Full-Time

Director of Business Development

California

Updated on 9/4/2026

Rainmaker

Rainmaker

51-200 employees

Develops cloud-seeding systems to augment precipitation

Compensation Overview

$125k - $150k/yr

El Segundo, CA, USA

In Person

On-site in California; travel approximately 50%+ for sessions and site visits.

Bachelor's, Master's, PhD

Category
Sales & Account Management (1)
Required Skills
Public Policy

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Requirements
  • 5+ years of experience in business development, government relations, capture management, or public policy involving California state government — ideally in water, natural resources, agriculture, infrastructure, or environmental sectors.
  • Proven track record of winning state funding, contracts, or appropriations — or of shaping legislative and budgetary outcomes that translated into funded programs.
  • Strong understanding of how state budget cycles, grant programs, and procurement processes work, and how policy frameworks intersect with water supply, environmental protection, and agricultural needs.
  • Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with elected officials, agency staff, and external partners, and to navigate long, multi-stakeholder sales cycles.
  • Self-starter comfortable owning a pipeline and a number while working collaboratively in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
  • Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degrees in political science, business, economics, law, or related fields welcomed but not mandatory.
  • Willingness and ability to travel (approximately 50% or more) for legislative sessions, customer engagements, and project site visits.
Responsibilities
  • Drive New Business: Own a revenue target tied to state-funded programs in California. Build and manage a pipeline of opportunities including appropriations, grants, agency contracts, and pilot programs, and drive pursuits from identification through award.
  • Opportunity Identification & Capture: Identify emerging state funding pathways — infrastructure bills, budget line items, grant programs, and procurement vehicles — and convert them into qualified opportunities. Develop multi-year capture plans spanning fiscal years and legislative sessions.
  • Customer & Stakeholder Relationships: Cultivate and sustain relationships with the legislators, agency leaders, regulatory staff, water districts, and industry associations who influence and award state-funded work. Build coalitions of supporters who champion Rainmaker programs.
  • Legislative & Budget Engagement: Drive Rainmaker’s engagement in California legislative sessions and budget cycles to create and protect funding for water infrastructure, agricultural resilience, and precipitation enhancement programs. Prepare and deliver testimony, briefings, and presentations to committees and decision-making bodies.
  • Policy Shaping in Support of Growth: Advocate for policies that expand the market for Rainmaker’s services, aligning policy initiatives directly with funding and contract opportunities.
  • Public/Private Partnerships: Identify and coordinate public/private partnership opportunities that pair state programs with private-sector partners and funding, structuring collaborations that expand Rainmaker’s reach and accelerate program delivery.
  • Cross-Functional Deal Support: Partner with leadership, technical, legal, and communications teams to scope winnable programs, develop compelling proposals, and ensure compliance with state regulations and procurement requirements.
  • Events & Demonstrations: Organize site visits, demonstrations, roundtables, and educational forums for lawmakers, agency officials, and prospective customers to showcase Rainmaker’s technology and economic and environmental impact.
  • Market Intelligence & Reporting: Track legislative, regulatory, and budgetary developments across the water, agriculture, and environmental sectors to keep the pipeline ahead of the market. Report pipeline status, forecasts, and strategic recommendations to leadership.

Rainmaker Technology Corporation develops cloud-seeding systems to increase precipitation and address water scarcity. The system uses weather-aware software, radar, and unmanned aircraft to locate suitable clouds, drop seeding agents, and validate the results, relying on existing clouds rather than triggering rain from clear skies. It embeds atmospheric science research and field-study methods, using research UAVs with sensors to measure conditions and cloud dynamics, and collaborates with leading research institutions for validation. Its goal is to yield more reliable rainfall and snowfall, support aquifer recharge and ecosystem restoration, reduce wildfire risk, and expand validation across diverse weather conditions and geographic regions.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$31.3M

Headquarters

Los Angeles, California

Founded

2023

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Rainmaker's August 23, 2026 Alaska campaign produced 19 million gallons in three hours.
  • Politico reported February 1, 2026 contracts with dozens of Western states and water authorities.
  • Lowercarbon-backed Series A funding and media attention support expansion across the American West.

What critics are saying

  • FAA docket FAA-2025-1630 remains unresolved; ALPA called Rainmaker's flare plan an extreme safety risk.
  • Alaska lawmaker Sarah Vance demanded cease-and-desist action on August 27, 2026.
  • If regulators restrict drone seeding or silver iodide, Rainmaker's commercial model stalls quickly.

What makes Rainmaker unique

  • Rainmaker validated 82 seeding signatures and 143 million gallons on April 27, 2026.
  • Its Elijah drones fly cloud-seeding missions with onboard sensors in icing conditions.
  • Atmo partnership from July 16, 2025 adds AI forecasting to radar-validated operations.

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Benefits

Company Equity

Meal Benefits

401(k) Company Match

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-1%

1 year growth

16%

2 year growth

8%
Rainmaker
Aug 23rd, 2026
Results from Rainmaker's Alaska research campaign.

