Electrical Design Engineering Intern

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies in Irvine, CA, is seeking an Electrical Design Engineering Intern to work with senior engineers on cutting-edge zonal hardware for power distribution and control. You should be hands-on, curious, and eager to learn in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

The internship runs September 21 to December 18, 2026, in person at our Irvine office. This role provides exposure to hardware validation, lab testing, and cross-functional collaboration with

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in an accredited graduate degree program in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering.
• Experience with audio amplifier design or testing.
• Strong coursework or hands-on project foundation in analog/digital circuit design, microcontrollers, and power basics.
• Hands-on experience with standard electrical lab equipment (oscilloscopes, multimeters, function generators, logic analyzers, soldering).
• Experience with EDA tools for schematic capture and PCB layout (Altium, Cadence Allegro, KiCAD).
• Strong problem-solving, curiosity, and willingness to learn in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Assist senior engineers across the hardware design process from schematic capture to PCB layout reviews and lab validation.
• Design, bring up, test, and debug low-voltage zonal control modules and evaluation boards.
• Support testing on power electronics subsystems and verify signal integrity across CAN, SPI, Ethernet, and analog/digital I/O.
• Perform hands-on root cause analysis, troubleshooting, and failure investigations on PCBA prototypes.
• Collaborate with mechanical, thermal, software, and validation teams to ensure smooth hardware integration into prototypes.
• Assist with hardware validation across EVT/DVT phases and vehicle-level testing.

Skills

Electrical Engineering

Computer Engineering

Audio amplifier design

EE fundamentals

Lab equipment

EDA tools

Education

Graduate degree program in Electrical Engineering

Graduate degree program in Computer Engineering

Tools

Altium

Cadence Allegro

KiCAD

Job description

About Us

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.

Role Summary

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a strategic joint venture between Rivian and the Volkswagen Group, dedicated to shaping the future of advanced mobility. By combining Rivian’s leadership in software-defined vehicle platforms with Volkswagen’s global manufacturing excellence, we’re engineering next-generation technology to make vehicles smarter, safer, and more sustainable. Our goal is to constantly push the boundaries of feature density within the thermal envelope while simplifying harness and vehicle manufacturing.

As an Electrical Design Engineering Intern, you will work directly alongside senior engineers in developing cutting-edge zonal hardware—the backbone for power distribution and control functions in our next-generation vehicles. We are looking for a hands‑on, curious intern with a strong foundation in electrical engineering fundamentals, a passion for automotive innovation, and an eagerness to learn in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment.

This is a full-time, in-person position based at our Irvine, CA office from September 21 to December 18, 2026.

Responsibilities

• Hardware Lifecycle Support: Assist senior engineers across the hardware design process, from schematic capture and component selection to PCB layout reviews and lab validation.

• Prototyping & Testing: Help design, bring up, test, and debug low-voltage zonal control modules and custom evaluation boards.

• Power & Signal Analysis: Support testing on power electronics subsystems (including solid-state power distribution) and verify signal integrity across communication buses (CAN, SPI, Ethernet, and analog/digital I/O).

• Lab Work & Troubleshooting: Perform hands‑on root cause analysis, troubleshooting, and failure investigations on PCBAs and prototypes using standard lab tools.

• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Partner with mechanical, thermal, software, and validation teams to ensure hardware integrates smoothly into prototype vehicles.

• System Validation: Assist with hardware validation across early build phases (EVT/DVT) and vehicle‑level testing.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in an accredited graduate degree program in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field.

• Experience with audio amplifier design or testing

• Strong coursework or hands‑on project foundation in core EE principles (analog/digital circuit design, microcontrollers, and power basics).

• Hands‑on experience with standard electrical lab equipment (oscilloscopes, multimeters, function generators, logic analyzers, and soldering tools).

• Experience with EDA tools for schematic capture and PCB layout (e.g., Altium, Cadence Allegro, KiCAD, or similar) through student projects, teams, or prior coursework.

• Strong problem‑solving abilities, curiosity, and a proactive mindset toward learning.

Preferred Qualifications

• Participation in hands‑on student engineering teams (e.g., Formula SAE, Solar Car, Hyperloop, or Robotics).

• Familiarity with common automotive or embedded communication protocols (CAN, SPI, I2C, Ethernet).

• Basic understanding of low‑voltage power electronics or solid‑state switching.

Total Rewards

We build the exceptional — and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full‑time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program.

Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements.

In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full‑time employees — including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs. Offerings vary by country. Learn more about our global benefit programs.

Equal Opportunity

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. 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. We are also committed to ensuring compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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) record keeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies affiliates; and (iii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies’ service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, 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.

If you provide a mobile telephone number as part of your application or during the recruitment process, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use that number to contact you via SMS text message for recruitment‑related purposes, including scheduling, logistics, and status updates. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any text message you receive from us. Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of applying for or being considered for employment.

Please see our Candidate Data Privacy Notice (English) and Candidate Data Privacy Notice (Serbian) for more information.

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Please note this job posting represents an open, active vacancy. Additionally, we are not currently accepting applications from third party application services.