Radar Meteorologist

About the Role

We are hiring a Radar Meteorologist in El Segundo to turn weather radar observations into a clearer understanding of clouds, precipitation, and the effects of our seeding operations. You will develop and apply methods for radar quality control, precipitation estimation, and the analysis of seeded and natural precipitation. Your work will span detailed storm case studies, repeatable analysis workflows, and the design of radar observations for field campaigns. You will work closely with our radar scientists, meteorologists, software engineers, and field teams to make these methods useful across Rainmaker’s programs.

What You'll Do

• Analyze scanning and vertically pointing radar observations to characterize cloud structure, precipitation processes, and the evolution of potential seeding signatures.
• Develop and improve radar quality control, including the treatment of clutter, interference, attenuation, calibration bias, and terrain blockage.
• Develop and evaluate quantitative precipitation estimates for rain and snow, with explicit treatment of sampling limitations and retrieval uncertainty.
• Combine radar data with seeding release records, winds, soundings, satellite observations, and in situ measurements to assess individual operations.
• Design analyses that distinguish potential seeding responses from natural variability, test alternative explanations, and state what the observations can support.
• Help design radar siting and scan strategies that capture the cloud volumes and precipitation relevant to operational targeting and validation.
• Build reproducible Python workflows for processing, visualization, and analysis; partner with software engineers to automate methods across programs.
• Support field campaigns and radar troubleshooting in partnership with field teams, including travel to deployment sites as needed.
• Communicate findings through clear figures, technical reports, and reviews that inform operational decisions and future experiments.

What We're Looking For

• A degree in meteorology, atmospheric science, physics, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Demonstrated experience using weather radar observations to answer meteorological questions in research or operations.
• A strong understanding of radar measurement principles, Doppler and polarimetric variables, sampling geometry, and common sources of error.
• Knowledge of cloud microphysics and precipitation processes, including the interpretation of observations in mixed phase and winter weather.
• Proficiency in Python for scientific data processing, analysis, and visualization.
• Experience evaluating scientific methods against independent observations, diagnosing bias, and quantifying uncertainty.
• The ability to take an open scientific question through data analysis to a defensible conclusion, with reproducible code and clear documentation.
• Clear communication, constructive scientific collaboration, and willingness to work onsite in El Segundo and travel for field campaigns as needed.

What Will Set You Apart

• An MS or PhD with research focused on radar meteorology, precipitation estimation, or cloud microphysics.
• Experience with cloud seeding research, orographic precipitation, snowfall retrievals, or the attribution of small signals within natural variability.
• Hands-on experience deploying, calibrating, or operating research radars and designing scan strategies.
• Experience with tools such as Py-ART or xradar and data from research radars, NEXRAD, or MRMS.
• Experience integrating radar with disdrometers, precipitation gauges, aircraft or UAS measurements, or numerical weather prediction.

What Success Looks Like In the First 90 Days

Within your first 90 days, you will understand our radar systems, data workflows, and current validation methods by working through a representative seeding event with the team. You will deliver a reproducible case study that combines radar observations with operational records and clearly explains the evidence, uncertainty, and alternative interpretations. You will implement and evaluate one prioritized improvement to quality control, precipitation estimation, or event analysis against an agreed baseline. You will also propose the next set of analysis and observing improvements with clear measures of success.