--- title: 'Electromechanical Technician – Wildfire Drone Manufacturing at Seneca' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/electromechanical-technician-wildfire-drone-manufacturing-seneca-sausalito-xnme0gr33q37' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-01' --- # Electromechanical Technician – Wildfire Drone Manufacturing at Seneca - **Company:** Seneca - **Location:** Sausalito, CA - **Compensation:** $71k–$130k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-10-26 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-01 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/seneca/d0b15050-2a22-4849-b046-8f4ad5e4967a ## Job description Fire is coming. Help us build the machines that fight back. More than 115 million Americans live in homes threatened by wildfire. Fire seasons are getting longer, hotter, and more destructive, and the tools for fighting them haven't kept pace. Seneca is changing that with autonomous drones and sensors that detect and suppress wildfires early, before small fires become catastrophic ones. Every one of those aircraft is built by hand, and the last hands it passes through before it heads into the field belong to our production technicians. We're looking for an Electronics Technician who wants to be one of them. ## The Role You'll be the person who turns a kit of parts into a flight-ready aircraft. You'll assemble and seal the enclosures, torque every fastener to spec, build and route the harnesses, then power it up, test it, and sign off that it's ready for one of the toughest jobs there is. When something doesn't work, you'll figure out why. When something could be built better, you'll walk over to the engineering team and tell them, and they'll listen. If you notice a pinched gasket or a half-seated connector from across the room, keep a tidy bench, and get real satisfaction from a build that comes together exactly to the drawing, you'll fit right in. ## What You'll Do - Bring drones to life: electromechanical final assembly of avionics enclosures, propulsion, payload, and airframe subsystems, working from work instructions, drawings, and BOMs - Get every fastener right: correct hardware, torque spec, tightening sequence, and thread-locker where called out - Build assemblies that hold up in the field, seating gaskets, O-rings, and connector seals so the electronics inside stay protected - Build clean, reliable harnesses: strip, crimp, terminate, and dress JST, Molex Micro-Fit, JWPF, XT, and other connectors for power and signal - Solder splices, terminations, and repairs when the job calls for it - Put every unit through its paces: pre-power checks, safe power-up, continuity checks, sensor calibration, motor/ESC verification, comms link testing, and configuration on our test stations - Hunt down faults, mechanical or electrical, and figure out whether it's the part, the harness, or the setup - Inspect like it's headed to a fire, because it is: check your work against the drawing and catch defects before they ship - Document serial numbers, torque values, test results, and deviations so every aircraft is fully traceable - Be the voice of the production floor: flag unclear instructions and work with engineering on design-for-assembly and design-for-test improvements - Drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions so problems get fixed once, for good - Keep tools, fixtures, test equipment, and workstations organized, calibrated, ESD-safe, and FOD-free - Work safely with LiPo/Li-ion batteries and high-current systems, and help set the bar for safety on the floor ## What You Bring - 3+ years of hands-on electromechanical assembly, test, or repair. Aerospace, avionics, robotics, EV, medical device, contract manufacturing, and military backgrounds all translate well - Strong mechanical assembly skills: reading drawings, choosing the right hardware, working to torque specs, and fitting precision parts without forcing them - Experience with sealed or waterproof assemblies (gaskets, O-rings, connector seals) - Solid harness skills: stripping, crimping, terminating, and dressing across multiple connector types and gauges - Solid soldering fundamentals for terminations and splices - Comfort reading work instructions, BOMs, assembly drawings, wiring diagrams, and schematics - Fluency with torque drivers, multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, and hand tools - A solid grasp of electrical fundamentals and ESD-safe handling of electronics - Serious attention to detail, real discipline around quality and documentation, and the confidence to ask when something doesn't look right - The ability to work independently and juggle multiple builds and tests in a fast-moving environment Bonus Points - You build, fly, or fix drones, FPV quads, or robots, whether at work or in your