Reliability Engineer

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies • Irvine, CA

2d

About The Position

As a reliability engineer for the Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies joint venture, you will help develop the next generation of low-voltage electric architectures. You will guide upcoming ECU designs to ensure they meet vehicle mission and reliability targets. The role focuses on Design-for-Reliability (DfR) for low-voltage electronics across vehicle control, connected car, and self-driving systems, from concept through production.

You will serve as the primary DfR expert for hardware design and architecture teams; develop reliability guidelines, specifications, validation strategies, and accelerated testing methods; and lead failure investigations and corrective actions. You will also audit contract manufacturers during development and analyze fleet and field data to identify emerging risks and inform future ECU design standards.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in an engineering discipline or equivalent.
• Technical understanding of PCBA, electronics, or control systems, including failure modes, reliability specification development, design guidelines, electronics thermal management, and interconnects.
• Understanding of the FMEA process (DFMEA/PFMEA) and willingness to facilitate FMEAs and lead cross-functional teams.
• Working knowledge of a coding language, preferably Python.
• Working knowledge of statistical software for reliability, such as JMP or the ReliaSoft suite, including Weibull analysis.
• Understanding of Highly Accelerated Testing methods and the governing equations for different failure mechanisms.

Nice To Haves

• Expertise in accelerated-life-test development methods.
• Working knowledge of failure analysis techniques such as optical microscopy, SEM, CT, X-Ray, EDS, and TDR.

Responsibilities

• Drive product reliability for vehicle control, connected car, and self-driving systems from concept through production.
• Serve as the primary Design-for-Reliability expert for hardware design and architecture teams.
• Establish design guidelines, identify electronic failure modes, and define standard countermeasures.
• Develop validation strategies, physics-of-failure-based reliability specifications, and accelerated testing methods.
• Lead root-cause failure investigations with internal engineering teams, suppliers, and failure analysis laboratories, and define and verify corrective actions.
• Audit Contract Manufacturers on-site during development to ensure DFMEA and PFMEA recommendations are implemented.
• Analyze fleet and field data to detect emerging risks and inform design standards for future ECU programs.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary.
• Eligibility for an annual company performance bonus program for full-time positions; payments are discretionary and not guaranteed.
• Eligibility for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and applicable plan terms and vesting requirements.
• Comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees, including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs; offerings vary by country.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time