Flight Operations Crew Chief

What you’ll do

Prepare the aircraft

• Assemble, configure, and prepare aircraft for flight, including mechanical assembly, avionics connections, and payload setup.
• Run preflight inspections and checklists, and make the call on aircraft readiness.
• Set up and verify ground support equipment, power, and the physical test site.
• Own the configuration and condition of the aircraft from the hangar to the line.

Maintain and troubleshoot

• Diagnose and fix mechanical, electrical, and software issues on the aircraft in the field and in the hangar.
• Perform scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, repairs, and replacements.
• Refurbish and reset the aircraft between flights and prepare it for the next sortie.
• Maintain positive control of tools and hardware to keep the aircraft safe.
• Follow directions and intent from engineering personnel to make required adjustments on the fly.

Document and improve

• Keep accurate maintenance records, squawks, and configuration logs.
• Feed findings back to engineering to drive the next iteration of the aircraft.
• Build and improve the standard operating procedures that make aircraft readiness repeatable and safe.

What we’re looking for

• 3+ years of hands-on aircraft, UAS, or RC maintenance experience, or equivalent military experience as a maintainer or crew chief.
• Holds or willing to quickly obtain FAA Part 107 certification.
• Demonstrated ability to assemble, inspect, maintain, and sign off on an aircraft's readiness.
• Strong hands-on troubleshooting across mechanical, electrical, and software systems.
• Disciplined approach to checklists, documentation, and configuration control.
• Sound judgment on airworthiness and a willingness to ground an aircraft that is not ready.
• Comfort taking direction from engineers and translating it into a flight-ready aircraft.
• Willingness to travel frequently to remote test sites across the world.
• Strong communicator, non-negotiable.
• High trust, extreme ownership, no ego.

Bonus

• FAA Airframe and Powerplant license or military aviation maintenance background.
• Familiarity with the Linux command line for debugging and troubleshooting.
• Experience with developmental flight test or build-up test programs.
• Background building RC or UAS aircraft (SAE Aero, Design Build Fly, or serious hobbyist).
• Aviation-adjacent military specialty with "air sense" (JTAC, CCT, etc).
• Experience operating in austere or remote field environments.

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

US salary range: $90,000 - $150,000 USD (base salary only; highly competitive equity grants are part of total compensation)