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.

This is a senior, high-impact individual contributor role for a deeply technical leader, acting as the primary engineering-level bridge between our field service operations and our core Engineering, Diagnostics, and Design teams.

This position was created to establish a robust, high-fidelity technical feedback loop from the field, ensuring that complex service issues are not just logged, but are synthesized, translated, and driven back into the core engineering development cycle. You will also be responsible for architecting the high-level technical knowledge framework to scale the expertise of our service-facing teams.

This role is distinct from Service Engineering (which focuses on diagnostic tools, technical service procedures, and tooling), Firmware Engineering (which builds the product), and our Lab Teams (which develop procedures and test new methods). Your responsibility is the synthesis of intelligence and the codification of knowledge, acting as the senior technical authority that connects these functions. The ideal candidate is an engineering leader who can operate with the credibility of a Senior Engineering Manager and the hands-on expertise of a systems architect.

• Architect and Own the Technical Synthesis Loop: Design and operate the process for intaking complex, ambiguous, and high-impact field issues. Use your deep engineering expertise to diagnose systemic patterns, translate them into precise engineering-level problem statements, and present synthesized findings and recommendations directly to Firmware and Vehicle Engineering leadership.
• Develop and Scale the Engineering Knowledge Framework: Lead the creation of a sophisticated, scalable internal knowledgebase. This is not a simple "wiki" role; you will define the architecture for how we codify the engineering principles and deep system behaviors behind complex issues, turning core engineering knowledge into reusable, teachable content that provides high-level context for technicians.
• Act as the Field's "Chief Engineer": Serve as the primary partner for core engineering by ingesting and synthesizing complex technician feedback. You will translate systemic field issues into engineering-level challenges and collaborate with engineering teams to architect long-term, scalable solutions.
• Identify and Translate Systemic Failure Patterns: Go beyond individual repair cases to identify broader patterns in field data. You will analyze diagnostic data, technician feedback, and vehicle logs to find the "signal in the noise," flagging emerging issues and influencing future design-for-serviceability (DFS) requirements based on this synthesized evidence.
• Drive Engineering-Level Backlog Influence: Partner with Program Managers and engineering leaders to ensure the most critical field-discovered issues are accurately represented and prioritized in engineering backlogs. Your technical validation and synthesis will be the primary source of justification for this prioritization.

• Minimum 10 years of progressive, hands-on experience in a senior or principal-level role within vehicle engineering, firmware/software systems, vehicle diagnostics, or highly technical service engineering.
• A background as a senior engineering manager, principal engineer, or systems architect is strongly preferred.
• Expert-level, hands-on mastery of complex integrated systems (e.g., vehicle systems, avionics, robotics) and a deep understanding of firmware architecture, software, and vehicle-level diagnostics.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex, disparate technical information (logs, field reports, data) into clear, concise, and actionable engineering problem statements.
• Proven experience in architecting, building, or scaling a technical documentation framework or engineering-level knowledgebase.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, with the proven ability to command respect and drive consensus with senior engineering leaders (Directors, VPs) and field technicians alike.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field is required; a Master’s or PhD is highly preferred.

This is who you are:

• A Technical Synthesizer: You find the signal in the noise. You are uniquely skilled at taking a large volume of complex, raw technical data and distilling it into a core principle or root cause.
• A Systems Thinker: You instinctively understand the connections between a firmware change, a diagnostic procedure, a technician's action, and a vehicle's behavior. You see the entire ecosystem.
• A Credible Engineering Leader: You do not derive influence from a title, but from your deep technical knowledge and credibility. Engineers and technicians trust your analysis. You can build bridges and deliver critical feedback in a way that inspires collaboration and action.

The salary range for this role is $201,300 -$313,425 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 salary range for this role is $218,800 -$340,675 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 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). This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than March 2026

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

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.

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