Engineering Intern - Heat Pump Systems

Rivian•Plymouth, MI

9d•$25 - $51

About The Position

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. Internship Term: Rivian internships are experiences optimized for student candidates. To be eligible, you must be an undergraduate or graduate student in an accredited program during the internship term with an expected graduation date between December 2026 and 2028. Rivian's Internship Program requires active student enrollment. Information regarding your expected degree completion date is collected solely to verify eligibility and determine your availability for future full-time opportunities. Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and does not use graduation dates to determine the age of applicants or as a basis for discriminatory hiring decisions. If you are not pursuing a degree, please see our full time positions on our Rivian careers site. Note that if your university has specific requirements for internship programs, it is your responsibility to fulfill those requirements. This internship role aims at R290 (propane) secondary loop heat pump systems development as advanced R&D for future products. The candidate is expected to work with systems engineering, manufacturing, hardware engineering internally and suppliers, professional societies (e.g. SAE) externally. The goal is to propose performance characterization and safety assessment plan and to create a timing plan for implementation You can apply for this role through careers.rivian.com (or through internal-careers-rivian.icims.com if you are a current employee). This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than Feb 10 2026.

Requirements

Must be currently pursuing a PhD degree at an accredited university.
Actively pursuing a degree or one closely related in Mechanical Engineering, with speciality in thermo-fluids engineering.
Knowledge on heat pump systems and components, in particular secondary loop system.
Ability to work independently in fast-pace environment.
Excellent communication and documentation skills.
Ability to work 40 or more hours per week.

Nice To Haves

Experience on thermal system testing and data collection a plus.

Responsibilities

Work with CAE team to produce R290 secondary loop performance data.
Develop bench and mule vehicle test plan and assist in prototype procurement, system setup, and data acquisition
Participate on SAE standard committees and work with FuSA to develop safety evaluation and mitigation strategies
Coordinate cross-functional stakeholders, including manufacturing, supply chain, packaging, attribute, controls, NVH, to quantify the impact on each domain
Work with TPM to propose a timing plan of implementation.