Staff Operations Engineer

Rivian • Tustin, CA

10d • Onsite

About The Position

As a Staff Operations Engineer, you will lead full-vehicle validation and environmental testing inside Rivian's advanced Irvine and Torrance lab facilities. The team supports cross-functional engineering disciplines—including Powertrain and Thermal Development, Range, Thermal Attribute, Benchmarking, NVH, Electrical Hardware, Homologation and others—to guide vehicle programs from concept evaluation through production launch.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years of relevant experience in test engineering for vehicle, powertrain, drivetrain, propulsion, or similar complex electro-mechanical systems, including significant rig-based or lab-based testing; the posting notes 5–10 years for a senior engineer.
• Demonstrated Staff-level (or equivalent) experience designing and executing complex test campaigns, leading resolution of difficult cross-system issues, and influencing designs and requirements based on test insight.
• Deep understanding of test methods, measurement systems, and data analysis in at least one area: thermal and environmental testing; powertrain testing; or NVH, vibration, or shaker testing.
• Ability to lead without authority, align cross-functional stakeholders, challenge assumptions constructively, and drive decisions in ambiguous situations.
• Strong communication skills, including technical writing for procedures and reports and concise, executive-appropriate summaries for leadership.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience with testbed control and data systems, such as dyno controllers, PLCs, DAQ, automation frameworks, or similar.
• Experience with PUMA or equivalent tools for developing test control and automation systems.
• Familiarity with statistical methods and data analysis tools such as Python or MATLAB for test planning and results interpretation.
• Experience mentoring and developing senior individual contributors and lead technicians.
• Prior experience working across multiple sites or labs and harmonizing methods and standards.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end test strategy and lab operations for a significant domain, ensuring alignment with vehicle and subsystem requirements, program timelines, and safety constraints.
• Translate high-level attribute requirements and DVP targets into repeatable test methods, profiles, and acceptance criteria across test areas and sites.
• Define and maintain standards, templates, and playbooks for test requests, procedures, instrumentation, data quality, and reporting, and drive adoption across the test organization.
• Identify capability gaps in equipment hardware, control systems, measurement chains, and data workflows; lead roadmaps to address them through new hardware, upgrades, software, or process changes.
• Lead or participate in expanding and improving test systems, working with controls, software, facilities, and safety teams.
• Serve as technical owner for selected test labs, accountable for uptime, fidelity, and suitability for current and future test needs.
• Develop and review automation and data-processing approaches, such as test scripts, health checks, dashboards, and KPIs, to improve repeatability, coverage, and engineer productivity.
• Lead planning for complex or first-of-a-kind test campaigns, including sequence design, boundary conditions, instrumentation plans, and risk assessments.
• Provide hands-on technical support for critical tests, including bring-up, debugging, fault triage, and correlation against models or vehicle-level behavior.
• Review and synthesize test results at a system level, presenting engineering conclusions, trade-offs, and recommendations to design, attributes, and program teams.
• Champion data quality and traceability by ensuring test configurations, calibrations, and deviations are captured so results can be trusted and reused.
• Act as the primary technical counterpart for the domain with Design Engineering, Attributes, Systems, DREs, Controls, Reliability, and Manufacturing/Service partners.
• Drive cross-functional problem solving on high-impact issues, ensuring robust root-cause analysis, containment, and validated corrective actions.
• Communicate test status, risks, and options to managers and senior leadership in concise, decision-oriented narratives.
• Improve lab equipment utilization, structured problem definition, evidence-based decisions, disciplined change management, and continuous improvement.
• Lead by example on lab safety and quality, ensuring test methods, rig operations, and work practices meet or exceed Rivian standards.
• Build team capability through training sessions, best-practice guides, reviews, and informal mentorship.

Benefits

• Paid vacation
• Paid sick leave
• Life insurance
• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Annual performance bonus may be available
• Equity awards may be available
• 401(k) Plan participation may be available to eligible employees
• Employee Stock Purchase Program participation may be available to eligible employees

What This Job Offers

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