Senior Technical Program Manager, Validation Fleet

About the role

As a Senior Technical Program Manager, Validation Fleet you own the program that keeps validation assets available, correctly configured, roadworthy, and visible — so validation work happens on the right vehicles at the right time. The role exists at the intersection of engineering change, fleet capability, and test execution, and is accountable for making that intersection transparent to everyone who depends on it. Beyond asset availability, this TPM owns the information flow between engineering and fleet, partnering closely with V&V leads and cross-functional stakeholders to recommend fleet actions, readiness priorities, and asset allocation based on vehicle maturity, content, test intent, and fleet status.

Responsibilities

• Own validation fleet allocation and shared asset planning across active test fleet — arbitrating competing demand and escalating tradeoffs with a recommendation.
• Own the cascade of design and content change into fleet impact: affected VINs, configuration consequences, readiness impact, and at-risk validation.
• Surface fleet-affecting changes to validation teams with enough lead time to re-plan rather than react.
• Serve as primary liaison to the Test & Development fleet coordinator, balancing validation usage against fleet upkeep, movement, and workshop needs.
• Work with Validation TPMs to source donor assets, brokering trades and reallocations across programs when demand exceeds supply.
• Partner with V&V leads to recommend fleet actions, readiness sequencing, and asset prioritization.
• Integrate the fleet tracking system with the validation asset plans and drive open fleet actions to resolution.
• Improve fleet processes, clarify responsibilities, and help teams work through ambiguity during compressed validation timelines.

Qualifications

• Typically 6+ years in technical program management, fleet operations, vehicle testing, validation support, or prototype operations.
• Proven ability to run a cross-functional program end to end, driving decisions and accountability without direct authority.
• Strong working knowledge of validation fleet operations, usage planning, transport coordination, and asset readiness management.
• Familiarity with vehicle maturity, content differences, and engineering change processes, with the ability to translate design change into fleet and validation impact.
• Ability to communicate change and risk clearly across design engineers, validation leads, and senior leadership.
• Strong data hygiene and reporting discipline in Jira, dashboards, and fleet tools, while managing multiple priorities independently.

Pay

The salary range for this role is $121,500 – $151,900 for California-based applicants. 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

• Comprehensive package including paid vacation, paid sick leave, and a competitive portfolio of insurance benefits (life, medical, dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability).
• Eligibility to participate in Rivian’s 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program under specified conditions.
• Coverage effective on first day of employment for full-time employees; first of the month following 90 days of employment for part-time employees.

More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com.