Regulatory & Compliance Lead

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 & Compliance Lead, you will own the path from regulatory requirements to approved flight operations and customer deployments. You will work directly with the CEO, engineering, flight operations, and business teams to turn FAA, FCC, and government requirements into clear decisions, complete submissions, and practical operating processes.

This is a hands-on role. You will write the filings, coordinate technical evidence, manage agency relationships, and track commitments through approval and renewal. You will build a compliance program that helps the team move quickly with a clear understanding of what is permitted, what is required, and what must happen next.

What you'll own

1. FAA strategy and approvals. Identify the appropriate certification and operating pathways for our aircraft and missions. Lead applicable waiver, exemption, airworthiness, and airspace authorization efforts with engineering, flight operations, and outside counsel.
2. 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 where federal spectrum use is involved.
3. Regulatory submissions. Assemble clear concepts of operations, safety arguments, technical exhibits, test evidence, and responses to agency questions. Keep every filing accurate, complete, and traceable.
4. Government compliance. Maintain a register of obligations from contracts, licenses, permits, and customer requirements. Coordinate applicable FAR/DFARS obligations, export controls under ITAR/EAR, and required security or cybersecurity work with the responsible internal owners and specialist counsel.
5. Agency and customer relationships. Be a reliable point of contact for regulators, test ranges, government customers, and external advisers. Resolve issues early and communicate decisions clearly.
6. Operating discipline. Maintain approval records, renewal calendars, training, and audit evidence. Translate approval conditions into requirements the factory and flight team can use.
7. Program execution. Build the regulatory roadmap around flight and delivery milestones. Surface risks, owners, dependencies, and decisions before they become schedule blockers.
8. Regulatory change. Track relevant rulemaking and policy changes, explain their practical impact, and help shape a credible long-term path to scaled operations.

What we're looking for

1. 5+ years of relevant experience in aerospace, aviation, telecommunications, defense, regulatory affairs, or government compliance.
2. A record of taking complex regulatory submissions or compliance programs from requirements through approval or implementation.
3. Deep working knowledge of FAA aviation/UAS processes or FCC spectrum licensing, with the ability to own work across both domains.
4. Strong technical writing and judgment. You can understand aircraft operations, RF systems, and engineering evidence and explain them clearly to regulators.
5. Experience working directly with government agencies, external counsel, and technical teams.
6. Practical familiarity with government contracting and export-control requirements, and the judgment to involve the right specialists.
7. Exceptional organization and follow-through across multiple filings, deadlines, and changing program needs.
8. Ability to work at our El Segundo factory five days a week and travel to agencies, customers, and test sites as needed.

Bonus

1. Experience with high-altitude aircraft, long-endurance UAS, BVLOS operations, experimental aircraft, or novel aviation certification programs.
2. Hands-on experience with both FAA approvals and FCC experimental or operational licensing.
3. Experience coordinating federal spectrum use with NTIA or government customers.
4. Built regulatory or compliance processes at an early-stage aerospace or defense company.
5. Engineering, aviation, public policy, or legal training. A law degree is helpful but 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
2. Regulatory case discussion and one-on-one with the CEO
3. Meet the team in person

US salary range

$140,000 - $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.