Senior Electrical Engineer

Blackwing; El Segundo, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Rainmaker is seeking an experienced Hardware Engineer to lead the architecture and design of electrical systems for advanced UAS hardware. You will prototype, validate, and iterate PCBs, mentor junior engineers, and work closely with mechanical, software, and manufacturing teams to ensure robust flight-ready designs.

The role requires extensive PCB design, embedded programming, and experience with high-speed digital design, power integrity, and EMI/EMC.

Qualifications

• Bachelors in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or significant demonstrated technical ability and professional experience (6+ years in electronics).
• 4+ years of professional PCB design experience with Altium (or equivalent).
• Led hardware designs from concept through manufacturing including DFM/DFT 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.
• 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 and interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and design of complex electrical systems for hardware platforms.
• Design and build functional prototypes for hardware subsystems.
• Create schematic and layouts for power distribution and sensor interfaces using Altium.
• Assemble, debug, and validate PCBs; develop test procedures for flight conditions.
• Write technical documentation and preparation data for manufacturers.
• Collaborate with Mechanical, Software, Research and Manufacturing teams.

Skills

System design

Embedded programming

Mentoring engineers

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelors in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering

6+ years experience in electronics field

Tools

Altium

Raspberry Pi

NVIDIA Jetson

STM32

ESP32

RP2040

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.

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

Required Qualifications

• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• 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