Staff Technical Program Manager, Diagnostic Engineering

Rivian•Irvine, CA

About The Position

Diagnostic Engineering works across Rivian’s service, software, and engineering communities to support the customer experience. The Staff Technical Program Manager partners with teams including Software, Service Engineering, Field Diagnostics, Service Center Managers, Reliability, Engineering, and Reman to coordinate work and support Rivian’s growth. The role engages with current and future vehicle programs to ensure Diagnostic Engineering is involved in software launches, trending issues, diagnostic challenges, vehicle controls software, and other engineering and field issues. It drives accountability for service impacts and helps shape future vehicle ownership and serviceability through roadmap engagement. This position requires initiative, independent judgment, and indirect leadership. It involves coordinating diagnostic requirements, projects, deliverables, data, and testing from concept through launch and optimization, while supporting timely problem resolution and service-related field actions.

Requirements

6 or more years of experience in automotive, with a focus on collaboration with software development.
Technical understanding of vehicle systems and development.
Proficiency with Jira, Lucid, Databricks, and other data management tools.
Strong leadership capability and collaboration skills, including willingness to drive change.
Strong program management and timeline/task execution skills, including ability to drive to the critical path.
Experience leading teams with a proven track record in an automotive or high-tech environment.
Broad experience defining, launching, and driving strategic process redesign initiatives to improve internal and external processes and operations in close collaboration with cross-functional teams and stakeholders in a technology environment.
Ability to define critical aspects of a schedule and determine the critical path.
Ability to lead through influence rather than relying on a reporting structure.
Ability to evaluate and adjust priorities as urgent issues arise.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to stand, sit, or walk for 8–10 hours per day.
Ability to communicate using a phone and/or email.
Ability to view, read, and interpret documents.
Ability to perform duties in an office environment that may contain ambient noise and temperature fluctuations.

Nice To Haves

BA or BS in a related discipline preferred.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with stakeholders across Rivian Service to align project goals, priorities, and roadmaps, and track progress from concept through launch, growth, and optimization.
Coordinate implementation of Diagnostic Engineering requirements.
Work with Engineering and Field Service to develop metrics and dashboards using tools such as JIRA, Lucid, and Databricks.
Manage multiple Jira projects to establish accountability and coordinate work across Field Diagnostics, Software, and Diagnostics Engineering.
Review existing processes and document bottlenecks or roadblocks that affect diagnostic time for technicians.
Hold cross-functional teams accountable for progress on diagnostic priorities.
Ensure the field accurately captures challenges and requirements for the Diagnostic Engineering team and software organization.
Help manage and define the direction of service diagnostic tools and data.
Report Diagnostic Engineering deliverable status at program checkpoints and executive reviews.
Create, own, and drive real-time data sources that support accountability amid rapid changes.
Plan and coordinate vehicle assets and validation schedules for diagnostic testing across builds.
Analyze data hands-on using Databricks, including writing and validating queries and dashboards for diagnostic improvements.
Establish best practices and standards of work for Diagnostic Engineering.
Develop Service workstreams and tasks to support the vehicle development process.
Identify, define, and promote emerging product and service issues to appropriate channels and into a closed-loop problem-resolution system.
Support Dealer Field Action bulletins related to safety, compliance, emissions, customer satisfaction, and service updates.