Full-Time
Staff Technical Program Manager
Rivian
10,001+ employees
Designs and sells electric adventure vehicles direct-to-consumer
Compensation Overview
$154k - $209.3k/yr
Company Historically Provides H1B Sponsorship
Palo Alto, CA, USA + 2 more
More locations: Irvine, CA, USA | Vancouver, BC, Canada
In Person
 Business & Strategy (1) |
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- Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
- 8+ years of progressive Technical or Engineering Program Management experience, with a strong track record in software delivery for complex, integrated software-hardware products.
- Experience with Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and Systems Engineering principles.
- Deep understanding of software development lifecycles, architectures for embedded (Linux/Android) and cloud-based systems, and modern communication protocols.
- Expertise in Agile development processes and program management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence).
- Excellent critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills, with a proven ability to lead and influence cross-functional engineering teams.
- Understanding of hardware/software bring-up of distributed systems, managing project dependencies, and negotiating parallel activities to optimize project execution.
- Proven track record with software development project planning, progress tracking, and risk management.
- Niche Qualifications: Previous experience as a software or hardware product development engineer.
- Niche Qualifications: Experience with over-the-air (OTA) software update strategies and deployment for connected devices or systems.
- Niche Qualifications: Experience in the automotive industry.
- Drive the execution of full-stack software programs, creating and maintaining technical schedules, priorities, and roadmaps.
- Lead planning and end-to-end integration of ECU HW and SW on various different test assets, ensuring testing aligns with program milestones and quality standards.
- Drive continuous improvements in integration workflows, SW feature maturation process and test processes by implementing best practices to optimize efficiency and quality of deliverables
- Collaborate with engineering and product leaders to ensure technical designs are properly evaluated for feasibility, scalability, and quality.
- Lead teams using Agile methodologies, facilitating sprint planning, managing dependencies, and rigorously prioritizing work to remove obstacles.
- Serve as the primary technical point of contact, expertly managing stakeholder expectations and communicating program status, risks, and trade-offs.
- Sponsor and refine software development best practices, including continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), to increase development velocity.
- Proactively identify potential risks to software delivery timelines or quality, implement mitigation strategies, and escalate concerns as needed.
- Mentor and provide technical guidance to other Technical Program Managers.
Rivian makes electric vehicles with a focus on outdoor adventure. Its lineup includes the R1T electric pickup and the R1S electric SUV, designed for both on‑road driving and off‑road exploration. The vehicles run on electric propulsion with battery packs and motors, and Rivian supports customers through direct-to-consumer sales and a suite of ownership services, plus gear and accessories tailored for their vehicles. Unlike traditional automakers that rely on dealerships, Rivian sells online and in showrooms, building a direct relationship with buyers and offering updates and new features via software. Its products emphasize sustainability, performance, and the ability to explore nature with lower environmental impact, aided by a growing ecosystem of services and gear. Rivian’s goal is to help people explore the world responsibly by providing durable, high‑performance electric adventure vehicles and a cohesive ownership experience that includes software updates, services, and gear.
Company Size
10,001+
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Irvine, California
Founded
2009
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- R2 mass-market launch under $50,000 expands addressable market beyond premium segment.
- Software and services grew 49% YoY, creating high-margin recurring revenue streams.
- Georgia plant 300,000 capacity expansion with $4.5B DOE loan supports 50,000 Uber robotaxis.
What critics are saying
- Amazon represents 52% Q1 revenue; open market sales only 5,000-6,000 quarterly vehicles.
- Autonomous systems drain battery range 30-50%, undermining adventure vehicle and robotaxi economics.
- R2 production ramp misses 62,000-67,000 guidance as Georgia plant construction begins 2026.
What makes Rivian unique
- RAP1 custom chip delivers 8x performance with only 50% power increase versus competitors.
- Volkswagen partnership deploys Rivian software across VW, Scout, and Audi brands globally.
- Adventure-focused positioning with nine terrain modes differentiates from traditional EV competitors.
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Benefits
Ownership for All: We offer every employee the opportunity to own Rivian stock through equity programs, supporting their financial wellness.
Mental and Emotional Wellness: We provide employees and their families access to mental wellness platforms and our Employees Assistance Program
Fertility and Family Planning: We support diverse family-building journeys, providing employees with benefits such as paid parental leave and financial support for adoption, fertility treatments or surrogacy.
Competitive Compensation: We offer competitive compensation packages driven by mutual investment in our long-term growth and success.
Career Development: We enable all employees to own their development. Continuous learning opportunities and tuition reimbursement help drive performance, boost engagement and develop future leaders.