Results from Rainmaker's Alaska research campaign. Today, Rainmaker is excited to share initial results from Rainmaker's Alaska R+D campaign: 19 million gallons of net-new water generated in just three hours. August 23, 2026 - Rainmaker Team Earlier this year, Rainmaker became the first private company in history to unambiguously prove Rainmaker could modify the weather and generate rain, snow, and freshwater at scale via glaciogenic cloud seeding. Rainmaker produced over 145 million verified gallons of precipitation - nearly 1,800 annual American households' water demand - over the course of a four month period. This summer, Rainmaker launched a research and development campaign in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula to further develop its flight platform, weather targeting capabilities, and validation techniques. Today, Rainmaker is excited to share some initial results from its research: Over the course of 10 drone flights on August 23, Rainmaker generated a mean of 57 acre-feet of rain (IQR: 45-65 acre-feet), distinct from natural precipitation. That's approximately 19 million gallons of water generated in a three hour period. The continued iteration and improvement of Rainmaker's cloud seeding capabilities will allow Rainmaker to more effectively bring new water to regions suffering from drought, like the Great Salt Lake and Colorado River basin. Glaciogenic cloud seeding. Cloud seeding is an American technology that aims to increase precipitation from existing clouds. The most common type of cloud seeding is glaciogenic cloud seeding, which targets cold conditions, usually below -5°C. ("Glaciogenic" here means "ice-creating".) Glaciogenic cloud seeding works by introducing ice-attracting particles into subfreezing clouds, triggering the formation of ice crystals that precipitate as snow or rain. Silver iodide (AgI) is the most commonly used seeding material. Rainmaker's drone-based platform. Rainmaker integrates established cloud seeding methods with modern advancements in drone and sensor technologies. Its approach is built on three pillars: (1) targeting optimal conditions, (2) seeding with precision, and (3) validation of results. These capabilities are supported by two proprietary products: * Elijah - The world's first sub-55 lb. UAV capable of autonomous and sustained high-altitude flight through severe icing conditions. Onboard sensors collect and deliver high-fidelity atmospheric data. * Stratus - An advanced software platform that forecasts viable seeding opportunities, monitors live mission progress, estimates precipitation yield, and validates the results of seeding operations. Stratus integrates both radar and satellite data for validation. Results from the Kenai Peninsula. Rainmaker has operated in the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska since June. The region was chosen for a high incidence of summertime seeding conditions along the Chugach and Kenai coastal ranges, enabling Rainmaker to conduct flight testing and validation research. On August 23, Rainmaker made 10 seeding flights between 6:30am and 9:23am UTC, igniting AgI flares into clouds between 3,500 and 4,200 meters MSL. Using methodology established by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the 2017 SNOWIE campaign (Tessendorf, 2019; Friedrich, 2020), Rainmaker calculates that this three-hour operational window produced about 57 acre-feet of rain, distinct from natural precipitation. Why it matters. Cloud seeding operators have historically struggled to validate, or prove, the impact of their operations. This year, Rainmaker became the first private company to clear this hurdle, producing validated results from operations in Utah, Idaho, and Oregon. Its customers and partners no longer have to wonder whether its technology works - nor whether it can help to solve the looming drought crisis in the American West. Over the next several months, Rainmaker will continue to release material on its research, methodologies, and technological advancements in the field of weather modification.

PR Newswire
Apr 27th, 2026
Rainmaker proves cloud seeding works, delivers 143M gallons to Oregon and Utah

Rainmaker Technology Corporation has become the first private company to validate cloud seeding results, generating over 143 million gallons of freshwater for Oregon and Utah. The El Segundo-based startup achieved 82 unambiguous seeding signatures — distinct radar patterns proving operations directly caused precipitation — equivalent to the annual water usage of approximately 1,750 American households. The company uses drone technology and advanced radar to increase wintertime precipitation in target areas, addressing drought impacts whilst boosting agriculture, outdoor recreation and hydropower. Founder and CEO Augustus Doricko said the breakthrough enables Rainmaker to measure yields and quantify results for the first time in cloud seeding history. Rainmaker currently operates in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, California and Colorado, with plans to expand throughout the American West and globally. More than 80 million Americans are affected by drought.

TechCrunch
Jul 14th, 2025
Rainmaker partners with Atmo to squeeze more rain from clouds

Cloud-seeding startup Rainmaker is partnering with Atmo, an AI-powered meteorology startup, the companies exclusively told TechCrunch.

Los Angeles Business Journal
May 26th, 2025
Rainmaker Secures $25M Series A Funding

Rainmaker, a cloud seeding startup based in El Segundo, raised $25 million in a Series A round led by Lowercarbon Capital, with participation from Starship Ventures, Long Journey Ventures, and 1517 Ventures. The company uses drones to create and verify man-made precipitation, targeting clients like governments, farms, and ski resorts. Founded in 2023 by Augustus Doricko, Rainmaker aims to address climate change by providing consistent weather solutions.

Los Angeles Business Journal
May 26th, 2025
Rainmaker Raises a $25 Million Series A Round

Rainmaker raises a $25 million series A round.