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 Preproduction, Staff Engineer, will be a cross-functional role that ties together Product Development, Engineering and Operations organizations to bring new vehicles to life. 

In this role, you will partner with Design, Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Production Control, Manufacturing & Process Engineering team from validation of design intent to the start of production ensuring that all branches of quality functions are ready to deliver high-quality vehicles to our customers.

You will be responsible for the generation of a strategic plans to improve the business quality processes, help creating the company's quality standards and testing systems to reflect efficiency, reliability, and performance on a vehicle platform level. 

In addition, the creation of documentation that reports concerns related to the launch and proposals to close those items.

• Ensure readiness for execution of development builds, as well as successful factory product launches for different vehicle platforms.
• Participate in and lead, various cross-functional Program and Manufacturing Readiness forums. Provide clear updates on status and recovery plans as necessary at both working and executive level by being able to interact, integrate, and drive results across teams in design, manufacturing engineering, supply chain, manufacturing quality, production operations, production control, service, etc.
• Able to provide project status, summary, and issue resolution tracking reports.
• Facilitate ramp management with operations teams, identify all needed activities and coordinate the execution and risk mitigation of those activities according to New Model Operational Plans.
• Help the operations readiness workstream, ensuring they meet target objectives and escalate/develop recovery plans as needed. 
• Improve product/process quality by defining/implementing recommendations for change.
• Help set detailed guidelines on Quality standards and Builds KPIs.
• Identify the root of technical issues, recommend and implement fixes.
• Must dominate and become a point of reference to engineering in at least 2 vehicle commodities and be the leader of at least 1 specific quality validation activity (RQA/Water Test/Quality Gates) and its process development.
• Must dictate the criticality of an issue, flag other potential failure modes, and lead the cross functional team root cause validation.
• Must validate the containment action implementation with the part owner, be accountable on the corrective action definition and timing implementation to ensure an efficient validation.
• Must lead any required escalation based on the support needed, confirm accountability on other cross functional team leaders, encouraging other teams assigning them as responsible for specific next steps.
• Must be able to develop and present clearly and efficiently at any launch phase to any audience the pre-production quality status highlighting the wins, risk assessments, and support needed in any readiness or “Ok to proceed” meetings.
• Must be able to have an informal conversation with any member of the leadership about the status of their own activities or the pre-production quality status pre, during and post any launch with discretion and politeness.
• Must be able to raise an agreement and close the loop after any activity that requires several cross-functional inputs or updates in process documents such as JEs, DFMEA, PFMEA, and report the results.

•  Bachelor’s degree, Engineering, Business, or similar field/equivalent experience.
• 6+ years of quality experience in production or engineering environment. 
• 4+ years’ experience launching products from prototype into series production
• Production Operations Knowledge - Has a firm understanding of how complex production lines operate including production control, material handling, supply chain, quality, and production team.
• Understanding of how the manufacturing validation process runs in relation to complex new products that stretch across various engineer teams and manufacturing centers/factories (methodology, validation plans, associated KPIs).
• Experienced/High proficiency in AIAG Core Tools and significant CQI publications and standards.
• Demonstrated project management skills.
• Hands-on experience with Quality Management Systems (QMS) and testing methodologies.
• In-depth understanding of technical documentation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills (8D or similar method problem solving experience)
• Proficient in MS Office/google, Minitab, email, etc.
• Must be able to travel at least 20%, travel may increase in time
• Must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Preferred Qualifications

• 6+ years of manufacturing quality experience in both production and engineering environment is highly preferred.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Team player - ability to work in a fast-paced, highly ambiguous, multi-cultural environment with cross-functional teams.

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 [email protected].

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.