System Integration Engineer, Vehicle Systems

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies•Palo Alto, CA

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. As a Software Integration Engineer, you will be a critical link in our vehicle development lifecycle, responsible for integrating and validating software systems from early prototypes to customer launch. You will bridge the gap between initial mule builds and full-scale production, ensuring seamless feature integration and system stability. This role requires a deep understanding of the entire vehicle software stack, from low-level drivers to high-level applications. The ideal candidate will possess strong system intuition, enabling them to make critical real-time prioritization decisions that accelerate development, enhance testing capabilities, and mitigate program risks. You will act as a versatile problem-solver, comfortable diving into unfamiliar technical domains and translating component-level issues into system-wide impacts.

Requirements

B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
1-3 years of relevant experience in automotive, complex sub-systems, or similar consumer electronics devices.
Strong understanding of dependencies between various electrical & mechanical systems, with a working knowledge of automotive electrical systems and communication protocols (CAN, LIN, Ethernet).
Fluency with debugging communications issues involving Ethernet and CAN using industry-standard tools.
Understanding of continuous integration, continuous deployment (CI/CD) software development models.
Ability to work in a fast-paced development environment.
Team player with excellent communication skills.
Passion to take software from development to a verified product.

Responsibilities

Perform hands-on software integration and validation on prototype vehicles, lab cars, and other system assets through all build phases, from early mules to production launch.
Execute system-level integration test plans, developing scripts and tools to automate testing and data analysis.
Triage, debug, and perform root-cause analysis on complex, system-level integration issues that span multiple ECUs and software domains.
Implement and validate enabling features, such as OTA updates and vehicle sleep functions, to accelerate development and testing capabilities across the fleet.
Provide technical analysis to support the prioritization of low-level foundational work versus high-level feature development based on program needs.
Dive deep into unfamiliar ECU domains and software stacks to resolve integration blockers and ensure system stability.
Analyze and report on component-level issues, clearly extrapolating the potential system-level risks to engineering leadership.
Collaborate directly with architecture, platform, and application developers to define and resolve software dependencies.