Senior Mechanical Design & Release Engineer, Battery Structures

About the Role

As part of the talented Rivian product development team, you will engineer structural components employed on R1, R2, and R3 platform products—designing solutions that balance often conflicting attributes: performance, cost, safety, reliability, manufacturability, timing, and/or aesthetic. This role involves cross-functional collaboration across the company and requires working onsite at our design Headquarters in Irvine, CA.

Responsibilities

• Own the development of battery structure components.
• Own BOM cost and mass for responsible parts.
• Coordinate DFM studies including tooling investment for responsible parts.
• Work closely with manufacturing to deliver a quality-capable design that can be produced at rate for the right cost to meet program goals.
• Create engineering release documents (such as 2D drawings, Critical Function Document, DVP).
• Contribute to risk management activities: DFMEA, design feasibility, and design validation action items.
• Work with cross-functional stakeholders to develop engineering solutions that meet requirements for vehicle crash, durability, and NVH.
• Work alongside Body Structures and Energy Storage teams to develop tightly integrated solutions meeting vehicle attributes as well as pack EMC, grounding, venting, sealing, and thermal management.
• Work closely with downstream teams to develop solutions supporting state-of-the-art manufacturing processes as well as best-in-class quality, reliability, and service.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• 5+ years of industry (or equivalent) experience as a Mechanical Design Engineer, owning a component such as a battery enclosure/structure, chassis subframe, motor/inverter housing, and/or body structure components.
• Industry (or equivalent) experience in developing solutions for complex cross-functional engineering problems (sealing, EMC shielding, structural durability, crash performance) while also managing costs and timing.
• Experience in component or subsystem testing.
• Experience working with suppliers is considered a plus.
• Strong structural engineering foundation—first principles/design-think mindset.
• Automotive OEM/supplier experience, university race team a plus.
• Good collaborative and teamwork skills.
• Motivated by curiosity to challenge convention and continuously ask "Why?" in pursuit of clear understanding.
• Passion to evolve and improve your own skills and capabilities as well as those of others around you.

Pay

The salary range for this role is $107,800 - $134,800 for California-based applicants. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, shift, and organizational needs. The successful candidate may be eligible for annual performance bonus and equity awards.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits for full-time and part-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26, including but not limited to:

• Paid vacation and paid sick leave.
• A competitive portfolio of insurance benefits including life, medical, dental, vision, short-term disability insurance, and long-term disability insurance to eligible employees.
• Opportunity to participate in Rivian’s 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program if you meet certain eligibility requirements.

Full-time employee coverage is effective on their first day of employment. Part-time employee coverage is effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment. More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com.