Senior Mechanical 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.

What you’ll do

• Design and fly lightweight, high-reliability structures for stratospheric aircraft


• Own mechanical subsystems from concept to flight


• Perform first-principles sizing, trade studies, and rapid iteration


• Build, test, break, and refine flight hardware


• Support integration, production, and flight operations


• Work closely with avionics, GNC, power, RF, and software teams

What we’re looking for

• 2+ years designing, analyzing, or building real mechanical hardware


• Strong fundamentals in structures, materials, and first-principles engineering


• Experience with lightweight structures, composites, sheet metal, or bonded assemblies


• Comfortable moving fast, owning outcomes, and working hands-on in the factory and field

Why Icarus

• Real ownership, real hardware, real flight


• High signal (engineering) to noise (management) culture


• Small team, massive responsibility


• Top pay and meaningful equity

No tourists. No bystanders. Only builders.

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.