Senior 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. What you’ll do Deploy forward with aircraft, ground systems, and engineers to real-world test sites and customer environments Own on-site integration, troubleshooting, and rapid iteration of flight hardware and software Act as the connective tissue between flight operations, engineering, and customers Debug avionics, RF, power, software, and mechanical issues in the field under time pressure Execute flight tests, demos, and exercises with minimal support and high autonomy Collect ground truth, flight data, and operator feedback and drive it back into the product Support customer training, mission planning, and operational workflows What we’re looking for 2+ years working on real systems in the field (aerospace, robotics, defense, autonomy, or hardware startups) Strong hands-on debugging skills across hardware and software Comfort working across disciplines: avionics, RF, embedded software, mechanical systems, and ops Ability to operate independently in ambiguous, high-pressure environments Strong communication skills with engineers, operators, and customers Willingness to travel frequently and operate out of test ranges, airfields, and remote locations 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 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 $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. 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.