Manager, ADS Safety Case, Regulatory

Rivian•Palo Alto, CA

8h•$186,000 - $232,500

About The Position

We are seeking a Manager, ADS Safety Case, Regulatory to lead the development, maintenance, and defense of Rivian’s Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving system (ADS) safety cases. This role sits at the intersection of Regulatory Affairs, Autonomy, Engineering, and Safety, serving as the technical lead for demonstrating the safety performance of our autonomy stack to governmental bodies and global regulators. As a critical connector between our Autonomy & AI, Vehicle Safety, and Regulatory teams, you will ensure that our safety claims are backed by credible, data-driven evidence. You will help shape how our hardware, software, and simulation platforms work together to create a scalable and defensible safety argument, ensuring our technology meets the highest standards of technical rigor as we move toward a driverless future. Why This Role Matters Enabling Deployment: By developing credible, evidence-based safety cases, you directly enable the commercialization and deployment of Rivian’s L3/4 autonomous systems on public roads. Defining the Standard: You will curate the technical evidence across simulation and fleet operations that justifies our safety performance, setting the benchmark for how Rivian demonstrates safety to the world. Regulatory Trust: As a primary technical expert for regulators, you build the transparency and trust necessary for Rivian to navigate complex, evolving global approval processes. Cross-Functional Rigor: You ensure that hazard mitigation and system limitations are traceable and validated, creating a cohesive safety narrative across our entire hardware and software ecosystem.

Requirements

7+ years of experience in autonomous driving, ADAS, or complex software-intensive safety-critical systems.
Direct experience developing, maintaining, or reviewing safety cases for Level 3/4 autonomous systems.
Deep technical knowledge of automotive safety standards, specifically ISO 26262, ISO 21448 (SOTIF), and UL 4600.
Proven expertise in hazard analysis, risk assessment, and safety-critical systems thinking.
Experience supporting formal regulatory assessments, audits, or safety approvals with governmental agencies.
Familiarity with simulation-based safety validation and using fleet data for safety performance monitoring.
Ability to translate high-level safety goals into granular technical requirements for hardware and software teams.
Strong communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Experience working in a fast-paced, high-growth engineering environment with frequent software release cycles.
A collaborative mindset with a track record of building inclusive, cross-functional partnerships.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Safety Management, or a related technical field.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in a global regulatory role within the EV or autonomous vehicle industry.
Advanced understanding of AI/Machine Learning safety validation techniques and probabilistic safety arguments.
Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies applied to safety process design.
History of active participation in international standards committees or industry working groups focused on ADS safety.

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end development and maintenance of system-level safety cases for autonomous driving systems to support global governmental approvals.
Synthesize complex technical data from Autonomy, AI, and Systems Engineering into structured, defensible safety arguments.
Identify and curate safety evidence across hardware, software, and simulation environments to justify the sufficiency of safety claims.
Drive the evolution of the safety case as the Operational Design Domain (ODD) expands and system capabilities mature.
Develop and support processes to streamline compliance tracking, ensuring all safety evidence and regulatory requirements are systematically captured and maintained.
Represent Rivian as a safety technical expert in discussions with regulatory agencies and governmental bodies worldwide.
Prepare comprehensive safety case materials for submissions, formal audits, and external assessments.
Address technical questions and feedback from regulators, ensuring all findings are resolved with rigorous engineering data.
Track and influence evolving regulatory expectations for ADS safety case content and technical requirements.
Support other regulatory initiatives or activities as needed.
Partner with Autonomy & AI, Software, and Vehicle Safety teams to ensure safety claims accurately reflect real-world system behavior.
Ensure rigorous traceability between identified hazards, safety requirements, mitigations, and the supporting validation evidence.
Participate in safety impact assessments for design changes, OTA software updates, and new feature launches.
Guide contributing engineering teams on the technical rigor and documentation standards required for regulatory-grade safety evidence.
Apply deep knowledge of ISO 26262, ISO 21448 (SOTIF), and UL 4600 to internal safety processes.
Standardize the methods for hazard analysis and risk assessment to ensure consistency across the autonomy organization.
Develop internal frameworks for simulation-based safety validation that meet or exceed global regulatory benchmarks.
Identify high-value opportunities to automate safety evidence collection and traceability within the engineering lifecycle.