Transgender Benefits: In alignment with WPATH guidelines, our 2022 plans provide coverage toward medical, pharmacy and cosmetic needs.
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 0%1 year growth
↑ 0%2 year growth
↓ -1%Autonomous driving systems drain electric vehicle battery range. * 03/05/2026 The rapid advancement of autonomous driving technology is presenting a significant challenge for the electric vehicle industry: high energy consumption. While EVs are already sensitive to temperature and speed, the massive computing power required for self-driving systems can drastically reduce vehicle range. Recent studies suggest that a global fleet of autonomous cars could eventually rival the energy consumption of worldwide data centers. Consequently, automakers like Lucid and Rivian are now prioritizing computational efficiency to prevent AI from draining batteries prematurely. Beyond climate control and high-speed driving, the latest drain on electric vehicle batteries comes from the sophisticated hardware required for autonomy. Modern self-driving systems rely on an extensive suite of sensors, including up to 14 cameras, Lidar, radar, and ultrasonic sensors. Processing this information in real-time requires immense memory and computing power, which directly impacts the number of kilometers a vehicle can travel on a single charge. The stakes are particularly high for the burgeoning robotaxi market. Industry leaders like Uber are investing billions into partnerships with Lucid and Rivian, aiming to deploy millions of autonomous vehicles by 2035. For these commercial fleets, which are expected to operate up to 23 hours a day, every kilowatt-hour spent on data processing is a kilowatt-hour not used for earning fares. A 2023 MIT study highlighted the potential scale of this issue, noting that if one billion autonomous vehicles were on the road, their combined energy footprint could match that of all global data centers. The physical impact of this technology is already visible in current testing. For instance, an autonomous version of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 saw its driving range drop from approximately 488 kilometers to just 270 kilometers - a 46 percent decrease attributed largely to the power-hungry sensor and computer arrays. Early prototypes often consumed between 1.5 and 3 kilowatts just to perceive their surroundings. If a taxi with a 60-kWh battery pack ran these systems for a 20-hour shift, it would consume two-thirds of its energy capacity without the vehicle even moving. To combat this, manufacturers are shifting their focus toward custom hardware. Rivian has developed its own "RAP1" system-on-a-chip, which reportedly offers eight times the performance of previous processors while only increasing power consumption by 50 percent. Meanwhile, Lucid is aiming for a "radical efficiency" goal of 500 watts for self-driving systems, down from the current industry average of roughly 1 kilowatt. By streamlining sensor counts and improving software algorithms, engineers hope to ensure that the electronic brains of future cars do not become their primary energy liability. The transition to more efficient hardware is also seeing progress in sensor technology. Lidar units, once notorious for their high energy draw and aerodynamic drag, have been miniaturized and optimized. Modern solid-state Lidar can now operate on just tens of watts. As the industry moves toward 2030, the goal is to balance the massive data requirements of "Large Driving Models" with the limited energy reserves of mobile battery packs, ensuring that the promise of autonomous mobility does not come at the cost of practical driving range.
Rivian and Redwood Materials have partnered to deploy battery energy storage at Rivian's Normal, Illinois manufacturing facility. The system will use over 100 second-life Rivian battery packs to provide 10 megawatt-hours of dispatchable energy, reducing costs and grid load during peak demand periods. Rivian will supply EV battery packs to Redwood, which will integrate them into a Redwood Energy system using the company's Pack Manager technology. The stored energy will be used on-site at Rivian's plant, offering significant cost benefits and faster deployment than traditional infrastructure. The partnership addresses growing US energy storage needs, with estimates suggesting over 600GWh of storage capacity required by 2030. By repurposing EV batteries before recycling, the companies aim to extend battery life, decrease reliance on imported energy storage and defer costly infrastructure upgrades.
