Logistics Director

Rainmaker; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 126,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

401(k) with employer matching

Full health coverage

Relocation assistance provided

Unlimited PTO

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Rainmaker is seeking a Logistics Director to build and lead a growing logistics landscape across headquarters, manufacturing, test facilities, and field operations. You will define programs and strategy to support Rainmaker's manufacturing, deployment, and field missions, ensuring readiness and efficiency for all program needs.

You will hire and mentor the logistics team, plan equipment deployment, select carriers, and optimize inventory control, warehousing, and shipping.

Qualifications

• 6–10 years of progressively responsible experience in logistics, transportation, warehousing, inventory management, or related fields.
• Experience building a logistics function from early/undefined stage into a scalable operation.
• Experience leading logistics in fast-growing, operationally complex, distributed environments.
• Hands-on leader able to balance long-term strategy with process design and day-to-day problem solving.
• Experience supporting time-sensitive deployments, field operations, manufacturing operations, or complex equipment.
• Strong knowledge of domestic transportation, warehousing, inventory controls, and third-party logistics management.

Responsibilities

• Lead logistics across headquarters, manufacturing, test facilities, and field operations, including transportation, warehousing, inventory management, and returns.
• Plan and execute equipment deployment, site mobilization, resupply, and demobilization across operating regions.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Manufacturing, and Field Operations to ensure aircraft, spare parts, batteries, seeding materials, and support equipment are available ahead of mission requirements.
• Establish regional storage locations, distribution routes, and contingency plans to support expansion and rapid deployment.
• Manage inventory accuracy, serialized asset tracking, critical spares, and replenishment levels across all locations.
• Select and manage carriers, freight forwarders, and third-party logistics providers; negotiate contracts and hold partners accountable for cost and delivery performance.
• Oversee receiving, storage, packaging, and shipping procedures to protect equipment and maintain material traceability.
• Coordinate equipment recovery, repair shipments, and replacement deliveries to minimize operational downtime.
• Implement logistics systems and processes that improve shipment visibility, inventory control, and coordination between teams.
• Own the logistics budget and improve delivery reliability, deployment readiness, freight costs, and inventory utilization.
• Ensure compliance with applicable transportation, hazardous materials, customs, and import/export requirements.
• Hire, train, and lead the logistics team; resolve critical shortages and transportation issues supporting field operations.
• Willingness to travel and provide support outside standard business hours when deployments or critical operational issues require it.
• Experience in aerospace, aviation, robotics, advanced manufacturing, defense, energy, agriculture, or related field preferred.

Skills

Logistics leadership

Supply chain management

Budgeting & cost control

Carrier negotiations

Inventory management

Cross-functional collaboration

Willingness to travel

Job description

Rainmaker is pioneering a modern cloud seeding system to address water scarcity and inclement weather challenges worldwide. We develop and integrate radar validation, weather-resistant UAS, numerical weather modeling, and sustainable seeding agents into an effective precipitation enhancement solution.

Rainmaker is building something that hasn't existed before. If you're the kind of person who gets energized by hard problems, new territory, and the opportunity to lead programs that have real impact on water resources, we want to hear from you.

As Rainmaker's Logistics Director, you will own the build out of a logistics landscape that is evolving, with many processes, systems, and operating standards that still need to be defined. You will build programs and strategy that support Rainmaker's manufacturing, test facilities, and field operations teams and their goal of making water more abundant.

Responsibilities

• Lead logistics across headquarters, manufacturing, test facilities, and field operations, including transportation, warehousing, inventory management, and returns.
• Plan and execute equipment deployment, site mobilization, resupply, and demobilization across operating regions.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Manufacturing, and Field Operations to ensure aircraft, spare parts, batteries, seeding materials, and support equipment are available ahead of mission requirements.
• Establish regional storage locations, distribution routes, and contingency plans to support expansion and rapid deployment.
• Manage inventory accuracy, serialized asset tracking, critical spares, and replenishment levels across all locations.
• Select and manage carriers, freight forwarders, and third-party logistics providers; negotiate contracts and hold partners accountable for cost and delivery performance.
• Oversee receiving, storage, packaging, and shipping procedures to protect equipment and maintain material traceability.
• Coordinate equipment recovery, repair shipments, and replacement deliveries to minimize operational downtime.
• Implement logistics systems and processes that improve shipment visibility, inventory control, and coordination between teams.
• Own the logistics budget and improve delivery reliability, deployment readiness, freight costs, and inventory utilization.
• Ensure compliance with applicable transportation, hazardous materials, customs, and import/export requirements.
• Hire, train, and lead the logistics team; resolve critical shortages and transportation issues supporting field operations.

Qualifications

• 6-10 years of progressively responsible experience in logistics, transportation, warehousing, inventory management, supply chain operations, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience building a logistics function, network, or major capability from an early or undefined stage into a disciplined, scalable operation.
• Experience leading logistics in a fast-growing, operationally complex, or geographically distributed environment.
• Strong record of creating processes and systems where limited infrastructure, incomplete information, or unclear ownership previously existed.
• Willingness and ability to operate as a hands-on leader, moving comfortably between long-term strategy, process design, team leadership and direct operational problem solving.
• Experience supporting time-sensitive deployments, field operations, manufacturing operations, or complex technical equipment.
• Strong knowledge of domestic transportation, warehousing, inventory controls, serialized asset management, reverse logistics, and third-party logistics management.
• Experience selecting and implementing inventory, warehouse, transportation, or shipment-tracking systems and negotiating with and managing carriers, freight forwarders, custom brokers, warehouses, and third-party logistics providers.
• Working knowledge of hazardous-materials transportation, lithium-battery shipping, customs, and import/export requirements and developing programs with requirements in mind.
• Experience developing budgets, operating metrics, service-level expectations, and continuous-improvement programs.
• Strong analytical judgment and the ability to make sound decisions quickly when information is incomplete and operational timelines are compressed.
• Experience hiring, developing and leading logistics or supply chain teams.
• Willingness to travel and provide support outside standard business hours when deployments or critical operational issues require it.
• Experience in aerospace, aviation, robotics, advanced manufacturing, defense, energy, agriculture, or another field involving complex techinical assets, hardware and distributed operatons preferred.

$126,000 - $175,000 a year

Benefits

• Significant stock options with high potential upside as an early-stage company
• 401(k) with employer matching
• Full health coverage (medical, dental, and vision insurance)
• Relocation assistance provided (if applicable)
• Unlimited PTO
• Paid parental leave for both parents