Electromechanical Technician – Wildfire Drone Manufacturing

Seneca; Sausalito (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary

Equity Compensation

Comprehensive Health Coverage

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Seneca is seeking an Electronics Technician to assemble and test flight-ready drones, wiring harnesses, and sealed enclosures from detailed drawings and BOMs. You will torque fasteners, verify connectors, and power up units for endurance testing in a fast-paced, safety‑driven environment.

You will document results, collaborate with engineering on assembly and test improvements, and maintain a tidy, calibrated workspace while handling high‑current battery systems.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on electromechanical assembly, test, or repair.
• Reading drawings, selecting the right hardware, and fitting to torque specs.
• Experience with sealed or waterproof assemblies (gaskets, O-rings, connector seals).
• Solid harness skills across connectors and gauges.
• Solid soldering fundamentals for terminations and splices.
• Ability to read work instructions, BOMs, assembly drawings, wiring diagrams, and schematics.
• Fluency with torque drivers, multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, and hand tools.
• Solid electrical fundamentals and ESD-safe handling of electronics.
• Attention to detail, quality documentation, and independent work ability.
• Ability to juggle multiple builds and tests in a fast-moving environment.

Responsibilities

• Electromechanical final assembly of avionics enclosures, propulsion, payload, and airframe subsystems from drawings and BOMs.
• Ensure correct hardware, torque specs, tightening sequence, and thread-locker use.
• Build assemblies that stay protected with proper gaskets, O-rings, and connector seals.
• Dress and terminate harnesses for power and signal across multiple connector types.
• Solder splices and terminations as required.
• Pre-power checks, safe power-up, continuity checks, sensor calibration, motor/ESC verification, and test station configuration.
• Diagnose faults and determine if the issue is part, harness, or setup.
• Inspect to drawing standards before shipment and maintain traceability with serial numbers and test results.
• Provide feedback to engineering on design-for-assembly and design-for-test improvements.
• Lead root-cause analyses and corrective actions to prevent recurrence.

Skills

Electromechanical assembly

Reading drawings

Torque specs

Harness installation

Soldering fundamentals

Electrical fundamentals

ESD-safe handling

Multimeters & oscilloscopes

Tools

JST connectors

Molex connectors

Crimp tools

Oscilloscopes

Multimeters

Job description

Fire is coming. Help us build the machines that fight back.

More than 115 million Americans live in homes threatened by wildfire. Fire seasons are getting longer, hotter, and more destructive, and the tools for fighting them haven't kept pace. Seneca is changing that with autonomous drones and sensors that detect and suppress wildfires early, before small fires become catastrophic ones.

Every one of those aircraft is built by hand, and the last hands it passes through before it heads into the field belong to our production technicians. We're looking for an Electronics Technician who wants to be one of them.

The Role

You’ll be the person who turns a kit of parts into a flight‑ready aircraft. You’ll assemble and seal the enclosures, torque every fastener to spec, build and route the harnesses, then power it up, test it, and sign off that it's ready for one of the toughest jobs there is. When something doesn't work, you'll figure out why. When something could be built better, you'll walk over to the engineering team and tell them, and they'll listen.

If you notice a pinched gasket or a half‑seated connector from across the room, keep a tidy bench, and get real satisfaction from a build that comes together exactly to the drawing, you'll fit right in.

What You'll Do

• Bring drones to life: electromechanical final assembly of avionics enclosures, propulsion, payload, and airframe subsystems, working from work instructions, drawings, and BOMs

• Get every fastener right: correct hardware, torque spec, tightening sequence, and thread‑locker where called out

• Build assemblies that hold up in the field, seating gaskets, O‑rings, and connector seals so the electronics inside stay protected

• Build clean, reliable harnesses: strip, crimp, terminate, and dress JST, Molex Micro‑Fit, JWPF, XT, and other connectors for power and signal

• Solder splices, terminations, and repairs when the job calls for it

• Put every unit through its paces: pre‑power checks, safe power‑up, continuity checks, sensor calibration, motor/ESC verification, comms link testing, and configuration on our test stations

