Senior Engineer - Special Projects

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 role is with the Special Projects Team based in Irvine, CA. Our department is responsible for component, system and full-vehicle prototypes and marketing/show vehicle builds at Rivian. This includes the ability to take almost anything from a sketch or rough concept and turn it into a physical product as quickly as possible. Our group features engineers, program managers, fabricators, technicians, and others focused on efficient design and high-quality, short-duration builds. We support production development and manufacturing through our prototype development but are not release responsible for production parts. We also support an assortment of non-production related vehicle activities such as Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Van, Grey’s Anatomy TV Show Ambulance, Also Mobile Service Van, and various first responder vehicles.

Our engineers need to understand production intent design and manufacturing processes but also the design requirements and limitations of quick build fabrication and one-off prototype processes. This can often mean simplifying a design so it can be bent, welded and created by hand or from a simple tool or fixture. It also means working very closely with the fabrication part of our team to understand what is possible and adapting the design to something built from off-the-shelf parts and supplies. You will work on parts across every vehicle system and could start with a blank page or a complete production design. In all cases, it will be your responsibility to make sure we deliver amazing prototypes. We focus on building fast, learning lessons, quickly iterating on the design and making updates. Our projects range from several hours where we will have a request in the morning and a physical part to test by the end of the day to mules that take months to complete. You will get to experience a variety of projects, will be expected to showcase our capability to the rest of the company and will work hard to make cool things happen.

A collaborative attitude and ability to work tirelessly on a design only to toss it out and start over as requirements change is key.

This role is in Irvine, CA and will require some travel to our other office locations including Plymouth, MI and Normal, IL.

• Design components for vehicles including show cars, marketing vehicles and other non-production assets
• Own subsystems to include plans, concepts, detailed design and execution
• Manage schedules, BOM’s, CAD assemblies, and tasks for yourself and others
• Support builds from design through release, fabrication, assembly and in field usage
• Engineer components that pull ahead production design to support early build timelines while demonstrating production concepts
• Utilize Catia to design structures, parts, brackets and other components including generating 2d drawings
• Determine when and where to select off-the-shelf content based on timeline, maturity and vehicle function
• Interface with production engineers, purchasers, and suppliers to deliver products on time to a higher than expected level

• An understanding of vehicle systems
• Desire to be hands on for component/vehicle builds, diagnostics and repairs
• The ability to assess complex problems in unfamiliar systems
• The ability to quickly make tradeoffs and decisions to drive progress
• Knowledge of prototype process –low volume manufacturing and fabrication (milling, turning, welding, etc) –including quality, cost, and timing tradeoffs
• Familiarity with materials including basic metals, composites and composite processes
• The ability to use CAD to design parts and generate drawings at a high level
• Familiarity with studio design and color/material/finish
• Strong team work skills, the ability to collaborate, and a positive attitude
• An open mind to challenge convention and work to create things in ways that haven’t been done before
• A bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivalent
• Basic ability to use hand tools, weld (TIG preferred), and operate manual machining equipment is a plus
• Experience with electromechanical systems is a plus

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.