Staff New Product Operation Manager

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies • Palo Alto, CA

5d

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 As RVT's Electronic Control Unit (ECU) portfolio scales across brand partners and expands multiple country roadmaps, contract manufacturer development and launch readiness is a critical gate between engineering intent and program delivery. Our Electrical Hardware Technical Program Management team is seeking a Staff New Product Operations Manager to own build readiness end to end — defining and driving entry and exit criteria at every development stage gate (Proto, EVT, DVT, PVT), and holding contract manufacturer sites and cross-functional stakeholders accountable to them before a build is allowed to proceed. You are the accountable owner for identifying and escalating readiness risks — design, materials, process/SOP, equipment, staffing, training, and engineering inputs — and for driving cross-functional issue resolution to unblock builds when readiness gaps or execution roadblocks put a milestone at risk. This includes bridging Engineering and Operational requirements across Hardware Design, Product Launch Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, and Test Automation to build integrated schedules and run critical milestone reviews. Beyond development and launch, you will lead post-ramp change management and qualification in partnership with Product Launch Engineering, Quality, and Design Engineering.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in New Product Introduction, Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing Operations, or Operations Engineering.
• BS or MS degree in Engineering.
• Direct PCBA CM operational management experience.
• Strong communication skills in technical and nontechnical domains.
• Outstanding collaboration and relationship-building capabilities within and across organizations.
• Data-driven, proactive, and tenacious; energized by ambiguity and passionate about cross-functional problem solving.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities; comfortable working directly with measurement and test data, capability metrics, and program dashboards.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to escalate clearly and factually to executive audiences and to translate technical detail for non-engineering stakeholders.
• Experience with Atlassian-based applications, including Jira and Confluence.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally to contract manufacturer, supplier, and vehicle program locations as needed.
• Eager to explore AI-driven solutions across communication, reporting, visualizations and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate across key stakeholders, including Hardware and Software Engineering, Product Launch Engineering, Quality, Purchasing and Test Automation, to create integrated CM operations schedules.
• Coordinate with Hardware, Software and Vehicle-level program managers to integrate critical operations readiness milestones and dependencies into top-line ECU and vehicle program schedules, highlighting technical/timeline risks holistically.
• Lead development builds and ramp readiness activities, ensuring security, materials, process/SOP, equipment, staffing, and training are all in place at CM sites.
• Drive operations entry & exit criteria assessment at ECU development stage gates while ensuring that cross-functional engineering inputs satisfy operational requirements.
• Champion process improvement initiatives across internal/external processes, communication, metrics and documentation as it relates to CM operations, management and quality.
• Lead cross-functional issue resolution to mitigate risks and remove roadblocks for CM readiness.
• Analyze and communicate risks and program status succinctly to engineering and program leadership, highlighting key issues and presenting resolution options to the cross-functional executive team.
• Lead post-ramp change management efforts for design, quality and process issue resolution with Quality and Design Engineering teams.

Benefits

• competitive base salary
• annual company performance bonus program
• equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
• comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full-time employees
• health coverage
• retirement savings
• time off
• family planning programs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior