Senior Engineer, Special Projects

Rivian•Irvine, CA

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

This role is with the Special Projects Team based in Irvine, CA. Our department is responsible for component, system and full-vehicle prototypes and marketing/show vehicle builds at Rivian. This includes the ability to take almost anything from a sketch or rough concept and turn it into a physical product as quickly as possible. Our group features engineers, program managers, fabricators, technicians, and others focused on efficient design and high-quality, short-duration builds. We support production development and manufacturing through our prototype development but are not release responsible for production parts. We also support an assortment of non-production related vehicle activities such as Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Van, Grey’s Anatomy TV Show Ambulance, Also Mobile Service Van, and various first responder vehicles. Our engineers need to understand production intent design and manufacturing processes but also the design requirements and limitations of quick build fabrication and one-off prototype processes. This can often mean simplifying a design so it can be bent, welded and created by hand or from a simple tool or fixture. It also means working very closely with the fabrication part of our team to understand what is possible and adapting the design to something built from off-the-shelf parts and supplies. You will work on parts across every vehicle system and could start with a blank page or a complete production design. In all cases, it will be your responsibility to make sure we deliver amazing prototypes. We focus on building fast, learning lessons, quickly iterating on the design and making updates. Our projects range from several hours where we will have a request in the morning and a physical part to test by the end of the day to mules that take months to complete. You will get to experience a variety of projects, will be expected to showcase our capability to the rest of the company and will work hard to make cool things happen. A collaborative attitude and ability to work tirelessly on a design only to toss it out and start over as requirements change is key. This role is in Irvine, CA and will require some travel to our other office locations including Plymouth, MI and Normal, IL.

Requirements

An understanding of vehicle systems
Desire to be hands on for component/vehicle builds, diagnostics and repairs
The ability to assess complex problems in unfamiliar systems
The ability to quickly make tradeoffs and decisions to drive progress
Knowledge of prototype process –low volume manufacturing and fabrication (milling, turning, welding, etc) –including quality, cost, and timing tradeoffs
Familiarity with materials including basic metals, composites and composite processes
The ability to use CAD to design parts and generate drawings at a high level
Familiarity with studio design and color/material/finish
Strong team work skills, the ability to collaborate, and a positive attitude
An open mind to challenge convention and work to create things in ways that haven’t been done before
A bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivalent

Nice To Haves

Basic ability to use hand tools, weld (TIG preferred), and operate manual machining equipment is a plus
Experience with electromechanical systems is a plus

Responsibilities

Design components for vehicles including show cars, marketing vehicles and other non-production assets
Own subsystems to include plans, concepts, detailed design and execution
Manage schedules, BOM’s, CAD assemblies, and tasks for yourself and others
Support builds from design through release, fabrication, assembly and in field usage
Engineer components that pull ahead production design to support early build timelines while demonstrating production concepts
Utilize Catia to design structures, parts, brackets and other components including generating 2d drawings
Determine when and where to select off-the-shelf content based on timeline, maturity and vehicle function
Interface with production engineers, purchasers, and suppliers to deliver products on time to a higher than expected level