Dream Job

Icarus Industries; El Segundo, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity

Competitive salary and bonuses

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Ownership of hardware and flight Miles

Job summary

Icarus Industries is building solar-powered aircraft that reach 60,000 ft for weeks, delivering persistent, scalable presence from the stratosphere. This role focuses on core flight systems and end-to-end ownership from concept through flight milestones.

We hire across mechanical, aerodynamics, RF, GNC, electrical, avionics, power electronics, energy storage, software, and systems. Expect a high-trust, fast-paced environment with real hardware and real flight.

Qualifications

• This is not a normal engineering job; engineers are foregrounded over management.
• Candidates must be able to own subsystems end to end and deliver final flight hardware.
• Ability to thrive under pressure, move fast, and troubleshoot in the field.

Responsibilities

• Own your subsystem end to end: design, build, test, and fly; validate in desert environments.
• Collaborate across design, integration, testing, and flight teams to meet milestones.
• Troubleshoot in the field and push hardware to its limits with rapid iteration.
• Work closely with the CEO and a small team of world‑class builders on cross‑stack challenges.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Aerodynamics

RF

GNC

Electrical

Avionics

Power electronics

Energy storage

Software

Systems

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.

• This is for exceptional candidates only. If you meet our bar and believe you’d materially improve Icarus, apply here even if no current role fits you perfectly.

Why Icarus

• Meaningful equity
• Top market salary 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

This is not a normal engineering job

• We are pioneers, not corporate managers. Icarus deliberately optimizes for a high signal (engineers) to noise (management) ratio, where engineering, flight, and execution matter more than process, politics, or management overhead
• You will work side by side with the CEO and a small team of world-class builders. You will own your subsystem end to end. Design it. Build it. Break it. Fix it. Validate it in the desert. Fly it. Then do it again, faster
• We expect full extreme ownership. This is a high-trust, no-BS team, and everyone pulls their weight
• We are hiring across the stack: mechanical, aerodynamics, RF, GNC, electrical, avionics, power electronics, energy storage, software, and systems
• We want builders. No hand-holding. No fluff. No fake projects. No slide decks. No sitting in meetings all day. Just raw engineering, real hardware, and real flight
• You must thrive under pressure, learn fast, troubleshoot in the field, and push hardware to its limits. We move fast. We go to Mojave at 4 am in the morning. We expect results and an obsession with quality and speed
• You will be a core executor of flight systems, taking them from concept to reality and driving rapid iteration loops. You will work across design, integration, testing, and flight. If you want real ownership, real hardware, and real flight milestones, this is it.

No tourists. No bystanders. Only builders.

Hiring process

• Technical interview
• One-on-one with CEO
• Meet the team in-person

US salary range

$100,000 - $500,000 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.