Operations & Test Engineer I

ICON is looking for an Operations & Test Engineer I to support ICON’s efforts in developing robotic products and materials related to the Olympus Off-Planet R&D program.  This candidate will translate engineering intent into operational reality by developing and improving processes, monitoring performance, leading structured problem-solving, and coordinating cross-functional execution across Manufacturing, Service, Quality, Supply Chain, and Product Engineering. This individual will be a great communicator, a self starter, and have a range of strengths that support a proactive and self-driven approach to operational and test responsibilities for Off-Planet material production and analysis, technical support and maintenance of lab and/or production equipment, and support of test and assembly of Off-Planet Robotic systems.

RESPONSIBILITIES

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  Ability to design, set up, and build out a lunar simulant production space.

  
  


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  Lead, without oversight, raw material ordering and inventory management.

  
  


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  Experience in simulant milling, blending, manufacturing, measuring and QA/QC lab testing.

  
  


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  Capable in generation of documentation and record keeping on both the simulant and Olympus labs in regards to equipment, material inventory, and safety. 

  
  


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  Oversee machine and equipment maintenance as well as lab maintenance on both the simulant and Olympus labs.

  
  


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  Identify and coordinate equipment calibration as needed, maintaining a high performing status of all equipment across the Olympus sites.

  
  


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  Define and track operational KPIs and communicate trends/actions.

  
  


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  Partner with Defense R&D leadership  to improve system reliability and maintainability through data-driven improvements and standardized work.

  
  


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  Lead the development and creation of SOPs for all lab and production equipment.

  
  


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  Assist, as needed, robotic system assembly and test supporting Olympus optical, mechanical, and/or electrical teams.

  
  


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  Assist with mineralogical testing and chemical analysis of lunar regolith and/or its ingredients. 

  
  


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  Contribute to R&D efforts to scale production, increase product throughput, and optimize operations. 

  
  


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  Coordinate and supervise facility-related activities, including planned and unplanned maintenance and reorganization efforts to improve workflow and functionality.

  
  


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  Assist with inventory operations for all consumable materials.

  
  


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  Promote a safety-first culture and ensure operations meet internal and regulatory requirements where applicable.

  
  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

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  Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

  
  


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  5+ years of experience in operations engineering, manufacturing engineering, robotics operations, automation, or industrial systems.

  
  


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  Demonstrated experience leading structured problem-solving (e.g., 5 Whys, fishbone, FMEA) and implementing corrective actions.

  
  


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  Ability to analyze operational data (Excel/Sheets, SQL or scripting a plus) and communicate insights clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

  
  


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  Working knowledge of production/field operations: SOPs, work instructions, change control, and basic quality concepts.

  
  

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

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  Previous start-up experience, and/or a resourceful innovative nature with an ability to streamline or develop efficient processes.

  
  


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  Familiarity with Lean / Six Sigma, reliability practices, or maintenance engineering concepts.

  
  


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  Experience with tools such as Jira/Confluence, MES/CMMS systems, dashboards (Looker/Power BI/Tableau), and test/telemetry logging.

  
  


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  Comfort working in ambiguous, fast-scaling environments and driving alignment across multiple teams.