Planetary Geoscientist II, Off-Planet Systems

Icon Co; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking a Planetary Geoscientist II to drive off-planet construction efforts. This role focuses on simulating extraterrestrial soils, developing methods for research, and collaborating with engineers and researchers. The position is based in Austin, TX, and requires a Master's degree and significant experience in geology and materials characterization.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on laboratory or field experience in geology or materials characterization.
• Experience validating geologic or synthetic materials through testing techniques.

Responsibilities

• Document physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of lunar and Martian regolith.
• Collaborate with engineers on geotechnical implications for robotic excavation.

Skills

Communication

Geology

Materials Characterization

Education

Master’s degree in Planetary Geology

Tools

Geotechnical Testing

Simulant Development

Job description

Planetary Geoscientist II, Off-Planet Systems

ICON is seeking a Planetary Geoscientist to help drive the future of off-planet construction. This role will focus on understanding and simulating extraterrestrial soils, specifically lunar and Martian regolith, and developing methods to validate, manage, and leverage these simulants for research, development, and robotic construction. You will interface with internal engineers, external researchers, and vendors to ensure regolith simulants are fit for purpose and support ICON’s goal of enabling sustainable human presence beyond Earth. This role is based in Austin, TX and will report to our Senior Director of Off-Planet Systems.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Prescribe and document physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of lunar and Martian regolith simulants for ICON’s research and mission goals.
• Source and procure lunar and Martian regolith simulants and manage end-to-end production—conception through delivery.
• Validate regolith simulants against planetary analog data across physical, mineralogical, and chemical parameters.
• Collaborate with mechanical and civil engineers on geotechnical implications for robotic excavation, conveyance, and processing systems.
• Co-design and qualify regolith and regolith simulant conveyance and handling systems.
• Interface with internal customers (e.g., robotics and materials teams) and external stakeholders (vendors, research partners, space agencies) to ensure simulant fidelity and research alignment.
• Conduct Design of Experiments (DOEs) and characterization studies on derived regolith products.
• Support testing and analysis of simulants under simulated lunar or Martian environmental conditions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in Planetary Geology, Materials Science, civil engineering, or a closely related field.
• 5+ years of hands-on laboratory or field experience in geology, materials characterization, or simulant development.
• Experience validating geologic or synthetic materials through mineralogical, chemical, and physical testing techniques.
• Ability to manage multiple technical efforts, coordinate with cross-functional teams, and communicate findings clearly.
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal).
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.

PREFERRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Experience with lunar or Martian regolith simulants.
• Familiarity with planetary & space analog testing environments.
• Experience with ceramics engineering.
• Knowledge of mechanical systems or robotics related to excavation or conveyance.
• Background working in low volume, high mix R&D environments.

ICON is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an innovative, inclusive, diverse and discrimination-free work environment. Employment with ICON is based on merit, competence, and qualifications. It is our policy to administer all personnel actions, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting employees, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or ancestry, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected classification in accordance with applicable federal and state laws. Consistent with the obligations of these laws, ICON will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Furthermore, as a federal government contractor, the Company maintains an affirmative action program which furthers its commitment and complies with recordkeeping and reporting requirements under certain federal civil rights laws and regulations, including Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended) and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (as amended).

Headhunters and recruitment agencies may not submit candidates through this application. ICON does not accept unsolicited headhunter and agency submissions for candidates and will not pay fees to any third-party agency without a prior agreement with ICON.

As part of our compliance with these obligations, the Company invites you to voluntarily self-identify as set forth below. Provision of such information is entirely voluntary and a decision to provide or not provide such information will not have any effect on your employment or subject you to any adverse treatment. Any and all information provided will be considered confidential, will be kept separate from your application and/or personnel file, and will only be used in accordance with applicable laws, orders and regulations, including those that require the information to be summarized and reported to the federal government for civil rights enforcement purposes.

Interested in building your career at ICON? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone *

Resume/CV *

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

LinkedIn Profile

Website

Are you legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer? * Select...

Do you now or will you at any point in the future require sponsorship for US employment authorization? * Select...

This role is based in Austin, TX. Are you currently located in Austin, TX or in the surrounding areas? If not, are you open to relocating to the Austin, TX area? * Select...

Tell us about a project you are most proud of. Describe a particularly challenging problem you faced during this project and how you went about solving it. What steps did you take to implement your solution, and what was the outcome? *

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 ICON’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.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305

Page 1 of 1

OMB Control Number 1250-0005

Expires 04/30/2026

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026
Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp .

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
• Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
• Blind or low vision
• Cancer (past or present)
• Cardiovascular or heart disease
• Celiac disease
• Cerebral palsy
• Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
• Diabetes
• Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
• Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
• Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
• Intellectual or developmental disability
• Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
• Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
• Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
• Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
• Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
• Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
• Short stature (dwarfism)
• Traumatic brain injury

Disability Status Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

ABOUT THE TEAM

Solving one of the most challenging problems humanity faces requires a level of diversity across disciplines. ICON believes that by being a non-homogenous organization, we can capture unique perspectives, educational backgrounds, and ideation. We strive to be inclusive and seek team members who share our passion for the mission within the mission: building robust and diverse teams to help us prevail in the face of our challenges.

We‘re a team of varied backgrounds, countries, and experiences, and we believe our differences make us stronger as we tackle some of the most challenging problems of our time.

MISSION-DRIVEN

Every startup wants to change the world, but we genuinely believe we’re not being hyperbolic when we say this technology has the potential to reinvent human shelter, dramatically improving quality and resiliency while driving down costs to make housing affordable for everyone. We believe in harnessing the power of construction technology for the good of all humanity, both here on Earth and off-world. And while we get excited about R&D accomplishments in the lab, we get more excited when we see our work out in the real world, printing real homes for real people.

We work hard because we know what we are doing can reshape the way we live as a species. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s super fun. Where else do you get to play with giant robots and see the results of your work manifest in beautiful full-scale buildings that didn’t exist before—and that someone can now call home?