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Operations & Test Engineer I

Job Description

ICON is looking for an Operations & Test Engineer I to support ICON’s efforts in developing robotic products and materials related to the Olympus Off-Planet R&D program.  This candidate will translate engineering intent into operational reality by developing and improving processes, monitoring performance, leading structured problem-solving, and coordinating cross-functional execution across Manufacturing, Service, Quality, Supply Chain, and Product Engineering. This individual will be a great communicator, a self starter, and have a range of strengths that support a proactive and self-driven approach to operational and test responsibilities for Off-Planet material production and analysis, technical support and maintenance of lab and/or production equipment, and support of test and assembly of Off-Planet Robotic systems.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Ability to design, set up, and build out a lunar simulant production space.

  • Lead, without oversight, raw material ordering and inventory management.

  • Experience in simulant milling, blending, manufacturing, measuring and QA/QC lab testing.

  • Capable in generation of documentation and record keeping on both the simulant and Olympus labs in regards to equipment, material inventory, and safety. 

  • Oversee machine and equipment maintenance as well as lab maintenance on both the simulant and Olympus labs.

  • Identify and coordinate equipment calibration as needed, maintaining a high performing status of all equipment across the Olympus sites.

  • Define and track operational KPIs and communicate trends/actions.

  • Partner with Defense R&D leadership  to improve system reliability and maintainability through data-driven improvements and standardized work.

  • Lead the development and creation of SOPs for all lab and production equipment.

  • Assist, as needed, robotic system assembly and test supporting Olympus optical, mechanical, and/or electrical teams.

  • Assist with mineralogical testing and chemical analysis of lunar regolith and/or its ingredients. 

  • Contribute to R&D efforts to scale production, increase product throughput, and optimize operations. 

  • Coordinate and supervise facility-related activities, including planned and unplanned maintenance and reorganization efforts to improve workflow and functionality.

  • Assist with inventory operations for all consumable materials.

  • Promote a safety-first culture and ensure operations meet internal and regulatory requirements where applicable.

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

  • 5+ years of experience in operations engineering, manufacturing engineering, robotics operations, automation, or industrial systems.

  • Demonstrated experience leading structured problem-solving (e.g., 5 Whys, fishbone, FMEA) and implementing corrective actions.

  • Ability to analyze operational data (Excel/Sheets, SQL or scripting a plus) and communicate insights clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

  • Working knowledge of production/field operations: SOPs, work instructions, change control, and basic quality concepts.

 

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

  • Previous start-up experience, and/or a resourceful innovative nature with an ability to streamline or develop efficient processes.

  • Familiarity with Lean / Six Sigma, reliability practices, or maintenance engineering concepts.

  • Experience with tools such as Jira/Confluence, MES/CMMS systems, dashboards (Looker/Power BI/Tableau), and test/telemetry logging.

  • Comfort working in ambiguous, fast-scaling environments and driving alignment across multiple teams.

 
ICON is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an innovative, inclusive, diverse and discrimination-free work environment. Employment with ICON is based on merit, competence, and qualifications. It is our policy to administer all personnel actions, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting employees, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or ancestry, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected classification in accordance with applicable federal and state laws. Consistent with the obligations of these laws, ICON will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Furthermore, as a federal government contractor, the Company maintains an affirmative action program which furthers its commitment and complies with recordkeeping and reporting requirements under certain federal civil rights laws and regulations, including Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended) and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (as amended).

Headhunters and recruitment agencies may not submit candidates through this application. ICON does not accept unsolicited headhunter and agency submissions for candidates and will not pay fees to any third-party agency without a prior agreement with ICON.

As part of our compliance with these obligations, the Company invites you to voluntarily self-identify as set forth below. Provision of such information is entirely voluntary and a decision to provide or not provide such information will not have any effect on your employment or subject you to any adverse treatment. Any and all information provided will be considered confidential, will be kept separate from your application and/or personnel file, and will only be used in accordance with applicable laws, orders and regulations, including those that require the information to be summarized and reported to the federal government for civil rights enforcement purposes.

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ABOUT THE TEAM

Solving one of the most challenging problems humanity faces requires a level of diversity across disciplines. ICON believes that by being a non-homogenous organization, we can capture unique perspectives, educational backgrounds, and ideation. We strive to be inclusive and seek team members who share our passion for the mission within the mission: building robust and diverse teams to help us prevail in the face of our challenges.

We‘re a team of varied backgrounds, countries, and experiences, and we believe our differences make us stronger as we tackle some of the most challenging problems of our time.

MISSION-DRIVEN

Every startup wants to change the world, but we genuinely believe we’re not being hyperbolic when we say this technology has the potential to reinvent human shelter, dramatically improving quality and resiliency while driving down costs to make housing affordable for everyone. We believe in harnessing the power of construction technology for the good of all humanity, both here on Earth and off-world. And while we get excited about R&D accomplishments in the lab, we get more excited when we see our work out in the real world, printing real homes for real people.

We work hard because we know what we are doing can reshape the way we live as a species. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s super fun. Where else do you get to play with giant robots and see the results of your work manifest in beautiful full-scale buildings that didn’t exist before—and that someone can now call home?