garage - Experience with flight controllers, ESCs, motors, and telemetry/comms systems - Component-level PCB/PCBA troubleshooting and SMT rework - IPC/WHMA-A-620, IPC-A-610, and/or J-STD-001 certification (or working toward it) - Comfort running scripts on a Linux command line (no programming required) - Know-how with LiPo/Li-ion battery systems and safe handling - Background in aerospace, defense, public safety, or another mission-critical industry - Exposure to ERP/MES systems for build documentation and traceability - Familiarity with firefighting, emergency response, or public-safety equipment ## Why You'll Love It Here - Your work matters, visibly. The aircraft you build go out to protect homes, forests, and the firefighters on the line - You're not a cog. Your ideas change how we build - Engineering is steps away, not a ticket queue, so you'll help shape what we build next - Backed by top-tier investors and led by a founder who has built a company and taken it public ## What We Offer - Competitive Salary – Reflective of your skills and experience - Equity Compensation – Be a part-owner in the company's future - Comprehensive Health Coverage – Medical, dental, and vision plans - Health Savings Account (HSA) – Optional pre-tax savings for medical expenses - Unlimited PTO – Flexible time off to recharge, plus paid company holidays Physical Requirements (with or without reasonable accommodation) - Ability to sit or stand for extended periods at a workbench - Manual dexterity sufficient for fine assembly work, including fastening, crimping, and small connector mating - Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 50 lbs when handling drone units and equipment - Visual acuity sufficient for detailed inspection work, with corrective lenses if needed ## About Us Seneca is building cutting-edge drone and sensor technology for wildfire suppression, aiming to eliminate wildfire risk across 500 million acres of high-risk U.S. + allied territory. Backed by top-tier investors, including Convective Capital, Caffeinated Capital, First Round Capital, Slow Ventures, Nextview Ventures, Transition Capital, Bullpen Capital, Stepstone Group, Roar Capital, Offline Ventures, and leaders from Palantir, Google, Meta, and many others. Founded by Stu Landesberg (former Founder & CEO of Grove Collaborative — IPO in 2022 at $1.7B) and fire industry experts, Seneca is a mission-driven company dedicated to climate resilience and fire prevention. Don’t meet every single requirement? If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification, we encourage you to apply — you may still be the right fit for our team. ## About Seneca ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Seneca builds autonomous aerial systems that detect and suppress wildfires rapidly, using AI, drones, and robotics to protect communities and ecosystems. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series unknown; raised $60M in venture capital) - **Headquarters**: Sausalito, California, USA - **Founded**: Founded in 2022 (as a corporate entity; founding team has prior experience with billions in capital raised and two IPOs) - **Founders**: Stuart Landesberg (CEO) ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Fire Technology / Resilience Technology, Autonomous Systems, Climate Tech / Wildfire Defense - **Target customers**: Fire departments (municipal, county, state), utilities (e.g., power companies), government agencies (federal, state, local), and allied nations. **B2B / Government / Public Sector** - **Mission or purpose statement**: To protect 500 million acres in the U.S. and allied nations by 2035. (“Amor Fati” — love of fate — is a core philosophy, as is the belief that technology is how we create a more resilient civilization.) ## Products & Services - **Autonomous Fire Suppression System**: A complete system of autonomous suppression drones, modular ground cases (for field deployment), and a software platform. Each quadcopter is hand-portable, battery-electric, carries >100 lbs of suppressant (water + Class-A foam concentrate), and pumps at >100 PSI. Drones use AI (computer vision, heat signature recognition) to navigate and knock down fires. The system is offered as a **System-as-a-Service (SaaS) annual subscription**, including hardware, software, maintenance, and support — not a hardware purchase. - **Software / Control Dashboard**: An iOS and web-based interface that allows a single operator to supervise multiple drone swarms simultaneously, coordinate with manned aircraft (via ADS-B transponders), and manage missions from launch to automatic return/refill. