Staff Powertrain NVH Engineer

Rivian•Plymouth, MI

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Staff Powertrain NVH Engineer is part of the NVH Attributes team and plays a critical role in driving the noise, & vibration refinement of Rivian electric powertrains. This position is responsible for leading powertrain-focused NVH development, spanning electric motors, gearboxes, bearings, differentials, pumps, mechanical disconnect systems, mounts, and full drive unit assemblies. In this role, the engineer will collaborate closely with powertrain design, controls, CAE, manufacturing, and vehicle integration teams to execute component, subsystem, and vehicle-level NVH testing, diagnose root causes, and drive design improvements that elevate Rivian’s refinement, sound quality, and customer experience. This role requires a high degree of hands-on agility and physical engagement, including the ability to install and remove sensors and powertrain hardware, manipulate test setups, and support vehicle and dynamometer testing. The position requires the ability to lift, move, and handle test equipment and powertrain components, work in confined or industrial spaces, and stand or move for extended periods during test execution. This role will be located at Rivian’s Plymouth, MI engineering offices, with expected travel to testing and development facilities across the U.S. (Arizona, Michigan, Illinois, Atlanta, Texas, etc.).

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field (advanced degree preferred).
10+ years (Staff) or 12+ years (Senior Staff) of experience in powertrain NVH, with demonstrated ownership of electric drive unit NVH development.
Strong, hands-on background in NVH testing, including sound power, TPA, FRFs, modal analysis, and vehicle-level diagnostics.
Proven ability to lead NVH development programs, not just execute tests.
Deep understanding of electric motor NVH, including PMSM and induction motor architectures.
Demonstrated experience diagnosing NVH related to bearings, gears, differentials, pumps, and mechanical disconnect systems.
High confidence in vehicle subjective assessments and the ability to correlate customer perception with objective engineering data.
Proficiency with modern NVH tools and data analysis environments, including Testlab, Artemis, MATLAB, and Python.
Strong technical judgment, ownership mindset, demonstrated ability to collaborate cross-functionally and ability to drive complex problems to closure in fast-paced development environments.
Experience with rubber isolation systems and powertrain mounts and their impact on vehicle NVH performance.
Excellent technical communication skills, with the ability to influence design decisions using data-driven insights.

Responsibilities

Lead powertrain NVH development across electric drive units, including electric motors, gearboxes, bearings, differentials, pumps, mechanical disconnect solenoids, housings, mounts, and vehicle integration.
Plan and execute component, subsystem, and vehicle-level NVH testing in both laboratory and on-road environments with a focus on electric powertrain sources and their interactions.
Perform sound power measurements for motors, gearboxes, pumps, and complete drive units to support target setting, benchmarking, and design validation.
Lead and apply Blocked Force Transfer Path Analysis (TPA) and traditional TPA methods to quantify source strengths from motors, gears, bearings, pumps, and disconnect mechanisms, and identify dominant NVH paths into the vehicle
Generate in-depth diagnostics using FRFs, modal analysis, and operating deflection shape (ODS) analysis to isolate structure-borne and airborne noise mechanisms across rotating and actuated powertrain components.
Analyze and influence electric motor NVH, including Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM) and induction motors, electromagnetic excitation, torque ripple, and rotor–stator interactions, rotor construction, skew strategies, and mechanical–electromagnetic coupling
Investigate and resolve NVH concerns related to bearings, gear meshes, differentials, pumps, and mechanical disconnect solenoids, including tonal noise, broadband noise, transient events, and order-related phenomena.
Lead NVH development of powertrain mounting systems, including rubber and elastomeric mounts, and evaluate mount tuning effects on system and vehicle NVH.
Plan and conduct NVH tests to correlate and validate CAE models, enabling predictive powertrain NVH development and robust design decisions.
Partner closely with design, controls, CAE, manufacturing, and vehicle integration teams to implement NVH-driven design changes efficiently and pragmatically.
Translate complex NVH data into clear, concise, and actionable technical reports and recommendations for engineering leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
Develop and standardize robust NVH test procedures, data processing workflows, and automation tools to improve efficiency, repeatability, and scalability across programs.
Actively contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, fostering a culture of innovation, technical rigor, and execution excellence within Rivian’s NVH organization.