Early Career - HIL Engineer II, Charging and Energy

Watershed Ventures; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 107,000 - 133,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision benefits

401(k) plan + ESPP

Paid vacation and sick leave

Disability insurance

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Engineer to lead the design of physical and digital test environments for next-gen charging products in Southern California. You will bridge hardware and software by designing interface PCBs, building wire harnesses, and writing robust Python automation.

The role requires 1+ years in hardware design or HIL testing, with Python proficiency and experience reading schematics.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 1+ years of hardware design, HIL testing, embedded systems, or electrical systems engineering.
• Hands-on experience reading electrical schematics, designing custom PCBs and wire harnesses.
• Proficiency in Python; comfortable writing scripts and tools to automate hardware testing.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and integrate custom HIL PCBs and wire harnesses to interface with Charging and Energy controllers.
• Read, interpret, and troubleshoot electrical schematics and hardware systems to ensure accurate test setups.
• Develop and maintain Python-based software applications and scripts to automate HIL regression testing and hardware validation.
• Partner with hardware and functional safety engineers to design test systems that validate critical safety features and edge cases.
• Take ownership of the physical HIL benches, optimize workflows, troubleshoot electrical faults, and upgrade hardware configurations.

Skills

Hardware design

Python scripting

Debugging

Communication

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering

MS in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

Altium

KiCad

CAN

Modbus

Job description

About Rivian

Rivian is on a mission to keep the world adventurous forever. This goes for the emissions-free Electric Adventure Vehicles we build, and the curious, courageous souls we seek to attract. As a company, we constantly challenge what’s possible, never simply accepting what has always been done. We reframe old problems, seek new solutions and operate comfortably in areas that are unknown. Our backgrounds are diverse, but our team shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it for future generations.

Role Summary

Join our Charging & Energy team as a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Engineer and take the lead in designing the physical and digital test environments for our next-generation charging products! In this hands-on role, you will bridge the gap between hardware and software by designing custom interface boards, building wire harnesses, and writing robust Python-based automation. If you are naturally curious, motivated by complex hardware challenges, and passionate about shaping the future of energy, this is your chance to make a massive impact on our team.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and integrate custom HIL printed circuit boards (PCBs) and wire harnesses to interface with our Charging and Energy controllers.
• Read, interpret, and troubleshoot electrical schematics and hardware systems to ensure accurate test setups.
• Develop and maintain Python-based software applications, scripts, and libraries to automate HIL regression testing and hardware validation.
• Partner with hardware and functional safety engineers to design test systems that validate critical safety features and edge cases.
• Take ownership of the physical HIL benches, optimizing workflows, troubleshooting electrical faults, and upgrading hardware configurations as product designs evolve.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field (Electrical Engineering background is strongly preferred).
• 1+ years of experience in hardware design, HIL testing, embedded systems, or electrical systems engineering.
• Hands-on experience reading electrical schematics, designing custom PCBs and wire harnesses.
• Proficiency in Python; you should be comfortable writing scripts and tools to automate hardware testing.
• A strong sense of curiosity, self-motivation, and a proactive approach to both hardware design and problem-solving.
• Debugging skills that span across both electrical and software domains.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills to work effectively in a cross-functional team environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with ECAD software (e.g., Altium, KiCad) for board design.
• Familiarity with communication protocols relevant to charging and energy systems (e.g., CAN, Modbus).

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $107,000 - $133,000 for SoCal 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. 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, paid sick leave, and a competitive portfolio of insurance benefits including life, medical, dental, vision, short-term disability insurance, and long-term disability insurance to eligible employees. You may also have the 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.

This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than August 15, 2026.

Equal Opportunity

Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law. Rivian is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at [e-mail].

Candidate Data Privacy and Technology

Rivian may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law. Rivian may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian affiliates; and (iii) Rivian’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services. Rivian may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.

How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process

To ensure transparency, we want candidates to know that Rivian uses iCIMS Talent Cloud Artificial Intelligence (TCAI) and AI-enabled tools to assist with screening, reviewing, organizing and highlighting profiles and applications that match the key requirements for each role. AI does not make hiring decisions: Qualified candidate applications are reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate. Participation in AI profile matching is entirely voluntary. If you prefer that your profile not be used in this process, you can opt out at any time. Opting out means your profile will be excluded from automated matching and will not be surfaced for additional roles through this system. Your current application remains active and will not be affected in any way. Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.