Robotics Engineer
Rainmaker
El Segundo, CA, USA
Posted on Jul 11, 2025
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.
We're developing the next generation of weather modification technology through autonomous cloud seeding operations. Our robotics team is building sophisticated drone nest systems that can deploy, maintain, and coordinate fleets of UAVs for precision atmospheric intervention. You'll be instrumental in creating the robotics stack that makes autonomous weather modification scalable and reliable.
What You'll Do
- Design and implement robotic automation cells for drone maintenance, battery swapping, payload loading, and fleet coordination
- Develop core software libraries for autonomous nest operations including mission planning, resource management, and fleet orchestration
- Build end-to-end robotics solutions from conceptual design through field deployment and remote monitoring
- Create robust software systems for coordinating multiple UAVs in complex weather environments
- Work closely with our mechanical and electrical engineering teams to integrate software with physical systems
- Implement fault detection, diagnostics, and recovery systems for autonomous operations in remote locations
- Develop simulation and testing frameworks to validate system performance before field deployment
Required Qualifications
- Degree in Computer Science, Mechatronics, Robotics, or equivalent experience
- Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++ with Linux development experience
- Proven experience building and deploying robotic automation systems
- Understanding of robotics fundamentals: kinematics, path planning, sensor integration, and control systems
- Experience with ROS (Robot Operating System) or similar robotics frameworks
- Demonstrated ability to think through complete robotics projects from requirements to deployment
- Experience troubleshooting and maintaining remotely deployed robotic systems
Preferred Qualifications
- MS or PhD in Robotics, Aerospace, or related field
- UAV/drone development and operations experience
- Experience with multi-robot coordination and swarm robotics
- Knowledge of weather systems and atmospheric science
- Rust, Go, or other systems programming languages
- Experience with computer vision and sensor fusion
- Background in industrial automation or manufacturing robotics
- Familiarity with aviation regulations and autonomous vehicle compliance
