Airspace & Range Lead

Icarus•El Segundo, CA

About The Position

Icarus is seeking an Airspace & Range Lead to identify, secure, schedule, and manage the airspace and range approvals needed for its high-altitude solar-powered aircraft. The role owns the process end to end, from evaluating test ranges and launch and recovery sites through obtaining authorizations, coordinating missions, and helping integrate the aircraft into military exercises and operational settings. The Lead works closely with engineering, flight operations, regulators, range safety offices, military airspace authorities, and allied partners, ensuring applications are supported by engineering data and crews operate within authorization conditions. The role also develops reusable approval processes and improves them using lessons learned from ranges, regulators, and exercises. This is a hands-on, field-oriented role on a small team, with frequent travel to test ranges and exercise locations. Icarus describes its culture as high-trust, high-ownership, and focused on practical execution rather than paperwork or management overhead. The position offers a U.S. salary range of $150,000–$185,000, plus equity grants and the listed company benefits and amenities.

Requirements

At least 4 years of hands-on experience in airspace management, UAS flight operations, range operations, or aviation regulatory compliance; equivalent military experience may include air traffic controller, airspace manager, JTAC, Combat Controller, or UAS operator.
Working knowledge of the National Airspace System, airspace classes, special use and restricted airspace, and FAA authorization of unmanned aircraft beyond Part 107, including COAs, waivers, and exemptions.
Demonstrated experience developing authorization or approval packages from technical material and obtaining approval.
Understanding of military airspace, range scheduling, and exercise planning, including airspace control measures and the air tasking cycle.
Ability to read engineering data and ask relevant questions of the engineers who produced it.
Ability to manage multiple ranges, regulators, and timelines amid a changing flight schedule.
Must be a U.S. person and eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.
Willingness to travel frequently to test ranges and exercise locations.
Strong communication skills.
High trust, extreme ownership, and a no-ego approach.

Nice To Haves

FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate or a manned pilot certificate.
Experience with high-altitude, long-endurance, or balloon flight operations, including altitude reservations and operations in Class A airspace and above.
Planning experience at major multinational exercises such as RIMPAC, Talisman Sabre, or Balikatan, or experience in an air operations center or airspace control cell.
Deployed experience integrating UAS into theater airspace.
Active Secret or Top Secret clearance.
Prior aerospace startup or other hardware experience, including experience building while procedures are still being written.

Responsibilities

Scout and evaluate test ranges, restricted areas, MOAs, and launch and recovery sites appropriate to aircraft flight profiles.
Build working relationships with DoW ranges, range safety offices, FAA facilities and ARTCCs, and airport operators.
Determine the regulatory path, expected requirements, and timeline for each new location and flight profile.
Own FAA and DoW flight authorizations end to end, including Certificates of Waiver or Authorization, Airworthiness Releases, waivers, exemptions, letters of agreement, altitude reservations, and range-specific approvals.
Convert aircraft performance, C2 link and lost-link behavior, flight termination, airworthiness, and safety information into complete authorization application packages.
Work with the FAA, range safety offices, and military airspace authorities to resolve questions and obtain approvals.
Coordinate engineering, flight operations, and regulators so authorization submissions are supported by engineering.
Book range space and airspace to match the company’s build and flight schedule, and replan when schedules change.
Coordinate NOTAMs, range briefings, and pre-mission activities so flights are fully approved.
Track active authorizations, their conditions, and expiration dates, and ensure flight crews remain within them.
Support airspace requests and aircraft integration into the air plans for high-profile multinational military exercises.
Work with military planners, airspace control authorities, and allied partners to integrate an unmanned high-altitude aircraft into crowded military airspace.
Lead compliance for transition to operational employment in active conflict areas and develop processes for theater airspace integration and military flight clearances.
Develop templates, checklists, and a library of approved packages to streamline future approvals.
Capture lessons from ranges, regulators, and exercises and share them with engineering and flight operations.