Network Engineer

About the company

Icarus develops fan-propelled robotic assistants designed to perform logistics and maintenance tasks aboard spacecraft, freeing astronauts to focus on scientific research.

About this role

<p>Icarus was founded on the belief that the Stratosphere is the <a href="https://henryicarus.substack.com/p/the-forgotten-frontier?utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;triedRedirect=true"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ee;">Forgotten Frontier</span></strong></a>&nbsp;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.</p> <h2 style="color: #0000ee;">Mission</h2> <p>Re-establish and maintain dominance in the Stratosphere.</p> <h2 style="color: #0000ee;">What you’ll do</h2> <ul> <li> <p>Network Engineering:</p> <ul> <li>Design, deploy, and maintain networking infrastructure</li> <li>Configure and manage routers, switches, VPNs, firewalls (including Palo Alto), and network segmentation for both on-site and field-deployed systems</li> <li>Solve novel networking challenges at field events and exercises—each deployment may involve different radio systems, routing paradigms, and connectivity constraints</li> <li>Build and document network architectures that are flexible enough to support rapidly evolving mission requirement</li> </ul> <p>Security &amp; Compliance:</p> <ul> <li>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.</li> <li>Conduct and manage STIG reviews, ACAS/Nessus vulnerability scans, and remediation across compute systems, cameras, and other networked components</li> <li>Coordinate directly with government cybersecurity leads on compliance artifacts, scan submissions, and risk acceptance packages</li> <li>Develop and maintain security documentation including system security plans, network diagrams, and compliance evidence packages</li> <li>Build approved CI/CD pipelines so that products can continue to be improved after authorization</li> </ul> <p>AI-Assisted Operations:</p> <ul> <li>Use AI tools daily to accelerate compliance documentation, network analysis, vulnerability remediation, and configuration management</li> <li>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</li> <li>Stay current with evolving AI capabilities and continuously find new ways to apply them to security and networking challenges</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h2 style="color: #0000ee;">What we’re looking for</h2> <ul> <li> <ul> <li>5+ years of experience in network engineering, IT security, or a related field</li> <li>Deep hands-on expertise with VPNs, routers, switches, firewalls, and network architecture—you can configure, troubleshoot, and design from scratch</li> <li>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</li> <li>Familiarity with STIGs, ACAS/Nessus scanning, and DoD cybersecurity compliance frameworks (RMF, NIST 800-171)</li> <li>Experience working with or supporting DoD/military customers on network security</li> <li>Comfort working across satellite communications, tactical radio networks, and conventional IP networking</li> <li>Strong documentation skills—you can produce the compliance artifacts that government reviewers need</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h2 style="color: #0000ee;">Bonus points for</h2> <ul> <li> <ul> <li>Familiarity with Tailscale or similar mesh networking solutions</li> <li>Experience with CI/CD pipeline design and DevSecOps practices</li> <li>Background in aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated industries</li> <li>Familiarity with CUI/SBU data handling requirements</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h2 style="color: #0000ee;">Why Icarus</h2> <ol> <li>Meaningful equity</li> <li>Top market salary and bonuses</li> <li>Health, dental, and vision insurance</li> <li>Factory in El Segundo</li> <li>Real ownership, real hardware, real flight</li> <li>Small team, massive responsibility (but growing very fast)</li> <li>High signal (engineering) to noise (management) culture</li> <li>Dream desk setup</li> <li>Daily lunch</li> <li>Unlimited Celsius</li> </ol> <h2 style="color: #0000ee;">This is not a normal IT job</h2> <ol> <li>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.</li> <li>Your users are engineers. They will find the edge of anything you deploy and they will tell you about it. Support them accordingly.</li> <li>You are supporting a factory, not just an office. Test benches, CAD workstations, license servers, and manufacturing equipment are all in scope.</li> <li>You are building the function, not maintaining it. There is no existing Network Engineering team, no inherited backlog, and no one to tell you which ticketing system to use.</li> <li>We expect full extreme ownership. This is a high-trust, no-BS team, and everyone pulls their weight.</li> <li>We want builders. No hand-holding, no fluff, no fake projects. Real problems, real data, and real results.</li> <li>You must thrive under pressure, learn fast, and solve problems across functions.</li> <li>We move fast. We expect results and an obsession with quality and speed.</li> </ol> <p>No tourists. No bystanders. Only builders.</p> <h2 style="color: #0000ee;">Hiring process</h2> <ol> <li>Intro call</li> <li>Interview with Head of Operations</li> <li>Meet the CEO and team in-person</li> </ol> <h2 style="color: #0000ee;">US salary range</h2> <p>$115,000 - $165,000 USD</p> <p>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