Forward Deployed Engineer

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.

Levels

We are hiring at Level I, Level II, and Level III through this posting. Your level will be determined during the interview process based on your technical skills, relevant experience, and demonstrated scope of ownership.

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.

Execute flight tests, demonstrations, and exercises in the field, with responsibility for planning and leading full campaigns increasing with level.

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.

Maintain and improve deployment documentation, procedures, runbooks, and standards that keep our aircraft flying for weeks at a time. At higher levels, help build and grow the forward-deployed team.

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 core operator 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

Level I: $100,000 - $140,000 USD per year

Level II: $140,000 - $180,000 USD per year

Level III: $180,000 - $220,000 USD per year

These ranges reflect annual base salary. Final level and base salary will be determined individually based on relevant skills, experience, and the scope of responsibility.

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.