Embedded Software 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 Build and ship flight-critical embedded software for long-endurance stratospheric aircraft Own embedded subsystems end to end: architecture, implementation, bring-up, debugging, test, and flight validation Write firmware for MCU-based avionics, sensors, actuators, power systems, and comms interfaces Integrate sensors and peripherals (IMU, GNSS, air data, magnetometer, servos, radios) and build reliable drivers and middleware Design robust telemetry, logging, and health monitoring to support long-duration autonomous operations Build test harnesses, HIL hooks, and automation that makes iteration loops faster Support integration, production bring-up, and flight ops in the desert What we’re looking for 1+ years working with real embedded systems — professional experience, internships or research (aerospace, robotics, automotive, defense, or similarly high-reliability domains) Strong C/C++ fundamentals and comfort working close to hardware Experience with RTOS or bare-metal firmware, interrupts, timing, and deterministic systems Experience with common embedded interfaces and protocols (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet) Strong debugging skills using scopes, logic analyzers, JTAG, and real-world fault reproduction Comfort moving fast, owning outcomes, and troubleshooting in the field 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 This is not a normal engineering job 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 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 We expect full extreme ownership. This is a high-trust, no-BS team, and everyone pulls their weight We are hiring across the stack: mechanical, aerodynamics, RF, GNC, electrical, avionics, power electronics, energy storage, software, and systems 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 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 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 Technical interview One-on-one with CEO Meet the team in-person US salary range $100,000 - $160,000 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. 244 results found No results found Afghanistan+93 Åland Islands+358 Albania+355 Algeria+213 American Samoa+1 Andorra+376 Angola+244 Anguilla+1 Antigua & Barbuda+1 Argentina+54 Armenia+374 Aruba+297 Ascension Island+247 Australia+61 Austria+43 Azerbaijan+994 Bahamas+1 Bahrain+973 Bangladesh+880 Barbados+1 Belarus+375 Belgium+32 Belize+501 Benin+229 Bermuda+1 Bhutan+975 Bolivia+591 Bosnia & Herzegovina+387 Botswana+267 Brazil+55 British Indian Ocean Territory+246 British Virgin Islands+1 Brunei+673 Bulgaria+359 Burkina Faso+226 Burundi+257 Cambodia+855 Cameroon+237 Canada+1 Cape Verde+238 Caribbean Netherlands+599 Cayman Islands+1 Central African Republic+236 Chad+235 Chile+56 China+86 Christmas Island+61 Cocos (Keeling) Islands+61 Colombia+57 Comoros+269 Congo - Brazzaville+242 Congo - Kinshasa+243 Cook Islands+682 Costa Rica+506 Côte d’Ivoire+225 Croatia+385 Cuba+53 Curaçao+599 Cyprus+357 Czechia+420 Denmark+45 Djibouti+253 Dominica+1 Dominican Republic+1 Ecuador+593 Egypt+20 El Salvador+503 Equatorial Guinea+240 Eritrea+291 Estonia+372 Eswatini+268 Ethiopia+251 Falkland Islands+500 Faroe Islands+298 Fiji+679 Finland+358 France+33 French Guiana+594 French Polynesia+689 Gabon+241 Gambia+220 Georgia+995 Germany+49 Ghana+233 Gibraltar+350 Greece+30 Greenland+299 Grenada+1 Guadeloupe+590 Guam+1 Guatemala+502 Guernsey+44 Guinea+224 Guinea-Bissau+245 Guyana+592 Haiti+509 Honduras+504 Hong Kong SAR China+852 Hungary+36 Iceland+354 India+91 Indonesia+62 Iran+98 Iraq+964 Ireland+353 Isle of Man+44 Israel+972 Italy+39 Jamaica+1 Japan+81 Jersey+44 Jordan+962 Kazakhstan+7 Kenya+254 Kiribati+686 Kosovo+383 Kuwait+965 Kyrgyzstan+996 Laos+856 Latvia+371 Lebanon+961 Lesotho+266 Liberia+231 Libya+218 Liechtenstein+423 Lithuania+370 Luxembourg+352 Macao SAR China+853 Madagascar+261 Malawi+265 Malaysia+60 Maldives+960 Mali+223 Malta+356 Marshall Islands+692 Martinique+596 Mauritania+222 Mauritius+230 Mayotte+262 Mexico+52 Micronesia+691 Moldova+373 Monaco+377 Mongolia+976 Montenegro+382 Montserrat+1 Morocco+212 Mozambique+258 Myanmar (Burma)+95 Namibia+264 Nauru+674 Nepal+977 Netherlands+31 New Caledonia+687 New Zealand+64 Nicaragua+505 Niger+227 Nigeria+234 Niue+683 Norfolk Island+672 North Korea+850 North Macedonia+389 Northern Mariana Islands+1 Norway+47 Oman+968 Pakistan+92 Palau+680 Palestinian Territories+970 Panama+507 Papua New Guinea+675 Paraguay+595 Peru+51 Philippines+63 Poland+48 Portugal+351 Puerto Rico+1 Qatar+974 Réunion+262 Romania+40 Russia+7 Rwanda+250 Samoa+685 San Marino+378 São Tomé & Príncipe+239 Saudi Arabia+966 Senegal+221 Serbia+381 Seychelles+248 Sierra Leone+232 Singapore+65 Sint Maarten+1 Slovakia+421 Slovenia+386 Solomon Islands+677 Somalia+252 South Africa+27 South Korea+82 South Sudan+211 Spain+34 Sri Lanka+94 St. Barthélemy+590 St. Helena+290 St. Kitts & Nevis+1 St. Lucia+1 St. Martin+590 St. Pierre & Miquelon+508 St. Vincent & Grenadines+1 Sudan+249 Suriname+597 Svalbard & Jan Mayen+47 Sweden+46 Switzerland+41 Syria+963 Taiwan+886 Tajikistan+992 Tanzania+255 Thailand+66 Timor-Leste+670 Togo+228 Tokelau+690 Tonga+676 Trinidad & Tobago+1 Tunisia+216 Turkey+90 Turkmenistan+993 Turks & Caicos Islands+1 Tuvalu+688 U.S. Virgin Islands+1 Uganda+256 Ukraine+380 United Arab Emirates+971 United Kingdom+44 United States+1 Uruguay+598 Uzbekistan+998 Vanuatu+678 Vatican City+39 Venezuela+58 Vietnam+84 Wallis & Futuna+681 Western Sahara+212 Yemen+967 Zambia+260 Zimbabwe+263 All employees work on-site at our Los Angeles facility five days a week — we don't offer remote or hybrid arrangements. If you're relocating, we'll support your move. Can you commit to working on-site full-time? Do you now, or will you in the future, require employer sponsorship to legally work for our company in the United States? Show more Show less