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not disclosed (raised $60M in venture capital) - **Key Metric**: **Total Funding: $60M** (the largest venture capital round in fire technology to date) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: - **Lead Investors**: Caffeinated Capital, Convective Capital - **Participating Investors**: First Round Capital, Transition VC, Advance Venture Partners, Nextview Ventures, Bullpen Capital, Stepstone Group, DCVC, Offline Ventures, Roar Capital, Slow Ventures - **Key Partners / Advisory Board**: San Bernardino County Fire (Chief Dan Munsey), Aspen Fire Department (Chief Rick Balentine, 25-year Chief), Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell (former U.S. Fire Administrator), John Mills (Founder/CEO of Watch Duty) - **Growth Signals**: - Secured a **five-year contract** with a public agency (details not fully public; announced in 2025). - Rollout to field during **2026 fire season**. - 34 employees and growing (as of mid-2025). - Strong partnership with major fire agencies across the American West. ## Competitive Advantages - **First-mover in autonomous fire suppression**: The only company building an end-to-end, fully autonomous aerial suppression system from launch to knockdown. - **Speed to initial attack**: Autonomous drones can suppress fires in **under 10 minutes** from dispatch, vs. 30+ minutes for manned aircraft. This is critical for preventing small ignitions from becoming megafires. - **System-of-systems approach**: Drones coordinate among themselves, with manned aircraft, and with a central dashboard. Modular, case-based design for easy field deployment. - **Deep public-sector partnerships**: Developed in collaboration with leading fire agencies, not in a vacuum. This gives them credibility, real-world testing, and a clear go-to-market path. - **Business model**: Annual SaaS subscription provides predictable revenue and ensures customers always have the latest technology. ## Strategic Focus - **Production scaling**: Use the $60M to improve capabilities, harden the overall system, and increase production. - **Field deployment (2026)**: Roll out first systems to save lives during the 2026 fire season. - **Mission expansion**: Grow from initial contracts in the American West to a national/allied-nation footprint, targeting 500 million acres protected by 2035. ## Why Work Here - **High-impact mission**: Opportunity to work on a problem that affects 115 million+ Americans and costs $1T+ per year. The company’s stated goal is to “build technology to protect the things we love.” - **Elite team**: Founding team has built multiple companies, raised billions, and taken two companies public. Backed by world-class investors. - **Fast-paced, high-resource environment**: Designed for exceptional people — “No useless meetings, hierarchy, or office politics.” The team is resourced to move quickly. - **Cross-disciplinary work**: Roles span deep learning (perception), controls, embedded software, iOS development, electrical engineering, UAV test engineering, hardware fabrication, and people operations. - **Office culture**: Based in Sausalito, CA (near San Francisco). **In-office culture** with hybrid flexibility in certain cases. The team is expected to be physically present for hardware/software integration and team collaboration. - **Recent job openings** (as of mid-2025): Senior Deep Learning Engineer, Senior Software Engineer (Controls), Software Engineer (Embedded & iOS), Electrical Engineer, UAV Test Engineer, Hardware Assembly & Fabrication Specialist, Recruitment + People Operations Specialist. ## Sources 1. [Seneca.com Careers](https://seneca.com/careers/) 2. [Seneca Jobs (Ashby)](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/seneca) 3. [PRNewswire - Seneca Launch / Funding](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/seneca-launches-with-60-million-to-equip-firefighters-utilities-and-communities-with-advanced-wildfire-defense-technology-302589441.html) 4. [Sacra - Seneca Company Profile](https://sacra.com/c/seneca/) 5. [Built In - Seneca Jobs](https://builtin.com/company/seneca-senecacom/jobs) ## Other roles at Seneca - [Business Operations Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/business-operations-lead-seneca-sausalito-qa35xsbgwj5a) — Sausalito, CA - [Operations & Marketing Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/operations-marketing-associate-seneca-sausalito-1gdbfw1hv8r9) — Sausalito, CA - [Software Leader](https://feeny.ai/job/software-leader-seneca-sausalito-q85e6k5w3zn8) — Sausalito, CA - [UAV Test Engineer (Systems/Mechatronics)](https://feeny.ai/job/uav-test-engineer-systems-mechatronics-seneca-sausalito-gnpa773d0e27) — Sausalito, CA - [UAS Flight Test Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/uas-flight-test-technician-seneca-sausalito-qydgya8r9gjq) — Sausalito, CA - [Senior Software Engineer (Controls)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-controls-seneca-sausalito-bcbr0v1paqge) — Sausalito, CA