Senior Aerodynamics 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.

Mission

Re-establish and maintain dominance in the Stratosphere.

What you’ll do

• Own end-to-end external aerodynamics CFD: geometry preparation, meshing, solver setup, convergence, and post-processing in STAR-CCM+
• Build and maintain the automated simulation workflows (Java macros, Python, and STAR-CCM+)
• Deploy, scale, and manage CFD workflows on AWS
• Design aerodynamic geometry in CATIA
• Postprocess, visualize, and clearly communicate trade-offs and confidence levels to airframe and GNC teams
• Work closely with structures and GNC

What we’re looking for

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering
• Excellent understanding of flight mechanics of fixed wings
• 2--3+ years of hands-on experience building automated CFD workflows and scripts in STAR-CCM+ (Java macros, Simulation Operations, and/or the Python API)
• Strong fundamentals in fluid dynamics, turbulence modeling (RANS, DES/LES exposure), and boundary layer physics
• 2-3+ years of experience running CFD at scale on AWS or comparable cloud/HPC environments
• Proficiency in CATIA for surface creation, cleanup, and modification of complex aerodynamic geometry
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to distill complex results into clear engineering recommendations

Why Icarus

1. Meaningful equity
2. Top market salary and bonuses
3. Health, dental, and vision insurance
4. Factory in El Segundo
5. Real ownership, real hardware, real flight
6. Small team, massive responsibility
7. High signal (engineering) to noise (management) culture
8. Dream desk setup
9. Daily lunch
10. Unlimited celsius

This is not a normal engineering job

1. We are pioneers, not corporate managers. Icarus deliberately optimizes for a high signal (engineers) to noise (management) ratio, where engineering, flight, and execution matter more than process, politics, or management overhead
2. You will work side by side with the CEO and a small team of world-class builders. You will own your subsystem end to end. Design it. Build it. Break it. Fix it. Validate it in the desert. Fly it. Then do it again, faster
3. We expect full extreme ownership. This is a high-trust, no-BS team, and everyone pulls their weight
4. We are hiring across the stack: mechanical, aerodynamics, RF, GNC, electrical, avionics, power electronics, energy storage, software, and systems
5. We want builders. No hand-holding. No fluff. No fake projects. No slide decks. No sitting in meetings all day. Just raw engineering, real hardware, and real flight
6. You must thrive under pressure, learn fast, troubleshoot in the field, and push hardware to its limits. We move fast. We go to Mojave at 4 am in the morning. We expect results and an obsession with quality and speed
7. You will be a core executor of flight systems, taking them from concept to reality and driving rapid iteration loops. You will work across design, integration, testing, and flight. If you want real ownership, real hardware, and real flight milestones, this is it.

No tourists. No bystanders. Only builders.

Hiring process

1. Technical interview
2. One-on-one with CEO
3. Meet the team in-person

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.