Mechanical Engineering Intern (Fall: August - December)

Make Rain; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Rainmaker is seeking a mechanical engineering professional to contribute to mission-critical UAS subsystems. You will report to the Lead Mechanical Engineer and help design, prototype, test, and document hardware for our cloud seeding UAS platform.

The role emphasizes rapid prototyping, cross-functional collaboration, and hands-on manufacturing, with responsibilities spanning CAD, FEA, and fixture development in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• SolidWorks proficiency with FEA capabilities (linear static, linear dynamic, nonlinear dynamic, thermal).
• Experience prototyping and manufacturing using 3D printers.
• Sheet metal design and manufacturing experience preferred.
• Proven track record of taking a product from concept to production.
• Ability to collaborate across Electrical and Software teams.

Responsibilities

• Rapid hardware prototyping: design and build functional prototypes for UAS subsystems and iterate based on flight test feedback and mission requirements.
• Test fixture design: conceive, design, build, and run test fixtures for prototype components.
• FEA: define loading and boundary conditions, set up FEA studies, run and validate results.
• Documentation: write technical documentation, prepare fabrication and assembly data for manufacturers.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams: Electrical, software, and manufacturing.

Skills

CAD SolidWorks

FEA SolidWorks

3D Printing

Sheet Metal Design

Concept to Production

Cross-functional Collaboration

Job description

Rainmaker is pioneering a modern cloud seeding system to solve water scarcity and inclement weather problems. We develop and incorporate radar validation, weather-resistant UAS, numerical weather modeling, and sustainable cloud seeds into an effective precipitation enhancement solution.

The Engineering team at Rainmaker works on our UAS, dispersion payload, and in-situ/remote sensing systems. If you are interested in working in an extremely innovative and fast paced environment, where your work directly makes an impact and difference in our operational system, this is a fantastic opportunity.

In this role you will be reporting directly to the Lead Mechanical Engineer and will be working on mission critical subsystems for our UAS platform.

Responsibilities

• Rapid Hardware Prototyping: Design and build functional prototypes for UAS subsystems, iterating quickly based on flight test feedback and mission requirements.
• Test fixture design: Help conceptualize, design, build, and run test fixtures for prototype components.
• FEA: Work with mechanical engineers to define loading and boundary conditions, set up FEA studies, run and validate results.
• Documentation: Write technical documentation, prepare fabrication and assembly data for manufacturers.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams: Electrical engineers, software engineers, and manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Experience with CAD (Solidworks required)
• Solidworks FEA experience, Linear Static, Linear Dynamic, Nonlinear Dynamic, Thermal.
• Experience with basic manufacturing/prototyping using 3D printers
• Sheet metal design and manufacturing experience (preferred)
• Past record of having taken a product from the conceptual to production stage (Preferred)
• Cross functional ability to work with multiple teams (Electrical and Software)