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.

Mission

Re-establish and maintain dominance in the Stratosphere.

What you’ll do

Network Engineering:

Design, deploy, and maintain networking infrastructure
Configure and manage routers, switches, VPNs, firewalls (including Palo Alto), and network segmentation for both on-site and field-deployed systems
Solve novel networking challenges at field events and exercises—each deployment may involve different radio systems, routing paradigms, and connectivity constraints
Build and document network architectures that are flexible enough to support rapidly evolving mission requirement

Security & Compliance:

Own and drive the IATT and ATO process end-to-end, building on Icarus’s existing IATT foundation. There will be lots of support from the IT team, the software team and the firmware team, but you will own the network.
Conduct and manage STIG reviews, ACAS/Nessus vulnerability scans, and remediation across compute systems, cameras, and other networked components
Coordinate directly with government cybersecurity leads on compliance artifacts, scan submissions, and risk acceptance packages
Develop and maintain security documentation including system security plans, network diagrams, and compliance evidence packages
Build approved CI/CD pipelines so that products can continue to be improved after authorization

AI-Assisted Operations:

Use AI tools daily to accelerate compliance documentation, network analysis, vulnerability remediation, and configuration management
Build AI into production workflows—not just prototyping. AI will be an integral part of how you do this job. Before AI this job would not have been possible by just one person
Stay current with evolving AI capabilities and continuously find new ways to apply them to security and networking challenges

What we’re looking for

5+ years of experience in network engineering, IT security, or a related field
Deep hands-on expertise with VPNs, routers, switches, firewalls, and network architecture—you can configure, troubleshoot, and design from scratch
Direct experience with the government IATT process—you have taken at least one system through a full IATT end-to-end and have seen the ATO process
Familiarity with STIGs, ACAS/Nessus scanning, and DoD cybersecurity compliance frameworks (RMF, NIST 800-171)
Experience working with or supporting DoD/military customers on network security
Comfort working across satellite communications, tactical radio networks, and conventional IP networking
Strong documentation skills—you can produce the compliance artifacts that government reviewers need

Bonus points for

Familiarity with Tailscale or similar mesh networking solutions
Experience with CI/CD pipeline design and DevSecOps practices
Background in aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated industries
Familiarity with CUI/SBU data handling requirements

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 (but growing very fast)
High signal (engineering) to noise (management) culture
Dream desk setup
Daily lunch
Unlimited Celsius

This is not a normal IT job

We are pioneers, not corporate managers. Icarus deliberately optimizes for a high signal (engineering) to noise (management) ratio, where engineering, manufacturing, flight, and execution matter more than process, politics, or management overhead.
Your users are engineers. They will find the edge of anything you deploy and they will tell you about it. Support them accordingly.
You are supporting a factory, not just an office. Test benches, CAD workstations, license servers, and manufacturing equipment are all in scope.