Sr. Audio Software Quality Assurance Engineer

Rivian is on a mission to keep the world adventurous forever. This goes for the emissions-free Electric Adventure Vehicles we build, and the curious, courageous souls we seek to attract. 

As a company, we constantly challenge what’s possible, never simply accepting what has always been done. We reframe old problems, seek new solutions and operate comfortably in areas that are unknown. Our backgrounds are diverse, but our team shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it for future generations. 

The Audio Group at Rivian is responsible for in-vehicle acoustics, media and infotainment playback, Chimes, voice UI, and custom audio hardware. We have a deep passion for sound quality and technical excellence. Rivian is seeking an Audio Software QA Engineer to design, build, and maintain our automated software test framework.

In this role, you will take full ownership of software-based audio validation, ensuring that our Audio Weaver DSP signal chains, Linux/Android audio HALs, chime systems, and media routing perform flawlessly across software releases. You will bridge the gap between software development, DSP engineering, and vehicle release management, acting as the ultimate gatekeeper for Rivian’s audio software quality.

Test Automation Framework Development:

• Design, build, and maintain scalable automated test frameworks (using Python, C/C++, or Robot Framework) for vehicle audio software regression testing.
• Integrate automated audio test scripts into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab) for automated build verification and regression testing.
• Develop automated audio signal analysis tools (e.g., automated THD, SNR, frequency response, and latency measurements using Audio Precision or SoundCheck APIs).
• Execute functional, regression, integration, smoke, and exploratory testing
• Design, author, maintain, and structure detailed test cases, test scenarios, and run lists within TestRail 

Infotainment & Audio Software Validation:

• Validate end-to-end audio software stacks across Android Automotive, Linux, and RTOS environments, including
• Audio HAL, Audio Weaver DSP binaries, and media routing.
• Perform functional and regression testing for critical vehicle audio features, including chime prioritization, voice assistant capture (Alexa/Rivian Voice UI), telephony, and media playback.
• Collaborate with the System Software team to debug audio driver, HAL, and platform bring-up issues on hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test rigs.

Bug Triage, Root-Cause Analysis, & Reporting:

• Analyze automated test execution reports, triage failures, and isolate root causes between software algorithms, OS audio routing, and physical hardware.
• Provide detailed bug reports with captured audio traces, logs, and reproduction steps; work directly with DSP and Software Engineers to resolve issues.
• Define and execute software release criteria for audio software packages prior to vehicle Over-The-Air (OTA) updates.

Cross-Functional Quality Collaboration:

• Partner with the Audio Systems Test Integration Engineer to execute software test suites on physical lab benches and rigs.
• Work alongside DSP and Hardware Engineers during new feature bring-up to establish test strategies and acceptance criteria early in the software development lifecycle.
• Familiarity with product life cycles in a fast-paced automotive environment 

• Experience: a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Audio Engineering, or related discipline and 3+ years of professional experience in software QA, audio test automation, or embedded software validation.
• Programming & Scripting: High proficiency in Python and C/C++; familiarity with MATLAB or bash scripting.
• OS & Platform Depth: Demonstrated experience testing audio on Linux, Android (Android Audio HAL / ALSA), or QNX/RTOS platforms.
• Audio Tooling: Experience with Audio Weaver, Audio Precision (APx API), SoundCheck, or similar acoustic analysis software.
• Education: Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Audio Engineering, or a related field.
• Nice to Have: Critical listening skills; experience with CI/CD automation tools; knowledge of automotive communication protocols (CAN, A2B, Ethernet). 

The salary range for this role is $117,000-$146,000 for Palo Alto, CA-based applicants. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors, including but not limited to specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, shift, and organizational needs. The successful candidate may be eligible for an annual performance bonus and equity awards.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits for full-time and part-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26, including but not limited to paid vacation, paid sick leave, and a competitive portfolio of insurance benefits, including life, medical, dental, vision, short-term disability insurance, and long-term disability insurance to eligible employees. You may also have the opportunity to participate in Rivian’s 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program if you meet certain eligibility requirements. Full-time employee coverage is effective on their first day of employment. Part-time employee coverage is effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment. More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com.

Equal Opportunity

Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Rivian is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at candidateaccommodations@rivian.com.

Candidate Data Privacy and Technology

Rivian may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law. 

Rivian may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian affiliates; and (iii) Rivian’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services. 

Rivian may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.  

How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process: To ensure transparency, we want candidates to know that Rivian uses iCIMS Talent Cloud Artificial Intelligence (TCAI) and AI-enabled tools to assist with screening, reviewing, organizing and highlighting profiles and applications that match the key requirements for each role.

Participation in AI profile matching is entirely voluntary. If you prefer that your profile not be used in this process, you can opt out at any time. Opting out means your profile will be excluded from automated matching and will not be surfaced for additional roles through this system. Your current application remains active and will not be affected in any way.

Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.