Autonomy Sensing Systems Engineer

Rivian•Palo Alto, CA

About The Position

As Autonomy Sensing Systems Engineer, you will help define, verify, and validate requirements for the sensor hardware systems that support Rivian’s advanced driver assistance and autonomy capabilities. You will work across cameras, radar, lidar, IMU, GNSS, and related sensing technologies to translate vehicle- and feature-level needs into clear, testable system requirements and robust validation plans. This role sits within Rivian’s Autonomy HW & Sensing Systems organization and partners closely with electrical hardware design, systems engineering, integration, software, perception, reliability, functional safety, and test teams. You will help create the traceability and validation rigor needed to bring high-performance sensor systems from concept through launch.

Requirements

Master’s degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field.
3+ years of experience in systems engineering, hardware validation, sensor integration, or requirements engineering in automotive, robotics, aerospace, or a related industry.
Experience writing clear, testable technical requirements and linking them to validation methods.
Familiarity with sensor technologies such as cameras, radar, lidar, IMU, GNSS, ultrasonic, or other perception-related hardware.
Understanding of system validation methods across lab and vehicle environments.
Ability to work cross-functionally and communicate effectively with design, test, software, and program teams.
Strong problem-solving skills and comfort working in fast-moving development environments.
A systems mindset and the ability to connect product intent to engineering detail.
Strong ownership, organization, and follow-through.
Curiosity about how complex sensor systems behave in real-world conditions.
A collaborative approach and willingness to work across disciplines to solve difficult technical problems.
Passion for building products that are thoughtful, capable, and deeply reliable.

Nice To Haves

Experience with ADAS, autonomy, or safety-critical sensing systems.
Experience creating or executing DVP&R plans, test matrices, and requirements traceability workflows.
Familiarity with HIL/SIL/VIL test methodologies and data-driven validation.
Exposure to automotive communication and interface standards such as CAN, Ethernet, MIPI, LVDS, or similar.
Past experience using software and hardware interface tools and data analysis software. Development of scripting software for data visualization and analysis a plus.
Working knowledge of functional safety and intended-functionality concepts, including ISO 26262 or SOTIF.
Experience working with supplier-developed hardware and cross-company validation activities.
Experience with requirements and issue-tracking tools such as Jama, Flow, Jira, Polarion, or equivalent.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain sensor system requirements spanning functional performance, interfaces, environmental robustness, diagnostics, and safety.
Translate vehicle- and feature-level ADAS needs (e.g., AEB, ACC, lane keeping/centering, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot/cross-traffic detection, assisted parking, localization) into verifiable hardware and system-level requirements for ADAS sensing systems.
Partner with hardware, integration, and software teams to align requirements across power, data, timing, packaging, calibration, and vehicle interfaces.
Author and review validation strategies, DVP&R content, and test specifications that map directly to system requirements.
Define pass/fail criteria, test coverage, and traceability from requirements through validation results.
Support validation across lab, HIL, SIL, vehicle, track, and road environments as appropriate for the sensor system and maturity level.
Work with cross-functional teams to identify performance gaps, failure modes, and edge cases, then drive requirements or test updates to close them.
Contribute to scalable systems engineering processes, templates, and methods that improve consistency across sensor modalities.
Analyze test results, investigate issues, and help drive root-cause resolution with internal teams and external suppliers.
Support design reviews, change reviews, and milestone readiness by providing clear requirement and validation status.