Rivian and Redwood Materials announce energy storage partnership for manufacturing. Largest repurposed battery energy storage system for a U.S. automotive manufacturer to cut energy costs, support grid reliability. NORMAL, Ill. / Apr 14, 2026 / Business Wire / American automotive and technology company Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) and critical materials and energy technology company Redwood Materials today announced a partnership to deploy pioneering battery energy storage at Rivian's Normal, Illinois manufacturing facility. Using more than 100 second-life Rivian battery packs, Redwood and Rivian's solution will initially provide 10 megawatt-hours (MWh) of dispatchable energy to reduce cost and grid load during peak demand periods - saving on cost and supporting grid security and reliability. Rivian will provide EV battery packs to Redwood, who will integrate them into a Redwood Energy system, supported by the company's Redwood Pack Manager technology, allowing their stored energy to be used on-site by Rivian's plant in Normal. This system is rapidly scalable and offers significant cost benefits by using safe and proven EV batteries. This approach enables faster, more flexible deployment of energy capacity directly at high-demand sites like manufacturing facilities. To capture and balance the growth in peak electricity demand expected, the U.S. must deploy massive amounts of energy storage. By 2030, estimates are that over 600GWh of storage is needed to meet growing demand, stabilize peaks, and power the technology innovation of the 21st century. This represents a virtual reservoir equivalent to the total energy output of the Hoover Dam running for two months straight. "EVs represent a massive, distributed and highly competitive energy resource," said Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe. "As energy needs grow, our grid needs to be flexible, secure, and affordable. Our partnership with Redwood enables us to utilize our vehicle's batteries beyond the life of a vehicle and contribute to grid health and American competitiveness." "Electricity demand is accelerating faster than the grid can expand, posing a constraint on industrial growth," said JB Straubel, Redwood Materials Founder and CEO. "At the same time, the massive amount of domestic battery assets already in the U.S. market represents a strategic energy resource. Our partnership with Rivian shows how EV battery packs can be turned into dispatchable energy resources, bringing new capacity online quickly, supporting critical manufacturing, and reducing strain on the grid without waiting years for new infrastructure. This is a scalable model for how we add meaningful energy capacity in the near term." EV batteries are often the longest-lived part of the vehicle itself, designed to last many hundreds of thousands of miles and, in many cases, to remain healthy even when the vehicle is retired, they are extremely valuable as stationary energy storage devices. Stationary energy storage technologies play a key role in reducing cost and increasing stability both for the customer and the grid at large. For example, during periods of peak demand like heat waves, Rivian can instantly deploy energy stored in its second-life batteries to offset increased strain on the grid, avoiding having to purchase more expensive electricity while also avoiding additional load on the power system. Redwood's deep expertise in battery systems and power integration positions the company to capture a massive domestic supply of energy storage that is already accumulating. By transitioning these packs into stationary assets before recycling them, Green Stock News LLC can extend their useful life, decrease reliance on imported energy storage, and defer billions of dollars in costly infrastructure upgrades. About Rivian Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) is an American automotive technology company that develops and manufactures category-defining electric vehicles as well as vertically integrated technologies and services. Through innovation across its electrical architecture, end-to-end software, autonomous driving platform, artificial intelligence and propulsion, the company creates vehicles that excel at work and play while accelerating the global transition to zero-emission transportation and energy. Rivian vehicles are manufactured in the United States and are sold directly to consumer and commercial customers. Whether taking families on new adventures or electrifying fleets at scale, Rivian vehicles all share a common goal - preserving the natural world for generations to come. About Redwood Materials Redwood Materials is building the U.S. stockpile of critical materials and deploying large-scale energy storage. Founded by JB Straubel, the company produces lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, and cathode active material at scale in the U.S., manufactures key components for advanced batteries, and deploys energy storage systems that power data centers and the nation's grid. Redwood is expanding domestic capacity for next-generation energy storage and strengthening U.S. energy dominance. Plug into more green stock news. Tap into the pulse of emerging green sectors every morning. Top daily headlines from clean energy, cleantech, cannabis, and sustainable transport stocks:
Rivian, an electric vehicle manufacturer adopting a strategy similar to Tesla's, is emerging as a potential competitor in the EV market. Like Tesla, Rivian operates as a vertically integrated company selling vehicles directly to customers, a model that incurs high upfront costs but could yield stronger margins through economies of scale. The company's financial performance is improving, with revenue rising 8% year-over-year to $5.4 billion last year, driven by software and services sales. Rivian expects deliveries to increase 53% in 2026, reaching between 62,000 and 67,000 vehicles, as it launches the R2 model in the second quarter. Rivian has secured significant partnerships, including a commitment from Amazon to purchase 100,000 delivery vans by 2030 and an agreement with Uber Technologies for up to 40,000 autonomous R2 vehicles by 2030.
Rivian Automotive is trading at $15.14, showing mixed performance with a 28.6% gain over one year but a 23.9% loss over three months and 21.9% decline year to date. The share price sits significantly below both analyst valuations and discounted cash flow models. The most popular narrative values Rivian at $25.41, suggesting 40.4% upside, based on assumptions about its multi-model lineup including Gen2 R1T and R1S, plus upcoming R2, R3 and R3X vehicles. Meanwhile, Simply Wall St's DCF model points to a fair value of $41.41, implying 63% undervaluation. The divergence between market price and valuation models raises questions about whether Rivian represents a genuine entry point or whether the market is already pricing in execution risks and the company's $3,646 million net loss.