What you'll do- Own full-cycle recruiting for our engineering and manufacturing roles, from intake through close.
- Source creatively to build a deep pipeline, identifying talent from aerospace, robotics, and hardware companies and continuously growing that network.
- Write outreach that senior engineers actually answer, and carry those candidates through the process yourself.
- Partner with hiring managers to define what strong looks like before the first screen, and build the scorecards and interview loops that hold that bar.
- Own and report the funnel. Track pipeline KPIs, find where candidates fall out, and fix it.
- Close exceptional engineers against offers from larger, better-capitalized companies. You will need to pitch the mission honestly and well.
- Develop a deep understanding of what we build, enough to be credible with the engineers you are recruiting.
- Improve the recruiting function as you run it. You are our first dedicated recruiter, and you will define how this works as we scale.
What we're looking for- 2+ years of full lifecycle technical recruiting experience at a hardware company, or hiring mechanical, electrical, embedded, or software engineers.
- Experience owning and managing a high-volume req load.
- Demonstrated sourcing ability. You can point to specific senior engineers you found, engaged, and closed - not requisitions you filled from inbound applicants.
- Genuine technical curiosity. You do not need an engineering degree, but you do need to be the kind of person who reads the spec sheet.
- Comfort operating without process and building it as you go. Our recruiting function is early; you will be defining it.
- Fluency with data. You track funnel metrics, diagnose bottlenecks, and use numbers to argue for changes.
- A serious commitment to feedback and growth.
- The drive to perform in a fast-paced, high-intensity environment.
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 (but growing very fast)
- High signal (engineering) to noise (management) culture
- Dream desk setup
- Daily lunch
- Unlimited celsius
This is not a normal recruiting job- 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.
- You will work alongside the CEO and a small team of world-class builders, embedded in the real problems of building and flying aircraft. You will sit on the factory floor, not in an HR wing.
- Recruiting here is a technical function. You are expected to understand what we build and to speak about it accurately.
- We expect full extreme ownership. This is a high-trust, no-BS team, and everyone pulls their weight.
- We want builders. No hand-holding, no fluff, no fake projects. Real problems, real data, and real results.
- You must thrive under pressure, learn fast, and solve problems across functions.
- We move fast. We expect results and an obsession with quality and speed.
No tourists. No bystanders. Only builders.
Hiring process- Intro call
- Interview with the CEO
- Meet the team in-person
US salary range$100,000 - $140,000 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.
