOM cleanup, or supplier development.

Our culture = elite sports team. Winning = having fun

• Hyperfocus
• Extreme Ownership
• Radical Transparency

Why Icarus

• Meaningful equity
• Competitive pay and bonuses
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Real ownership, real hardware, real flight
• Small team, massive responsibility
• High signal (engineering) to noise (management) culture
• Dream desk setup
• Daily lunch

Hiring process

• Phone screen
• One‑on‑one with CEO
• Meet the team in‑person

US salary range

$100,000 - $140,000 USD

The salary range for this role reflects base salary only. Actual compensation may vary based on job‑related skills, experience, education and/or training, and business considerations. Equity is 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.

Voluntary Self‑Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Icarus’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.