Senior Materials Engineer - Metals

Rivian•Tustin, CA

19h

About The Position

The Senior Materials Engineer, Metals will lead material selection, validation, and problem solving across ferrous metal systems with secondary support for light-metal applications. This engineer must operate with meaningful autonomy, manage multiple technical inputs, and drive decisions across design, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain teams internal and external to Rivian. The ideal candidate has deep metallurgical expertise in steels, practical knowledge of light metals, and can apply that knowledge to unlock improvements in product performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost. An ability to navigate full product lifecycle problems from concept to customer experience is critical to success.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related field
5+ years of experience in automotive related product development environments.
Experience with automotive steel sheet grades such as advanced high strength steels, HSLAs and their processing such as hot rolling, cold rolling and finishing.
Strong metallurgical background in steels, including phase transformations, heat treatment, hardenability, microstructure-property relationships, weldability, coatings, corrosion mechanisms, and failure modes
Working knowledge of aluminum and other light-metal systems including casting, extrusion, sheet, forming, joining, and corrosion considerations
Experience supporting end-to-end product development.
Hands-on experience with microscopy, formability testing, mechanical testing, corrosion evaluation, and interpretation of materials lab and failure analysis report data.
Familiarity with manufacturing processes such as stamping, hemming, casting, forging, machining, welding, brazing, heat treatment, and surface finishing
Proven ability to independently work cross-functionally in fast-moving engineering environments
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical issues clearly to varied audiences

Nice To Haves

Master's or PhD in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, or related discipline
Experience with automotive body, chassis, powertrain, battery enclosure, or structural component materials
Knowledge of AHSS, UHSS, martensitic steels, stainless steels, aluminum sheet and extrusion alloys, and associated joining strategies
Experience with supplier development, APQP/PPAP, DFMEA/PFMEA, control plans, and validation documentation
Familiarity with corrosion, environmental durability, and coating systems for vehicle applications
Experience developing internal material standards or design requirements

Responsibilities

Lead material selection and technology development for steel and ferrous alloys on all Rivian products.
Provide light-metal materials support when necessary within a broader team of metallurgical experts.
Define material requirements, specifications, validation plans, and acceptance criteria for components, assemblies, and manufacturing processes involving metals
Partner with design, CAE, manufacturing, quality, corrosion, durability, purchasing, and supplier development teams to ensure material performance targets are achieved
Drive failure analysis and root cause investigations related to mechanical properties, microstructure, corrosion, coating performance, heat treatment, joining, and forming of metallic components.
Evaluate tradeoffs across performance, cost, manufacturability, mass, and supply base capability to arrive at best for Rivian metal technology and processing solutions.
Support development and release of material standards, test methods, design guidelines, and best practices for engineers, fabricators, production, and service technicians.
Review and approve supplier technical packages including material data, PPAP-related deliverables, control plans, and process capability data for key metals products.
Translate laboratory and production findings into clear technical recommendations for engineers, program teams, and leadership
Influence cross-functional decisions through concise communication, strong ownership, and data-driven problem solving.