Senior Forward Deployed Engineer

Icarus; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity

Competitive salary + bonuses

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Factory in El Segundo

Job summary

Icarus in Los Angeles, CA seeks a hands-on field engineer to deploy, test, and support our solar-powered, high-altitude aircraft. You will run field campaigns, set up ground systems, and work directly with customers to ensure successful operations.

You'll troubleshoot across hardware, software, and networking in challenging environments, travel frequently, and coordinate with mechanical, GNC, RF, and software teams to push our systems toward reliable, weeks-long flights.

Qualifications

• 2+ years deploying or operating real hardware systems in the field
• Hands-on troubleshooting across hardware, software, and networking
• Ability to work independently in ambiguous, high-pressure environments
• Strong communication with engineers, operators, and customers

Responsibilities

• Deploy aircraft and ground systems to test ranges and customer sites
• Set up systems, configure software/hardware, integrate with site infrastructure
• Troubleshoot hardware, software, and networking issues in real time
• Own flight test campaigns and demonstrations in the field
• Train operators and customers to operate systems effectively
• Capture flight data and feedback, report incidents with recommendations
• Develop forward-deployed practices, runbooks, and standards
• Collaborate with mechanical, GNC, RF, and software teams

Skills

Field deployment

Hardware troubleshooting

Networking basics

Independent work under pressure

Effective communication

Tools

Command line

Networking tools

Job description

Overview

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

• Deploy forward with our aircraft and ground systems to test ranges, airfields, and customer environments, and own getting them set up and operational.
• Provide end-to-end field support: system setup, software and hardware configuration, integration with site infrastructure, and pre‑deployment checkout.
• Troubleshoot hardware, software, and networking issues in real time, in unstructured environments, and drive them to resolution.
• Own flight test campaigns, demonstrations, and exercises in the field, with high autonomy and minimal support.
• Train and guide operators and customers on how to run our systems and get the most out of them.
• Be the link between the field and engineering: capture flight data, ground truth, and operator feedback, run incident reviews, and feed clear, specific recommendations back into the product.
• Build and grow the forward‑deployed function: the people, procedures, runbooks, and standards that keep our aircraft flying for weeks at a time in support of our customers.
• Work closely with mechanical, GNC, RF, and software teams.

What we’re looking for

• 2+ years supporting, deploying, or operating real hardware systems in the field (aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomy, or hardware startups).
• Strong hands‑on troubleshooting across hardware, software, and networking. You’re comfortable with tools, cables, configs, and the command line, and you stay calm when something breaks far from home.
• Practical technical range over deep specialization: comfortable with networking fundamentals and software/hardware setup and configuration. You don’t need to be the deepest engineer in any one discipline — you need to make the whole system work in the field, and help others do the same.
• A track record of operating independently in ambiguous, high‑pressure environments, and of bringing structure where there was none.
• Strong communication skills. You can work with engineers, operators, and customers, and translate between them.
• Willingness to travel frequently and operate out of test ranges, airfields, and remote locations for extended periods.
• This is a hands‑on hardware and field role, not a desk software job.
• Military operations experience is a plus, especially in aviation or aviation‑adjacent communities with "air sense" (JTAC, JFO, CCT, ATC, aviation operations).

Why Icarus

• Meaningful equity
• Top market salary and bonuses
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Factory in El Segundo
• Real ownership, real hardware, real flight
• Small team, massive responsibility
• High signal (engineering) to noise (management) culture
• Dream desk setup
• Daily lunch
• Unlimited celsius

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 the aircraft in the field end to end — get it running, get it right, and get it back into the air, faster every time.
• 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 execution, real hardware, and real flight.
• You must thrive under pressure, learn fast, troubleshoot in the field, and push systems to their 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 senior presence in the field, taking systems into the real world and driving rapid iteration loops. If you want real ownership, real hardware, and real flight, 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

$120,000 - $220,000 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.

EEO

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.