Senior Forward Deployed Engineer
Senior Forward Deployed Engineer responsible for deploying, setting up, troubleshooting, and operating solar-powered high-altitude aircraft and ground systems in field environments. Requires hands-on hardware/software/networking expertise, independent operation in high-pressure settings, and feeding field insights back to engineering teams.
About the job
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. Comfortable with tools, cables, configs, and the command line.
- Practical technical range over deep specialization: comfortable with networking fundamentals and software/hardware setup and configuration.
- A track record of operating independently in ambiguous, high-pressure environments, and of bringing structure where there was none.
- Strong communication skills. Able to 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
US salary range: $120,000 - $220,000 USD (base salary only; highly competitive equity grants are part of total compensation)
Skills
Hardware Troubleshooting, Software Configuration, Networking, Command Line, Field Deployment, System Integration, Flight Testing, Aerospace Systems, Rf, Gnc
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