Senior Supplier Development, Industrialization & Quality Engineer - Battery Pack

Rivian•Irvine, CA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

Rivian’s Supply Chain team seeks a technical professional to ensure the stability and performance of its global supply chain. The Senior Supplier Development, Industrialization & Quality Engineer is a key individual contributor responsible for quality performance and continuous improvement for an assigned commodity or group of suppliers. Working with moderate autonomy, this engineer ensures suppliers’ manufacturing capabilities meet design requirements and that quality expectations are followed. The role proactively identifies supplier-level challenges and develops actionable solutions to mitigate risks before they affect production. It leads the APQP/PPAP process for its assigned area, maintains relationships with supplier counterparts to resolve recurring issues, and provides expert analysis and data-driven insights that can influence sourcing decisions. The position is based onsite in Irvine, California, requires an average of 50–75% domestic and international travel, and reports to the Manager Supplier Development, Industrialization & Quality. The role focuses on Battery Pack and Battery Components, including supplier industrialization and readiness, quality risk management, and monitoring battery warranty and field performance. It partners with Service, Quality, and Engineering to analyze field returns and failure trends, drive supplier root cause and containment, and verify corrective-action effectiveness. Battery structures—including enclosures, cooling plates, structural joints, and sealing—are a key area of focus.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical field.
At least 3 years of relevant supplier development experience.
Experience managing commodities and understanding relevant economic and technology factors.
Advanced knowledge of manufacturing techniques and ownership of supplier performance.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to align larger working groups and defuse conflicts.
Ability to manage priorities and meet area-specific milestones on time.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally an average of 50–75%.

Nice To Haves

Experience with battery structure, including enclosures, cooling plates, structural joints, and sealing.
Specific technology knowledge in module and pack assembly.
Specific technology knowledge in injection molding and tooling.
Specific technology knowledge in stamping, casting, or extrusion for battery structure.
Specific technology knowledge in welding and joining.
Specific technology knowledge in adhesive, sealant, and thermal interface dispensing.
Specific technology knowledge in torque and fastening systems.
Specific technology knowledge in end-of-line and S&V testing.

Responsibilities

Own quality performance for Battery Pack and Battery Components suppliers, focusing on maintaining Low-to-No Risk (CL3) status.
Direct action plans for CL2 suppliers to prevent their regression into higher-risk categories.
Identify supplier challenges proactively and propose solutions that remove risks before they affect production.
Use problem-solving tools such as 5-Why, Fishbone, and Is/Isn't to resolve recurring issues.
Lead the APQP/PPAP process for assigned parts and ensure suppliers meet technical and documentation standards.
Set clear expectations and monitor supplier timelines to ensure on-time delivery of quality milestones.
Serve as the technical owner for industrialization of assigned suppliers and manage final quality sign-off.
Use data-driven insights to influence peers and support sourcing decisions.
Lead supplier industrialization and readiness for battery components and systems, including packs, modules, structures and enclosures, cooling plates, busbars and interconnects, fasteners and joining, BMS and electronics, and related sub-components.
Monitor battery warranty and field performance; partner with Service, Quality, and Engineering to analyze field returns and failure trends, drive supplier root cause and containment, and verify corrective-action effectiveness.
Manage personal priorities and area-specific milestones to ensure they are completed on time.
Travel regularly, averaging 50–75% domestic and international travel.

Benefits

Paid vacation
Paid sick leave
Life insurance
Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Short-term disability insurance
Long-term disability insurance
401(k) Plan, subject to eligibility requirements
Employee Stock Purchase Program, subject to eligibility requirements
Annual performance bonus and equity awards may be available to the successful candidate