---
title: 'IT Systems Engineer at Icarus'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/it-systems-engineer-icarus-el-segundo-vnft86nyndnh'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-11'
---

# IT Systems Engineer at Icarus

- **Company:** Icarus
- **Location:** El Segundo, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-11-07
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-11
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/icarus/jobs/5476156008

## Job description

Icarus was founded on the belief that the Stratosphere is the [Forgotten Frontier](https://henryicarus.substack.com/p/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. You will build and run the IT systems that keep our engineers, technicians, and operators moving.

Mission

Re-establish and maintain dominance in the Stratosphere.

## The role

As an IT Systems Engineer, you will own internal IT from the laptop on a new hire's desk to the systems that keep our factory connected. This is a hands-on individual contributor role with end-to-end responsibility. You will configure hardware, administer systems, troubleshoot issues, write automation, and see projects through to a working result.

We need someone who can execute independently: understand the problem, decide what matters, get it working, and make sure it stays fixed. You should be equally comfortable helping a teammate recover access, tracing a network issue, deploying a fleet of devices, and eliminating a recurring task with a script. You will work on-site with engineering, manufacturing, operations, and leadership.

## What you'll own

- Day-to-day IT execution. Be the first point of contact for internal IT issues. Diagnose problems, communicate clearly, restore service, and close the loop with the people affected.
- Devices and workstations. Purchase, provision, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot laptops, engineering workstations, peripherals, printers, and meeting-room equipment. Keep asset records, spares, and software licenses organized.
- Identity and business systems. Administer Microsoft 365, accounts, groups, email, collaboration tools, and application access. Make onboarding fast and offboarding complete, with access approved and documented.
- Reliable connectivity. Deploy and troubleshoot office and factory Wi-Fi, switches, firewalls, VPNs, cabling, DNS, and DHCP. Work with engineering on clear boundaries between corporate IT and product or test systems.
- Practical security. Implement and maintain MFA, least-privilege access, device management, encryption, patching, endpoint protection, and appropriate logging. Partner with compliance owners on required controls and evidence.
- Automation. Use PowerShell, Python, shell scripts, or APIs to automate device setup, account lifecycle tasks, inventory, and recurring administration. Test changes and document how they work.
- Recovery and reliability. Maintain backups, test restores, monitor critical services, and document recovery steps. Handle incidents with clear priorities, safe changes, and verified fixes.
- Projects from start to finish. Own migrations, new tools, vendor coordination, and factory IT improvements. Manage the details, follow through on dependencies, and verify that the result works for its users.
- Simple, useful documentation. Keep systems, ownership, access procedures, and troubleshooting guides current so important knowledge does not live in one person's head.

## What we're looking for

- 3+ years of hands-on IT, systems administration, or infrastructure experience, or equivalent demonstrated experience delivering and operating these systems.
- A record of personally shipping improvements and resolving difficult problems. Be ready to explain what you did, how you tested it, and what changed as a result.
- Strong Windows and Microsoft 365 administration skills, including identity, permissions, endpoint management, and practical security controls.
- Networking fundamentals and the ability to troubleshoot methodically across devices, services, and connectivity.
- Comfort writing and maintaining scripts or small integrations that remove repetitive work.
- Good judgment when handling sensitive information, privileged access, incidents, and production changes. You know when to act, when to escalate, and how to leave a clear record.
- Clear communication, responsive support, and the ability to prioritize urgent issues while completing longer-term projects.
- Ability to work at our El Segundo factory five days a week.

Bonus

- Built or scaled IT at a startup, hardware company, factory, or other fast-moving environment.
- Experience with Microsoft Entra ID, Intune, macOS or Linux administration, virtualization, cloud infrastructure, or engineering software environments.
- Implemented technical controls and gathered evidence for NIST 800-171, CMMC, or similar security programs.
- Supported site moves, factory expansion, or recovery from a significant outage.

What success looks like

- New hires have working equipment and the right access on day one.
- IT issues are resolved with clear communication, and repeat problems become permanent fixes.
- Devices, accounts, licenses, and critical systems have accurate records, secure configurations, and tested recovery procedures.
- Routine work becomes simpler and more reliable through automation that the team can maintain.

Our culture = elite sports team. Winning = having fun

- Hyperfocus
- Extreme Ownership
- Radical Transparency

## 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

Hiring process

- Phone screen
- Practical technical interview focused on troubleshooting, systems ownership, and work you have delivered
- One-on-one with CEO
- Meet the team in person

US salary range

$120,000 - $160,000 USD per year

This range reflects base salary only. Actual compensation depends on relevant experience, skills, qualifications, and role scope. Equity is 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.

## About Icarus

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Icarus builds solar-powered, autonomous stratospheric aircraft (called "birds") that operate above 60,000 feet for weeks at a time, providing persistent intelligence, surveillance, and connectivity.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed VC stage)
- **Headquarters**: El Segundo, California, United States (also has a flight test area in the Mojave Desert)
- **Founded**: 2023
- **Founders**: Henry Kwan (founder & CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Defense & Space Manufacturing / Aerospace
- **Target customers**: Government and defense agencies (ISR, communications), plus commercial sectors such as agriculture, construction, energy, insurance, transportation, and urban planning.
- **Mission/purpose**: "Re-establish and maintain dominance in the Stratosphere."

