We're looking for a Manager, GNC and Test Engineering who has taken an unmanned aircraft from requirements through first flight and a full flight test campaign. You're equally comfortable performance-modeling a propulsion system at a desk and troubleshooting a GNSS receiver in the field during flight tests — fast, thoughtful, autonomous, and a clear communicator.
What You'll Do
Platform Technical Direction: Guide the technical direction of our UAS platforms end-to-end, working alongside our engineering and research teams: requirements setting, configuration definition, aircraft design, build, first flight, and qualification.
Propulsion & Environmental Performance Modeling: Build and maintain performance, sizing, and stability models that translate our operating conditions — including wind and gust environments — into motor RPM and torque requirements, and use those models to drive propulsion and powertrain component selection.
Component Qualification: Evaluate and qualify candidate motors, propellers, ESCs, and battery systems against real endurance, thermal, and margin requirements.
GNC Ownership & Tuning: Own GNC across our rotorcraft and fixed-wing platforms: control architecture, gain tuning, estimator configuration, and sensor selection — achieving tight, reliable tuning across the full flight envelope, including in wind.
Flight Test: Design and execute flight test campaigns, including writing test plans and cards, integrating additional instrumentation, risk identification and mitigation, envelope expansion, log analysis, and reporting results back to our design team.
Testing & QA Leadership: Lead and mentor the testing and quality assurance team, owning QA processes and standards across flight test and vehicle qualification.
What We're Looking For
Bachelor's in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent demonstrated experience.
5+ years developing unmanned aircraft, with at least one platform you took from a blank sheet to a flying, qualified vehicle.
Experience with aircraft sizing and performance analysis: energy budgets, hover and cruise power, disk loading, endurance and range prediction.
Demonstrated ability to model motor RPM and torque requirements against real environmental conditions (wind, gusts) and translate those into propulsion sizing and selection decisions.
Hands-on GNC experience, including PID tuning on multirotor or fixed-wing aircraft, with a track record of tuning vehicles to fly reliably in demanding conditions.
Deep working knowledge of PX4 or ArduPilot.
Experience writing and executing structured flight test campaigns, including envelope expansion on a new airframe.
Experience leading or building out a testing and quality assurance function or team.
FAA Part 107 certificate; experience operating under waivers and BVLOS preferred.
Willingness to deploy to the field for extended periods, including OCONUS
Supporting the Rainmakers behind the mission
Making earth more habitable is ambitious work and we want the people doing it to feel supported:
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 for you and your family.
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 plus a generous paid holiday schedule.
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, giving Rainmakers 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.
Rainmaker Is An Equal Opportunity Employer
Employment decisions are made without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.
Rainmaker provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and for other protected reasons as required by law. If you need accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, contact hiring@makerain.com. Requests for accommodation will be handled confidentially to the extent reasonably possible.
Data Privacy
California applicants can review our California Applicant Privacy Notice. The notice explains the personal information we collect, how we use it, how long we retain it, and the privacy rights that may be available.
E-Verify
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