Staff Vehicle Test 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. 

As a Staff Vehicle Test Engineer , you will perform full vehicle and sub-system development and validation testing, both on-site at Rivian’s Arizona Proving Grounds, and at other remote sites worldwide. The team supports multiple focused development, support and validation testing areas; including Dynamics, Benchmarking, Powertrain, NVH, Body Controls, Chassis Durability, Homologation and others from the beginning of a program through production launch.

• Plan, track, lead, and report on results from field tests across multiple vehicle line programs; in local and remote locations in support of the vehicle Design Validation Plan (DVP)
• Perform as a Subject Matter Expert on the Test Team in one or more technical focus areas: AI, Durability, Quality, Thermal, Dynamics, Energy Storage, Soiling / Sealing, Efficiency, NVH, etc.
• Develop high level timing plans, budget for vehicle resources, staff and logistics to maximize the efficiency of test operations.
• Coordinate quotations and purchase orders with external vendors and internal accounting.
• Create test documentation including test instructions, specifications, drawings, inspection intervals and verification plans.
• Prepare and update test vehicles (hardware, software) and document condition and performance pre / during / post test for multiple attributes.
• Execution and documentation of full vehicle, sub-systems and component level testing within the DVP&R.
• Drive vehicles at Proving Grounds and other off-sites locations including public drive routes, under varied conditions such as cold/hot weather, off-road, remote urban, overseas, etc.
• Perform subjective and objective evaluations to identify system failure modes and potential attribute target risks.
• Lead initial root cause analysis for failures and issues, including hardware failure and software bug tracking; document and track using JIRA.
• Lead regular and on-demand high priority meetings with stakeholders in Software, Vehicle Design, Quality, Attributes and other teams to ensure validity of test results, recommended modifications or countermeasures, and rapid issue resolution.

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related science from an accredited university with 5+ years of applicable experience in the automotive or a related industry.
• Master’s degree or higher in a related field with 7+ years of applicable experience in the automotive or a related industry preferred.
• Thorough understanding of primary vehicle systems, with experience running and maintaining a variety of vehicle level and component level tests
• Team first mentality
• Innate curiosity about all things automotive
• Ability to work autonomously
• Proven experience conducting tests at both proving grounds and remote public road test sites with the ability to develop and implement fleet vehicle level validation protocols and procedures
• Familiarity with work management systems similar to JIRA, JAMA, or Confluence for test planning, coordination, execution and issue tracking
• Experience with software related to CAD, vehicle level instrumentation, calibration, data logging and data acquisition systems

The salary range for this role is $125,000 - $156,200 for Irvine, 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 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. 

You can apply for this role through careers.rivian.com (or through internal-careers-rivian.icims.com if you are a current employee). 

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.