{"id":806393,"url":"https://alion.io/job/icarus-flight-operations-engineer","title":"Flight Operations Engineer","company":{"id":678654,"name":"Icarus","domain":"icarus.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/icarus-3","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"D","score":54,"open_postings":22,"ghost_share":0.773,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-12T06:55:09Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":null,"employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["El Segundo, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":120000,"max":180000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":180000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"Linux","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-06-30T16:06:51Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-07-30","last_verified_at":"2026-10-12T08:35:14Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":103,"trust":{"level":"ghost","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale","company_stale"],"days_open":103},"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.\nThe Flight Operations Engineer takes our aircraft from the hangar to the sky and back, and owns the technical depth behind every flight. You set up the test site, prepare the aircraft, run preflight, operate it in flight, and troubleshoot whatever comes up. You also write the procedures, configure the systems, and analyze the data that make each flight better than the last. When Icarus goes to the field, you are both the operator and the engineer in the loop.\nMission\nRe-establish and maintain dominance in the Stratosphere.\nWhat you’ll do\nSet up the site and the aircraft\nAnalyze and verify test site conditions to ensure successful conduct of a flight test; sound judgement in aviation safety, preflight analysis of atmospheric conditions, and adherence to regulations.\nAssemble, configure, and prepare aircraft for flight, including mechanical, electrical, and payload setup.\nRun preflight inspections and checklists, and make the call on whether the aircraft is ready.\nConfigure and verify the ground control station, telemetry links, and mission plan before every flight.\nFly\nPrescribe autonomous mission sets and operate the aircraft in flight by modifying software characteristics, ensuring efficient execution of the test plan.\nMonitor telemetry and aircraft health in real time and respond to anomalies in the moment.\nAct as the calm, decisive voice on the sticks when something goes wrong in the air.\nRun launch and recovery, including any non-traditional takeoff and landing configurations.\nEngineer the operation\nWrite and refine test plans, test cards, checklists, and standard operating procedures.\nConfigure and tune autopilot, GCS, and aircraft software parameters.\nAnalyze flight logs and telemetry, run root cause analysis, and write up quick-look and formal test reports.\nBuild tooling and scripts that speed up setup, data review, and field operations.\nOwn the technical interface between flight operations and the engineering team.\nTroubleshoot and turn around\nDiagnose and fix mechanical, electrical, and software issues in the field to keep the test campaign moving.\nRefurbish and reset the aircraft between flights and prepare it for the next sortie.\nDrive the next iteration based on what the data and the flight told you.\nWhat we’re looking for\nBachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, or software engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience in aviation or aviation-adjacent military occupational fields.\n3+ years of UAS, flight test, or aircraft operations experience, or equivalent military experience.\nDemonstrated ability to set up, preflight, operate, and recover an unmanned aircraft.\nStrong technical troubleshooting across mechanical, electrical, and software systems.\nProficiency with ground control station software.\nStrong Linux command line skills for debugging, scripting, and troubleshooting.\nCalm, decisive judgment under pressure, especially with an aircraft in the air.\nStrong communicator, non-negotiable.\nHigh trust, extreme ownership, no ego.\nBonus\nFAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate.\nExperience with developmental flight test, first-flight events, or build-up test programs.\nBackground building RC or UAS aircraft (SAE Aero, Design Build Fly, or serious hobbyist).\nFAA Airframe and Powerplant license or military aviation maintenance background.\nAviation-adjacent military specialty with \"air sense\" (JTAC, CCT, etc).\nExperience operating in austere or remote field environments.\nWhy Icarus\nMeaningful equity\nTop market salary and bonuses\nHealth, dental, and vision insurance\nFactory in El Segundo\nReal ownership, real hardware, real flight\nSmall team, massive responsibility\nHigh signal (engineering) to noise (management) culture\nDream desk setup\nDaily lunch\nUnlimited celsius\nThis is not a normal flight ops job\nWe 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.\nYou will work side by side with engineers because you are one. You will own the aircraft in the field end to end. Set it up. Preflight it. Fly it. Analyze it. Fix it. Fly it again, better.\nWe expect full extreme ownership. This is a high-trust, no-BS team, and everyone pulls their weight, especially in the field.\nWe want operators, not bystanders. No simulators standing in for the real thing. No watching others fly. Just real aircraft, real test sites, and real flight.\nYou must thrive under pressure, learn fast, and produce in the field. We move fast. We go to Mojave at 4 am in the morning. We expect results and an obsession with quality and speed.\nYou will be the engineer on the sticks when our aircraft climbs to 60,000 ft. If you want to own both the flight and the data behind it, this is it.\nNo tourists. No bystanders. Only builders.\nHiring process\nPhone screen\nTechnical and operations assessment\nMeet the flight and engineering team in-person\nUS salary range\n$120,000 - $180,000 USD\nThe 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.\nWe’re an equal opportunity employer. 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