Senior Electrical Engineer

Rainmaker; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with employer matching

Unlimited PTO

Paid parental leave

Lunch provided at El Segundo HQ

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Rainmaker is building an integrated system to make more freshwater available through weather-resilient UAS, radar, and sensing tech. You will lead the hardware design for complex electrical systems, prototype rapidly, and ensure robust manufacturing, with close collaboration across engineering disciplines at our El Segundo HQ.

You will mentor engineers, drive reviews, and apply embedded programming to sensors and controls, influencing the end-to-end hardware lifecycle in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelors in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or significant demonstrated technical ability.
• 4+ years PCB design experience with Altium and mixed-signal front-ends.
• Proven track record leading hardware designs from concept through manufacturing.
• Deep experience with embedded platforms and microcontrollers (Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson, STM32, ESP32, RP2040).
• Experience with high-speed digital design, power integrity, signal integrity, and EMI/EMC considerations.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and lead technical reviews.
• Embedded programming experience (C++, C, Rust, or Python) for sensors and real-time control loops.

Responsibilities

• System Design: Lead architecture and design of complex electrical systems for hardware platforms.
• Rapid Hardware Prototyping: Design and build functional prototypes for subsystems.
• PCB Design: Create schematics and layouts for power distribution and sensors using Altium.
• Board Bringup and Testing: Assemble, debug, and validate PCBs; develop test procedures.
• Documentation: Write technical docs and fabrication data for manufacturers.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams: Mechanical, software, research, and manufacturing.

Skills

Embedded platforms

C/C++/Python

Technical leadership

Power electronics

RF systems

Board bring-up

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

Altium

Pixhawk/ArduPilot

Job description

Make it rain. Make Snow. Make Earth Habitable.

Rainmaker builds and deploys audacious technologies that work with nature to create an abundant, habitable planet. We are modernizing proven cloud-seeding science with weather-resistant UAS, radar and satellite observations, numerical weather prediction, novel sensing and validation systems, and sustainable seeding technologies. We are building an integrated system to make more freshwater available to farms, ecosystems, and communities.

Our ambition is bold, but we pursue it with humility. We take on difficult problems in the real world with technical rigor, grit, integrity, and an openness to learning and course-correcting. We are hiring individuals with evidence of exceptional ability. If you want to build systems that endure, restore, and provide, and help deliver the future we were promised, we want to hear from you.

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.

What You'll Do

• System Design: Lead the architecture and design of complex electrical systems for hardware platforms, defining system-level requirements, interface specifications, and integration strategies.
• Rapid Hardware Prototyping: Design and build functional prototypes for hardware subsystems, iterating quickly based on test feedback and mission requirements.
• PCB Design: Create schematic and layouts for power distribution, sensor interfaces, payload controllers and communication modules using Altium.
• Board Bringup and Testing: Assemble, debug, and validate new PCBs; develop test procedures and fixtures to verify functionality and reliability under flight conditions.
• Documentation: Write technical documentation, prepare fabrication and assembly data for manufacturers.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams: Mechanical engineers, software engineers, research and manufacturing

What We're Looking For

• Bachelors in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or significant demonstrated technical ability and professional experience (6+ years of industry work in a related electronics field)
• 4+ years of professional PCB design experience with Altium (or equivalent), including products developed with digital, mixed-signal, and analog front-end designs.
• Proven track record leading hardware designs from concept through manufacturing, including DFM/DFT and working directly with contract manufacturers.
• Deep experience with embedded platforms and microcontrollers (Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson, STM32, ESP32, RP2040).
• Experience with high-speed digital design, power integrity, signal integrity, and EMI/EMC considerations.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and lead technical reviews
• Embedded programming experience (C++, C, Rust, or Python), including board bring-up, debugging, and low-level driver development for sensors, communication interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN), and real-time control loops.

What Will Set You Apart

• Experience designing PCBs and electrical systems capable of sustaining 10kW loads.
• Experience bringing UAV electrical systems from concept through flight test and production
• Experience designing power electronics, including BLDC motor controllers, ESCs, and battery management systems (BMS)
• Familiarity with flight controllers such as Pixhawk, ArduPilot, or custom autopilot hardware
• Hands-on experience with lithium polymer (LiPo), lithium-ion, and solid-state battery integration and safety
• Knowledge of RF systems, including datalinks, telemetry radios, SATCOM, and antenna integration

$120,000 - $160,000 a year

Supporting the people behind the mission

Making Earth more habitable is ambitious work. We want the people doing it to feel supported—in the work we share and the lives they’re building.

• A stake in what we build. Meaningful stock options and the opportunity to help shape Rainmaker as an early member of the team.
• Support for your health. Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• An investment in your future. A 401(k) with employer matching to help you build long-term savings.
• Time to recharge. Unlimited PTO for rest, exploration, and the people and pursuits that matter to you.
• Time for a growing family. Paid parental leave for both parents to welcome a child and spend time together.
• Lunch together. Daily lunch provided at our El Segundo headquarters—a chance to share a meal and connect with teammates.
• Help making the move. Relocation assistance for eligible roles to support your transition to Rainmaker.