About the role
Why the Stratosphere?
From first principles, it is the obvious place to build. Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites orbit at 400 kilometers, moving at 17,000 mph and offering only brief snapshots. An autonomous solar-powered bird at 20 kilometers, or 65,000 ft, flies steady above the clouds and weather. In other words, it’s very close to Earth. And persistent by flying in circles. Effectively a Cell Tower in the Sky. The Stratosphere provides the physics of permanence. That persistence is priceless. That is Skylink.
Start small. Build upward.
The first product of Icarus is a small, affordable solar-powered Stratospheric bird. A platform designed to be light, simple, and built under constraints. Affordability is the foundation. More importantly, it solves a real use case now. A wedge into the market through intelligence and communications. A beachhead that proves the model, attracts customers who need it so badly they’ll use it even before it’s perfect, and opens the path to market disruption at scale.
The vision: Skylink
The vision goes further than building one plane or even one fleet. The goal is Skylink: a persistent Stratospheric grid delivering continuous intelligence, uninterrupted communications, and global connectivity. A new layer of infrastructure. The next backbone of how we see, sense, and connect the world.
Our mission at Icarus is to re-establish and maintain dominance in the Stratosphere. We asked ourselves: what is the fastest and best way to execute this? The answer was not to start with a massive, billion-dollar program. It was to start with affordable birds, scale endurance step by step, and build upward into Skylink.
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. You will help build the supply chain that makes this possible.
Mission
Re-establish and maintain dominance in the Stratosphere.
The role
You will own buying and supply planning for mechanical, propulsion, composite, and raw-material commodities. Your scope includes machined and build-to-print parts, hardware, motors, servos, actuators, carbon materials, resins, adhesives, foam, and core. You will work with the Head of Supply Chain and the engineering and manufacturing teams to make material availability match the build plan.
What you’ll own
Material planning. Convert build schedules, BOMs, and engineering changes into requirements for purchased parts and production materials.
Technical procurement. Run RFQs, evaluate quotes, place purchase orders, and track suppliers through delivery and acceptance.
Mechanical suppliers. Coordinate drawings, revisions, outside processes, lead times, and delivery commitments for build-to-print hardware.
Composite and raw-material control. Bring consumption, replenishment, shelf-life considerations, and inventory records into dependable ION workflows.
Shortage recovery. Identify material gaps early, establish recovery plans, and communicate realistic dates to the production team.
Planning data. Maintain item records, preferred suppliers, lead times, reorder points, and order quantities.
Cost and continuity. Support negotiation, alternate sourcing, and practical cost improvements with engineering and the Head of Supply Chain.
Receiving and reconciliation. Resolve quantity, quality, documentation, and invoice discrepancies with warehouse, engineering, and finance.
What we’re looking for
3+ years of technical procurement, material planning, or supply chain experience in manufacturing.
Experience buying mechanical components, build-to-print hardware, composites, or raw materials.
Ability to interpret drawings, revisions, BOMs, and material specifications with engineering support.
Hands-on experience with ERP/MRP and spreadsheet-based material analysis.
Strong follow-through with suppliers and internal customers in a changing build environment.
Attention to material traceability, accurate transactions, and clear communication of shortages.
Ability to work at our El Segundo factory five days a week.
Bonus
Experience with precision machining, electromechanical actuators, carbon composites, adhesives, or controlled-shelf-life materials.
Worked in aerospace, defense, robotics, or a hardware startup.
Experience with ION, manufacturing BOM cleanup, or supplier development.
Our culture = elite sports team. Winning = having fun
Hyperfocus
Extreme Ownership
Radical Transparency
Why Icarus
Meaningful equity
Competitive pay 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 with the hiring manager via Microsoft Teams
Onsite presentation and panel Q&A
US salary range
$100,000 - $140,000 USD
The salary range for this role reflects base salary only. Actual compensation may vary based on job-related skills, experience, education and/or training, and business considerations. Equity is 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.