Regulatory & Airspace Lead

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. 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.

The role

As our Regulatory & Airspace Lead, you will own the approvals and access that take Icarus aircraft from development to flight test and customer deployment. Your scope spans FAA and military flight authorizations, test ranges and airspace, FCC and spectrum licensing, and the government compliance obligations that support our missions.

This is a hands-on role. You will find viable operating locations, write the submissions, work directly with regulators and range authorities, book the airspace, and translate every approval into a practical plan for engineering and flight operations. You will work with the CEO, business team, engineers, flight crews, and specialist advisers to keep approvals aligned with the build and flight schedule.

What you'll own

1. Airspace and range access. Scout and evaluate test ranges, restricted areas, military operating areas, and launch and recovery sites from the ground to the stratosphere. Build relationships with range safety offices, FAA facilities and air route traffic control centers, airport operators, and military airspace authorities.
2. FAA and military approvals. Map the appropriate certification and operating pathway for each aircraft, location, and mission. Own applicable Certificates of Waiver or Authorization, waivers, exemptions, airworthiness approvals and releases, letters of agreement, altitude reservations, and range-specific authorizations.
3. Technical submissions. Turn concepts of operations, aircraft performance, command-and-control and lost-link behavior, flight termination, and safety evidence into complete, defensible application packages. Resolve agency questions with engineering and specialist counsel.
4. Range scheduling and flight readiness. Reserve range time and airspace against flight milestones. Coordinate NOTAMs, range briefings, and pre-mission requirements. Make authorization conditions, operating limits, and expirations clear to the flight crew.
5. FCC and spectrum licensing. Own applicable experimental and operational authorizations, frequency coordination, equipment authorization planning, renewals, and operating conditions. Coordinate with NTIA and government partners when federal spectrum use is involved.
6. Exercises and customer deployments. Work with military planners, airspace control authorities, and allied partners on exercise participation, flight clearances, and operational airspace integration. Align approvals with customer missions and deployment timelines.
7. Government compliance coordination. Maintain obligations arising from contracts, licenses, permits, and customer requirements. Coordinate applicable FAR/DFARS, ITAR/EAR, and emerging security requirements with internal owners and specialist counsel. Identify future cybersecurity, CMMC, and facility-clearance needs and help scope specialist support as programs mature.
8. Regulatory program execution. Maintain a roadmap of submissions, approvals, dependencies, renewals, and risks. Build reusable templates, checklists, training, and audit evidence. Capture lessons from each range and approval, and track policy changes that affect scaled operations.

What we're looking for

1. 5+ years of relevant experience in aviation regulatory affairs, airspace management, UAS operations, range operations, aerospace, or government compliance, including equivalent military experience.
2. A record of taking flight authorizations or complex regulatory submissions from technical requirements through approval and practical execution.
3. Strong working knowledge of the National Airspace System, special-use and restricted airspace, and FAA authorization pathways beyond routine Part 107 operations.
4. Experience with military airspace, range scheduling, exercise planning, or comparable coordination across multiple authorities and operating sites.
5. Ability to own FCC/spectrum work alongside aviation approvals, with the judgment to engage technical and legal specialists where needed.
6. Strong technical writing and communication. You can interrogate engineering evidence, explain operational risks, and give regulators clear, supportable answers.
7. Practical familiarity with government contracting and export-control obligations, with disciplined organization across filings, deadlines, and changing flight schedules.
8. U.S. person eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.
9. Ability to work at our El Segundo factory five days a week and travel frequently to test ranges, agencies, customers, and exercise locations.

Bonus

1. Experience with high-altitude or long-endurance aircraft, BVLOS UAS operations, experimental aircraft, or novel certification programs.
2. Hands-on experience with both FAA approvals and FCC experimental or operational licensing; federal spectrum coordination with NTIA or government customers.
3. Major multinational exercise planning, an air operations center or airspace control cell, or deployed UAS airspace integration.
4. FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, a manned pilot certificate, or an active Secret or Top Secret clearance.
5. Built regulatory processes at an early-stage aerospace or defense company. Engineering, aviation, public policy, or legal training is helpful; a law degree is not required.

Our culture = elite sports team. Winning = having fun

1. Hyperfocus
2. Extreme Ownership
3. Radical Transparency

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

Hiring process

1. Phone screen with the hiring manager via Microsoft Teams
2. Onsite presentation and panel Q&A, including a regulatory, airspace, and range planning case discussion

US salary range

$150,000 - $190,000 USD per year in base salary.

Actual salary depends on relevant experience, skills, qualifications, and the scope of the role. Equity and benefits are additional components 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.