Early Career - Mechanical Design Engineer, Exterior Trim

Watershed Ventures; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Medical insurance

401(k) Plan

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to shape exterior vehicle components for its electric platforms in California. You will design, develop, and release exterior fascia assemblies, FEMs, and color exterior trim, translating design intent into manufacturable parts.

Hands-on experience with manufacturing processes, DFx, and 3D geometry is important, as is CATIA v5/v6 proficiency. You will work with cross-functional teams to meet vehicle requirements and ensure quality through a

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• 1–2 design internship experiences or similar professional roles preferred.
• Skilled in CATIA v5/v6 or similar CAD software.
• Hands-on design-through-manufacturing experience through coursework or projects.
• Proficiency in generating 3D geometry and sectional data.
• Experience or involvement in process improvement initiatives.
• Strong analytical thinking and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and release exterior components including fascia assemblies and FEM.
• Explore manufacturing processes such as injection and 2-shot molding, over-molding, and related DFx concepts.
• Collaborate with studio teams to produce high-quality A-surfaces meeting DFMA requirements.
• Apply first-principles design to optimize for overall product performance.
• Communicate effectively across cross-functional groups handling multiple parts and processes.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Communication

Project management

Proactive problem-solving

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CATIA v5/v6

Job description

About Rivian

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

Role Summary This is an opportunity to have great impact and shape the physical design of Rivian’s electric vehicle systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, Develop, and release Exterior Components including, but not limited to Front and Rear Fascia Assemblies, Front End Modules (FEM), Painted and Mold in Color Exterior Trim components.
• Use engineering fundamentals to expand your knowledge in various manufacturing processes such as injection molding, compression molding, 2-shot molding, over-molding etc.
• Work with the studio team to provide feedback and generate high quality A-surfaces that meet all DFM requirements while keeping with the theme of the vehicle.
• Use first principle driven design direction in order to develop exterior components that is best for the product overall.
• Communicate effectively with cross functional groups managing several parts, changes, and processes at a time.
• Create different CAD concepts for issues, detailed 2D sections and concept 3D CAD during initial development.
• Work with cross functional teams to solve problems and develop designs that meets requirements of the system as a whole.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• Preferred: 1–2 examples of design internship experience or a similar professional role.
• Technical Proficiency: Skilled in CATIA v5/v6 or similar CAD software, with the ability to demonstrate applied knowledge.
• Hands-on experience in the design-through-manufacturing process, gained via academic curriculum or extracurricular projects.
• Proficiency in generating 3D geometry and sectional data.
• Experience or involvement in process improvement initiatives.
• Analytical Thinking: Highly motivated with strong logical reasoning skills.
• Communication: Strong numeracy and literacy, paired with excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Proactivity: A proactive approach to preventing issues and avoiding project delays.
• Results-Oriented: A drive to pursue continuous improvement and achieve high levels of customer satisfaction.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $85,400 - $94,900 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

• paid vacation
• paid sick leave
• life insurance
• medical insurance
• dental insurance
• vision insurance
• short-term disability insurance
• long-term disability insurance
• 401(k) Plan
• Employee Stock Purchase Program

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.

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.