Staff Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Electro Mechanical

Role details

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 Advanced Manufacturing Engineer (AME) will play a critical role in bringing Rivian's cutting-edge electromechanical assemblies from design to high-volume production. This individual will be a key interface between our internal design teams, contract manufacturers (CMs), and equipment suppliers, ensuring that our products are manufactured on time, at high yield, reliably, and cost-effectively. This role will be equal parts design for manufacturing, automation development, supplier engagement, and industrialization efforts.

Responsibilities ● Design for Manufacturing: ○ Work side by side with mechanical design engineers to ensure manufacturability of electro-mechanical assemblies. ○ Provide early and ongoing manufacturing involvement to ensure new products meet design requirements. ○ Develop design rules that align with vendor and contract manufacturer (CM) capabilities. ○ Ensure product designs align with the operational capabilities and manufacturing processes of external partners. ● Automation and Process Development: ○ Drive process optimizations and efficiency improvements through state-of-the-art automation. ○ Provide direction and mentorship to third-party machine/automation suppliers and CMs as the primary technical leader. ○ Organize cross-functional reviews of machine requirements, equipment designs, and system capabilities. ○ Drive machine qualification including correlation, process capability (Cp/Cpk), and Gage Repeatability / Reproducibility (GR&R). ● Supplier Engagement and Industrialization: ○ Act as the primary technical liaison with contract manufacturers and key suppliers for electro-mechanical assemblies, both domestically and internationally. ○ Evaluate and approve manufacturing processes, fixtures, and tooling to ensure robust process validation and production readiness (NPI). ○ Define and implement robust methodologies for workmanship, maintenance, and data retention (traceability) with CMs. ○ Drive yield improvement initiatives, implement process controls, and lead root cause analysis/corrective actions for quality issues. ○ Implement data-driven approaches to identify and resolve manufacturing bottlenecks to ensure CM capacity meets production requirements. ○ Communicate project status, technical risks, and mitigation plans effectively across cross-functional teams and leadership.

Qualifications ● Bachelor's degree (or greater) in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field. ● 7+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing engineering, industrialization, or DFM roles, with a strong focus on manufacturing automation, precision assembly, and tooling development. ● Experience with precision mechanical joining (dispensing, mechanical fasteners, structural adhesives, welding) and molding/casting processes. ● Experience with thermal interface materials and application methods. ● Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to lead root cause analysis and implement effective corrective actions. ● Knowledge of failure analysis techniques (e.g., Optical Inspection, X-Ray, CSAM, SEM, EDS, FTIR, TDM, Cross-Section). ● Proficient in 3D CAD (e.g., CATIA, SolidWorks, NX), GD&T, and tolerance stack-up analysis for complex assemblies. ● Familiarity with relevant industry standards (e.g., IPC, JEDEC, ASTM, IEEE). ● Excellent communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and external partners. ● Ability to travel frequently to support supplier and CM activities and team development. ● Experience in the automotive, consumer electronics, or similar high-reliability product industries is highly desirable.

Pay Disclosure The salary range for this role is $154,000 - $192,500 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 successful candidate may be eligible for an 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 on the first of the month following 90 days of employment. More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com.

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.

Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services. ● Design for Manufacturing: ○ Work side by side with mechanical design engineers to ensure manufacturability of electro-mechanical assemblies. ○ Provide early and ongoing manufacturing involvement to ensure new products meet design requirements. ○ Develop design rules that align with vendor and contract manufacturer (CM) capabilities. ○ Ensure product designs align with the operational capabilities and manufacturing processes of external partners. ● Automation and Process Development: ○ Drive process optimizations and efficiency improvements through state-of-the-art automation. ○ Provide direction and mentorship to third-party machine/automation suppliers and CMs as the primary technical leader. ○ Organize cross-functional reviews of machine requirements, equipment designs, and system capabilities. ○ Drive machine qualification including correlation, process capability (Cp/Cpk), and Gage Repeatability / Reproducibility (GR&R). ● Supplier Engagement and Industrialization: ○ Act as the primary technical liaison with contract manufacturers and key suppliers for electro-mechanical assemblies, both domestically and internationally. ○ Evaluate and approve manufacturing processes, fixtures, and tooling to ensure robust process validation and production readiness (NPI). ○ Define and implement robust methodologies for workmanship, maintenance, and data retention (traceability) with CMs. ○ Drive yield improvement initiatives, implement process controls, and lead root cause analysis/corrective actions for quality issues. ○ Implement data-driven approaches to identify and resolve manufacturing bottlenecks to ensure CM capacity meets production requirements. ○ Communicate project status, technical risks, and mitigation plans effectively across cross-functional teams and leadership. ● Bachelor's degree (or greater) in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field. ● 7+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing engineering, industrialization, or DFM roles, with a strong focus on manufacturing automation, precision assembly, and tooling development. ● Experience with precision mechanical joining (dispensing, mechanical fasteners, structural adhesives, welding) and molding/casting processes. ● Experience with thermal interface materials and application methods. ● Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to lead root cause analysis and implement effective corrective actions. ● Knowledge of failure analysis techniques (e.g., Optical Inspection, X-Ray, CSAM, SEM, EDS, FTIR, TDM, Cross-Section). ● Proficient in 3D CAD (e.g., CATIA, SolidWorks, NX), GD&T, and tolerance stack-up analysis for complex assemblies. ● Familiarity with relevant industry standards (e.g., IPC, JEDEC, ASTM, IEEE). ● Excellent communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and external partners. ● Ability to travel frequently to support supplier and CM activities and team development. ● Experience in the automotive, consumer electronics, or similar high-reliability product industries is highly desirable.