Senior Cost Engineer

About Rivian

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. 

Role Summary

The Senior Cost Engineer will play a pivotal role in the Rivian Cost Engineering organization, as a part of our team of Cost Engineers, located remotely in Mexico. The role will be responsible for completion of cost models that accurately analyze the costs associated with components across Rivian vehicles, and will require up to 25% travel. Your expertise in cost estimation will be crucial in guiding our design and procurement, ensuring competitiveness in the market, and maintaining our commitment to providing high-quality products.

El/la ingeniero/a de costos sénior desempeñará un papel fundamental en la organización Cost Engineering de Rivian, como parte de nuestro equipo de Ingenieros de Costos, ubicado de forma remota en México. Esta persona tendrá la responsabilidad de realizar modelos de costos que analicen con precisión los costos asociados a los componentes de todos los vehículos Rivian, y requerirá hasta un 25% de desplazamientos. Su experiencia en la estimación de costos será fundamental para orientar nuestros diseños y adquisiciones, garantizando así la competitividad en el mercado y manteniendo nuestro compromiso de ofrecer productos de alta calidad.

Responsibilities

Cost Engineering:

• Provide guidance to the design requirements or design engineer for proposed new or modified designs to achieve required function at minimum or target cost.
• Develop should cost models and projections for multiple vehicle commodities specialized in mechanical content – High Pressure Die Casting, Forging, Machining, Stampings, Injection Molding.
• Utilize information ranging from written assumptions, sample parts, CAD models and engineering drawings.
• Gather details and compile data to estimate all production costs considering raw materials, labor, and tooling for estimations or should cost models.
• Interface with manufacturing plants and suppliers to ensure most economical tooling, processing and operations that will contribute to profitable production.
• Support Rivian Procurement in analysis and review of supplier cost breakdowns to drive cost reduction opportunities through negotiations with suppliers.
• Mentor Rivian Procurement team members based on manufacturing and process cost expertise.
• Perform teardown of complex automotive components to analyze parts and develop a Bill of Material (BoM) when detailed engineering CAD is not available. Create cost estimates using physical parts and in-depth process knowledge.
• Perform Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VAVE) activities to generate cost reduction ideas through identification of process and product efficiencies that will reduce overall costs. Work with all stakeholders to support cost reduction targets.
• Support competitive vehicle benchmarking to provide input for future model development and target costs. 

Project Management:

• Assume ownership of projects; plan milestones and identify potential risks to ensure timely delivery of cost models within agreed completion dates.
• Proactively manage task completion and regularly update cross-functional teams on project status, timing, resource allocation, challenges, and the likelihood of on-time, high-quality delivery.

Ingeniería de costos:

• Orientar a los responsables de los requisitos de diseño o a los ingenieros de diseño sobre diseños nuevos o modificados propuestos, a fin de lograr la función requerida a un costo mínimo u objetivo.
• Desarrollar modelos y proyecciones de costos (should-cost) para múltiples productos automovilísticos especializados en contenido mecánico: fundición a alta presión, forja, mecanizado, estampación y moldeo por inyección.
• Aprovechar información diversa: hipótesis escritas, piezas de muestra, modelos de CAD y planos de ingeniería.
• Recopilar detalles y reunir datos para estimar todos los costos de producción, tomando en cuenta las materias primas, la mano de obra y las herramientas a la hora de realizar estimaciones o modelos de costos (should-cost).
• Interactuar con las plantas de manufactura y los proveedores para garantizar que las herramientas, procesos y operaciones sean lo más económicos posible, a fin de contribuir a una producción rentable.
• Apoyar a Procurement de Rivian en el análisis y la revisión de los desgloses de costos de los proveedores para impulsar oportunidades de reducción de costos mediante negociaciones con los mismos.
• Mentorear a los miembros del equipo de Procurement de Rivian apoyándose en su experiencia en costos de manufactura y procesos.
• Realizar el desmontaje de componentes automovilísticos complejos para analizar las piezas y desarrollar una lista de materiales (BoM) cuando no se disponga de un CAD de ingeniería detallado. Crear estimaciones de costos utilizando piezas físicas y un profundo conocimiento del proceso.
• Realizar actividades de análisis de valor / ingeniería de valor (VAVE) para generar ideas de reducción de costos mediante la identificación de eficiencias de procesos y productos que reduzcan los costos globales. Trabajar con todas las partes interesadas para apoyar los objetivos de reducción de costos.
• Apoyar la evaluación comparativa competitiva de vehículos para proporcionar información de cara al futuro desarrollo de modelos y objetivos de costos. 

Gestión de proyectos:

• Asumir la responsabilidad de los proyectos; planear hitos e identificar riesgos potenciales para garantizar la entrega puntual de los modelos de costos dentro de las fechas de finalización acordadas.
• Gestionar de forma proactiva la finalización de tareas e informar periódicamente a equipos multifuncionales sobre el estado del proyecto, los plazos, la dotación de recursos, los desafíos y la probabilidad de una entrega a tiempo y de alta calidad.

