Prototype Engineer, System Prototypes
About The Position
At Rivian and Volkswagen Technologies, we are building the future of electric vehicles, and our System Prototypes team is at the forefront of this innovation. We are seeking a highly proactive and detail-oriented Prototype Engineer who thrives in dynamic, ambiguous environments and is passionate about solving complex, real-world engineering challenges. In this pivotal role, you will be instrumental in bridging the gap between cutting-edge design and functional reality, shaping the next generation of our EV systems. You will collaborate closely with our Development and Validation teams, leading the design and commissioning of electrically representative system prototypes. Your work will directly support our aggressive program development goals, ensuring the seamless integration and rigorous validation of early prototype ECUs and their end-devices. This is a highly centralized and impactful role where you will champion cross-functional collaboration, driving solutions and ensuring technical readiness for critical program milestones.
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering or a related technical field.
- 1+ years of hands-on experience designing and troubleshooting complex electrical systems within early development stages, ideally in an automotive or similar high-tech domain.
- Strong electrical system troubleshooting skills are essential.
- Experience in reading technical drawings, electrical schematics
- Ability to thrive under pressure, applying creative and critical thinking to deliver exceptional results in a fast-paced environment.
- A collaborative team player with excellent communication skills, capable of conveying both detailed technical explanations and high-level status updates effectively.
Nice To Haves
- Familiarity with prototype manufacturing techniques and their practical application is a plus.
- Experience with basic mechanical design and CAD is preferred.
Responsibilities
- Drive System Prototyping: Support the end-to-end design and build completion of next-generation prototype assets, focusing on the integration of early prototype ECUs and end-devices to enable robust system-level hardware and software validation. Your design scope will include harness design, light mechanical structure design, integration of off-the-shelf development boards, and light software development.
- Commission & Innovate: Spearhead the commissioning of early prototype systems, employing expert troubleshooting techniques to swiftly resolve issues. You'll maintain comprehensive logs, sharing critical insights with stakeholders to inform continuous improvement.
- Collaborate & Influence: Act as a central hub for technical collaboration, partnering across all development teams to diagnose and resolve complex system issues. You'll leverage existing knowledge while proposing innovative short-term and long-term design solutions as needed.
- Optimize System Performance: Support maximizing the uptime of high-criticality assets by establishing proactive test procedures and providing rapid debugging support for system issues.
- Strategic Alignment: Perform thorough technical vetting of asset needs, aligning them with vehicle milestones across all programs, and proactively collaborating with development teams to prepare for and validate upcoming features.
- Pioneer Diagnostics: Provide full vehicle system diagnostics support during critical early pilot builds, meticulously tracking and communicating all findings to relevant stakeholders and development teams.
Benefits
- Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies provides robust medical/Rx, dental and vision insurance packages for full-time and part-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26.
- Full Time Employee coverage is effective on the first day of employment.
- Part-Time employee coverage is effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment.
- Total compensation packages for this position include base salary, eligibility for an annual performance bonus, and eligibility for equity.
- Benefit offerings include Flex Time Off, retirement savings plans as well as medical, vision and dental coverage.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Number of Employees
1,001-5,000 employees
