Sr. Product Designer

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies•Palo Alto, CA

30d•Hybrid

About The Position

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world. The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone. Role Summary We build the software powering the future of electric mobility - from factory-floor MES and Smart Diagnostics to Aftersales and Fleet Management. Our work focuses on high-density desktop environments and cross-platform ecosystems where clarity is mission-critical. The design challenges here are unique: creating professional-grade tools that remain intuitive under the weight of enterprise complexity. We are looking for a Senior Designer who thrives on solving difficult spatial and logic problems and has the discipline to document the "why" behind every iteration. This is a Hybrid position and will report to the Sr. Staff Product Designer

Requirements

A comprehensive portfolio is a mandatory component of the application.
Your portfolio should show how you handle complex system feedback and state changes in dense environments. We want to see how you evolved a structural problem into a high-craft solution.
Deep expertise in organizing high-density desktop systems. Show us how you manage hierarchy and professional, power-user workflows across platforms.
Evidence of tracking decisions and maintaining specs to keep a team aligned when the "source of truth" is shifting.
Bachelor’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Interaction Design, User Experience (UX), Graphic/Visual Design, or a related field; or equivalent practical experience.
5+ Years of Experience in B2B SaaS, enterprise software, or complex professional platforms.
A deep understanding of desktop-class interactions (ergonomics, density, data visualization) and how they translate across a connected ecosystem.
Proven ability to document design history and navigate ambiguous, fast-moving environments where requirements shift.
Advanced Figma Mastery: Our primary tool for design, prototyping, and versioned documentation.
Active use of Figma Make, Claude, Cursor , or other LLM tools to accelerate research synthesis or technical prototyping.
The ability to present complex rationale clearly and build consensus among highly technical stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Experience designing for automotive, factory MES, supply chain, or heavy-duty operational software.

Responsibilities

You will be embedded in a cross-functional squad, owning the design lifecycle and maintaining a System of Record for all product logic.
Design high-density desktop interfaces and cross-platform flows that feel unified and effortless. You will solve complex spatial problems, ensuring that professional users can navigate massive data sets with consumer-grade clarity.
Set the visual and interaction bar. You believe that "enterprise" is not an excuse for poor aesthetics. You’ll deliver production-ready work that balances strict functional requirements with elegant, modern UI.
Own the pace. Drive work forward with high autonomy while ensuring the team remains in lockstep. You unblock yourself, bring proposals at the right time, and shape them well enough to drive decisions.
Use research and data to dismantle assumptions. You will frame problems, test prototypes, and iterate based on user truth before moving into high-fidelity execution.
Partner with Product Managers, Technical Program Managers, and Engineering to define scope and sequencing. You act as the bridge that ensures the team moves fast without losing the thread of past decisions.