• Hunt down faults, mechanical or electrical, and figure out whether it's the part, the harness, or the setup

• Inspect like it's headed to a fire, because it is: check your work against the drawing and catch defects before they ship

• Document serial numbers, torque values, test results, and deviations so every aircraft is fully traceable

• Be the voice of the production floor: flag unclear instructions and work with engineering on design‑for‑assembly and design‑for‑test improvements

• Drive root‑cause analysis and corrective actions so problems get fixed once, for good

• Keep tools, fixtures, test equipment, and workstations organized, calibrated, ESD‑safe, and FOD‑free

• Work safely with LiPo/Li‑ion batteries and high‑current systems, and help set the bar for safety on the floor

What You Bring

• 3+ years of hands‑on electromechanical assembly, test, or repair. Aerospace, avionics, robotics, EV, medical device, contract manufacturing, and military backgrounds all translate well

• Strong mechanical assembly skills: reading drawings, choosing the right hardware, working to torque specs, and fitting precision parts without forcing them

• Experience with sealed or waterproof assemblies (gaskets, O‑rings, connector seals)

• Solid harness skills: stripping, crimping, terminating, and dressing across multiple connector types and gauges

• Solid soldering fundamentals for terminations and splices

• Comfort reading work instructions, BOMs, assembly drawings, wiring diagrams, and schematics

• Fluency with torque drivers, multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, and hand tools

• A solid grasp of electrical fundamentals and ESD‑safe handling of electronics

• Serious attention to detail, real discipline around quality and documentation, and the confidence to ask when something doesn't look right

• The ability to work independently and juggle multiple builds and tests in a fast‑moving environment

Bonus Points

• You build, fly, or fix drones, FPV quads, or robots, whether at work or in your garage

• Experience with flight controllers, ESCs, motors, and telemetry/comms systems

• Component‑level PCB/PCBA troubleshooting and SMT rework

• IPC/WHMA‑A‑620, IPC‑A‑610, and/or J‑STD‑001 certification (or working toward it)

• Comfort running scripts on a Linux command line (no programming required)

• Know‑how with LiPo/Li‑ion battery systems and safe handling

• Background in aerospace, defense, public safety, or another mission‑critical industry

• Exposure to ERP/MES systems for build documentation and traceability

• Familiarity with firefighting, emergency response, or public‑safety equipment

Why You’ll Love It Here

• Your work matters, visibly. The aircraft you build go out to protect homes, forests, and the firefighters on the line

• You're not a cog. Your ideas change how we build

• Engineering is steps away, not a ticket queue, so you'll help shape what we build next

• Backed by top‑tier investors and led by a founder who has built a company and taken it public

What We Offer

• Competitive Salary – Reflective of your skills and experience

• Equity Compensation – Be a part‑owner in the company's future

• Comprehensive Health Coverage – Medical, dental, and vision plans

• Health Savings Account (HSA) – Optional pre‑tax savings for medical expenses

• Unlimited PTO – Flexible time off to recharge, plus paid company holidays

Physical Requirements

(with or without reasonable accommodation)

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods at a workbench

• Manual dexterity sufficient for fine assembly work, including fastening, crimping, and small connector mating

• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 50 lbs when handling drone units and equipment

• Visual acuity sufficient for detailed inspection work, with corrective lenses if needed

About Us
Seneca is building cutting‑edge drone and sensor technology for wildfire suppression, aiming to eliminate wildfire risk across 500 million acres of high‑risk U.S. + allied territory. Backed by top‑tier investors, including Convective Capital, Caffeinated Capital, First Round Capital, Slow Ventures, Nextview Ventures, Transition Capital, Bullpen Capital, Stepstone Group, Roar Capital, Offline Ventures, and leaders from Palantir, Google, Meta, and many others. Founded by Stu Landesberg (former Founder & CEO of Grove Collaborative — IPO in 2022 at $1.7B) and fire industry experts, Seneca is a mission‑driven company dedicated to climate resilience and fire prevention.