## Products & Services
- **[APOLLO](https://www.icarus.one/)**: A fully solar-powered, autonomous aircraft that flies at ~60,000 ft for weeks without landing. It offers persistent wide-area coverage (7,500 km²), ultra-low latency (5–10 ms, fiber-like), direct-to-device high-bandwidth connectivity, and real-time high-resolution sensing. Deployed in hours, reusable and upgradeable. Type: Hardware (UAV) + Service (data/connectivity).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding raised – $500,000 (as of latest Pre-Seed round in Dec 2025)
- **Notable Investors**: Y Combinator (lead investor in latest round), Pioneer Fund, xTech Accelerator, Transpose Platform, Predictive Venture Partners, and others (11+ investors total)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount: 48 employees (as of mid-2026) with +17.6% monthly growth.
  - Active Job Postings: 11, with quarterly growth of +266.7%.
  - First aircraft (APOLLO) successfully flew in 2024 — "no hype, just hardware in the sky."
  - Scaling from R&D to manufacturing and deployment, with a factory in El Segundo.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Stratospheric persistence**: Weeks-long endurance without refueling, unlike satellites (intermittent passes) or drones (limited endurance).
- **Ultra-low latency**: 5–10 ms direct-to-device communication, compared to 25–60 ms for LEO satellites.
- **Weather-immune and threat-resistant**: Operates above weather and most threats, providing continuous coverage.
- **Cost-effective**: Fraction of the cost of satellite-based solutions.
- **Rapid deployment**: Can be airborne in hours, no orbital launch constraints.
- **Full vertical integration**: Designs, manufactures, assembles, and tests everything in-house (L.A. headquarters and Mojave test site).

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling the team across engineering, manufacturing, flight operations, and business.
- Transitioning from prototype to operational deployment (APOLLO in active service).
- Building out a mesh network of stratospheric birds for global persistent coverage.
- Maintaining a "high signal-to-noise" ratio: prioritizing engineers over management, extreme ownership, and rapid iteration.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as an "elite sports team" — high-trust, no-BS, radical transparency, idea meritocracy, extreme ownership. You will work directly with the CEO and own subsystems end-to-end.
- **Work environment**: On-site in El Segundo, CA (engineering, manufacturing, and business nerve center), with frequent field testing in the Mojave Desert (early mornings, hands-on).
- **What you'll do**: Design, build, break, fix, validate, and fly real hardware. No slide decks, no fake projects, minimal meetings.
- **Perks & rewards**:
  - Meaningful equity
  - Top-of-market salary and bonuses
  - Health, dental, and vision insurance
  - Daily lunch and unlimited Celsius
  - Dream desk setup
  - Factory in El Segundo
- **Hiring process**: Technical interview → one-on-one with CEO → meet the team in-person.
- **Open roles**: Manufacturing, Engineering (mechanical, electrical, GNC, RF, software, embedded), Flight Operations, Business Operations, and more.

## Sources
1. [icarus.one](https://www.icarus.one/) – Company homepage, product details
2. [icarus.one/about](https://www.icarus.one/about) – About page, founding story, team, locations
3. [greenhouse.io](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/icarus) – Careers page, job listings, culture description
4. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/icarusone) – Funding info, investors, headquarters
5. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/icarusindustries) – Employee count, growth, company details, financials

## Other roles at Icarus

- [Quality Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/quality-engineer-icarus-el-segundo-k897vwqmf330) — El Segundo, CA
- [Purchasing Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/purchasing-coordinator-icarus-el-segundo-ccwcvqy2p9r5) — El Segundo, CA
- [Buyer/Planner, Mechanical & Composites](https://feeny.ai/job/buyer-planner-mechanical-composites-icarus-el-segundo-drrwcbfszthp) — El Segundo, CA
- [Buyer/Planner, Electrical](https://feeny.ai/job/buyer-planner-electrical-icarus-el-segundo-errsfv90dy7t) — El Segundo, CA
- [Head of Supply Chain](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-supply-chain-icarus-el-segundo-4t61c89c0rd1) — El Segundo, CA
- [Founding Recruiter](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-recruiter-icarus-el-segundo-hx348vwqw4re) — El Segundo, CA
- [Regulatory & Airspace Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/regulatory-airspace-lead-icarus-el-segundo-6d16jqbjea0s) — El Segundo, CA
- [Warehouse Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/warehouse-associate-icarus-el-segundo-86s1m029qabj) — El Segundo, CA
- [Logistics Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/logistics-lead-icarus-el-segundo-skdte9rbzyq9) — El Segundo, CA
- [Network Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/network-engineer-icarus-el-segundo-jrjj80p412s3) — El Segundo, CA