Qualifications

Required:

• Candidates must be permanently based in Mexico and possess valid Mexican work authorization at the time of application.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, Business Administration, or Finance.
• Minimum of 3 years of automotive or manufacturing related experience at an OEM or Tier 1 Manufacturer.
• Proficiency in navigating CAD models in CATIA or similar software.
• Ability to interpret and understand design and manufacturing drawings.
• Practical knowledge of Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VAVE) techniques and a strong understanding of financial principles.
• Capability to independently create a Bill of Materials (BoM) for a given commodity or design and allocate costs.
• Entrepreneurial, ambitious, independent, detail-oriented, structured thinker, goal-oriented, flexible, and resilient—exhibiting the qualities of a start-up personality.
• Collaborative team member, ensuring effective communication among colleagues, and providing regular contributions to meetings and briefings.
• Proficiency in strategic thinking and possessing detail-oriented work habits.

Desired:

• Master’s degree (or higher) in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Engineering Management or similar.
• Solid knowledge of vehicle parts and subsystems and knowledge of part interaction.
• Proficiency in CATIA, or similar CAD based design programs.
• Proficiency in aPriori or similar digital cost modeling tools

Obligatorias:

• Licenciatura en Ingeniería Mecánica, Ingeniería de Manufactura, Ingeniería Industrial, Cadena de Suministro, Administración de Empresas o Finanzas.
• Un mínimo de 3 años de experiencia relacionada con la automoción o la manufactura en un fabricante de equipo original (OEM) o fabricante de nivel 1.
• Dominio en el manejo de modelos CAD en CATIA o software similar.
• Capacidad para interpretar y comprender planos de diseño y manufactura.
• Conocimiento práctico de las técnicas de análisis de valor / ingeniería de valor (VAVE) y una sólida comprensión de los principios financieros.
• Capacidad para crear de forma independiente una lista de materiales (BoM) para un producto o diseño determinado y asignar costos.
• Persona con espíritu emprendedor, ambiciosa, independiente, meticulosa, con pensamiento estructurado, orientada a objetivos, flexible y resiliente; las cualidades propias de un perfil emprendedor.
• Miembro colaborador del equipo, que garantiza una comunicación eficaz entre sus colegas y contribuye regularmente a las reuniones y sesiones informativas.
• Competencia en pensamiento estratégico y hábitos de trabajo orientados al detalle.

Deseadas:

• Maestría (o superior) en Ingeniería Mecánica, Ingeniería Industrial, Ingeniería de Manufactura, Gestión de Ingeniería o similar.
• Sólidos conocimientos de piezas y subsistemas de vehículos y conocimientos sobre la interacción entre piezas.
• Dominio de CATIA o programas de diseño similares basados en CAD.
• Dominio de aPriori o herramientas similares de modelización digital de costos.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is 592,100 MXN - 740,138 MXN annually. 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.

You can apply for this role through careers.rivian.com (or through internal-careers-rivian.icims.com if you are a current employee). There is no fixed deadline for this application; applications are accepted on an ongoing basis until the role is filled or the opening is no longer needed.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including major & minor medical, life insurance, and food vouchers to eligible employees. 

Divulgación salarial:
La banda salarial para este puesto oscila entre los 592,100 MXN - 740,138 MXN anuales. Esta es la banda salarial, de menor a mayor, que, de buena fe, consideramos que pagaríamos por este puesto en el momento de la publicación de esta oferta. La posición de un/a empleado/a dentro de la banda salarial se determinará atendiendo a varios factores, entre otros: competencias específicas, capacitación pertinente, calificaciones, certificaciones, experiencia, habilidades, ubicación geográfica, turno y necesidades de la organización.
El/la postulante que elijamos podrá optar a una bonificación anual por desempeño y a compensación accionaria.
Puede aplicar a este puesto a través de careers.rivian.com (o a través de internal-careers-rivian.icims.com si ya es empleado/a). No hay una fecha límite fija para aplicar; se aceptan solicitudes de manera continua hasta que se cubra el puesto o la vacante ya no sea necesaria.

Ofrecemos un paquete completo de beneficios que incluye cobertura médica para enfermedades graves y leves, seguro de vida y vales de comida a los empleados que cumplan los requisitos.

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 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.

AI does not make hiring decisions: Qualified candidate applications are reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate.

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.

Interview Integrity & AI Policy 

Our interview process is designed to evaluate your personal technical foundation, real-time problem-solving logic, and structured capabilities. Therefore, the use of assistive generative AI tools to formulate or deliver your solutions during live interview sessions is not permitted. We care most about how you think — how you make sense of unclear requirements, weigh trade-offs, and explain why you chose one approach over another. We value your unique human perspective, your authenticity, and the journey it takes to reach a solution.

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