Job Description

Overview

Rainmaker is pioneering a modern cloud seeding system to address water scarcity and inclement weather issues. The Lead, UAV Integration Technician will oversee the integration and maintenance of UAV platforms, ensuring they are mission-ready and meet quality standards.

Responsibilities

  • Coordinate integration efforts and assign build tasks to meet production schedules.
  • Oversee assembly of UAVs from components into complete systems, ensuring quality standards.
  • Draft, standardize, and update assembly work instructions and integration checklists.
  • Set standards for electrical integration and review completed work.
  • Communicate recurring issues and design flaws to engineering and program stakeholders.
  • Onboard and train new technicians on components and procedures.
  • Establish and enforce inspection and QA processes for incoming parts and final assembly.
  • Identify inefficiencies in the build process and lead improvement initiatives.
  • Coordinate with supply chain on parts availability and oversee tooling and shop resources.
  • Act as the point of escalation for technical and scheduling issues.
  • Ensure compliance with safety standards during integration and field activities.

Requirements

  • 7+ years of hands-on experience in UAV, aerospace, robotics, or similar environments.
  • 3+ years experience leading a technician team.
  • Strong experience with mechanical assembly and electrical integration.
  • Ability to read, interpret, and create technical drawings and wiring diagrams.
  • Proven experience troubleshooting complex mechanical and electrical systems.
  • Experience writing or improving work instructions and assembly documentation.
  • Willingness to travel for field operations and flight testing.
  • Strong attention to detail and craftsmanship.
  • Ability to prioritize and coordinate work across multiple technicians.
  • Strong communication skills for translating issues into feedback.
  • Comfortable taking ownership of team output.
  • Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs regularly.
  • Familiarity with basic shop safety procedures.

Benefits

  • 401k
  • Health Insurance
  • PTO

Benefits

401k
Health Insurance
PTO

How this job compares in El Segundo, CA

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs in El Segundo, CA currently run a median of $43/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $38–$60/hr across 17 postings with published pay. That median is a reasonable floor to anchor on when a recruiter asks what you're looking for.

The local market in El Segundo, CA

We're tracking 19 other active welding openings in El Segundo, CA right now, from 10 different employers. 14 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 600 other active welding openings from 270 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in El Segundo, or widen the search to California.

The most active employers in California at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are SpaceX (37), Vast (18), and Relativity Space (17). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within California, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Gardena at $73/hr, Redondo Beach at $72/hr, and Pasadena at $61/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near El Segundo, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Lead, UAV Integration Technician figures were last recalculated when this page was built.