Staff Program Manager, Digital Studio

Rivian•Palo Alto, CA

11d

About The Position

Join us in creating the next generation of connected, software-driven vehicles that transform mobility. We’re looking for a systems-minded Program Manager with a passion for scaling design across platforms and brands. You will be responsible for the development and execution of digital design programs across the Product Experience team spanning vehicle HMI, mobile app, and web with a focus on Design Systems and Platform Partnership programs. As the voice of the design function within cross-functional program teams, this role requires a high level of initiative, independent judgment, the ability to connect complex dots, and strong leadership capability. You will drive planning, development, alignment, and launch execution for new vehicle programs, features, and platform partnership programs while working cross-functionally with Engineering, Product, and other key teams across Rivian as well as external partners. You will also maintain awareness of overall program deliverable status, proactively communicating risks and mitigation strategies, and balancing quality, scope, and delivery across a complex, multi-surface design organization.

Requirements

6+ years of experience on a program or project management team, or equivalent experience within a design or product organization.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; background in design, UX, product management, start-ups, or a related field preferred.
Experience driving design programs through a full product lifecycle, from early concept through launch within a hardware-software integrated product environment.
Strong communication skills across both design and non-design domains; equally comfortable in a design critique and an executive program review.
Outstanding cross-functional collaboration capabilities within and across organizations.
Familiarity with design systems, UX research processes, interaction design, and visual design principles; enough to understand dependencies, scope, and quality standards.
Experience with platform partnership programs, co-development engagements, or external vendor/agency management in a design or product context.
Passion for working on ambiguous problems and developing new frameworks for collaboration and execution.
Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, Figma, the Google Suite, and AI tools such as Gemini and Claude.
Comfort navigating design files and understanding design-to-development handoff workflows.
Automotive, mobility, or consumer hardware-software experience is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

Work closely with all disciplines within the Product Experience team (UX research, interaction design, visual design, and design systems) to build out the design- development and integration schedule; drive this into vehicle-level and platform program schedules and highlight design timeline risks holistically.
Work closely with design leads, Engineering, and Product to drive design development through the full product lifecycle; from concept and research through handoff, validation, launch, and post-launch iteration.
Work with vehicle line program teams and cross-functional partners to drive critical path alignment and ensure synchronized design deliveries across vehicle HMI, mobile, and web surfaces.
Oversee the operational health of the Design Systems team, driving prioritization, cross-team alignment, and systems adoption across vehicle, mobile, and web.
Lead and facilitate design reviews with our leadership team and CDO, including driving resolution of integration issues and ensuring all pre-launch design milestones are met to effectively support vehicle and software releases.
Coordinate and co-present feature and program status during weekly, monthly, and quarterly leadership and executive reviews.
Identify meaningful program success metrics and own deliverable status reporting at weekly reviews; gather and communicate departmental design status for program milestones and executive reviews.
Champion issue resolution and actively remove roadblocks while keeping design programs moving and escalating strategically when needed.
Work in close proximity to Vehicle Line leads, Product, Engineering, and Marketing to cascade design status, risks, and critical paths bi-directionally across teams.
Lead platform partnership programs end-to-end, managing both internal design coordination and direct external partner relationships while ensuring Rivian's design standards and brand integrity are maintained throughout.
Develop and evolve the processes, tools, and frameworks the Product Experience team runs on, from intake and planning to design-to-development handoff and retrospectives.
Lead resource planning activities by assessing project scope and design capacity to align on workload commitments and timing.
Budget forecasting and purchase management including quoting, PO generation, and vendor contracts and onboarding.