Electrical Engineer, Special Projects & Prototyping

Rivian; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 86,000 - 107,000; Full time

Job summary

Rivian in Irvine, CA, is seeking a hands‑on engineer for the Special Projects Team to translate ambitious concepts into physical reality. You will design show‑car hardware, program microcontrollers, and collaborate across teams to deliver functional electromechanical systems on tight timelines.

The role emphasizes prototyping, rapid problem‑solving, and documentation to support future projects on a dynamic shop floor.

Qualifications

• An understanding of LV and HV vehicle architecture for circuit and wiring design
• Ability to design PCBs and integrate their functions into vehicle architectures
• The ability to collaborate to find solutions to complex problems in unfamiliar systems
• Experience with mechatronics systems such as powering and actuating motors for testing applications
• The ability to quickly make tradeoffs and decisions to drive progress
• The ability to develop software for custom prototypes designed within this same role.
• Strong teamwork skills, the ability to collaborate, and a positive attitude
• Bachelor's Degree with an Engineering Focus

Responsibilities

• Design ground‑up hardware for show cars and early prototypes, flexing your expertise across mechatronics, LV/HV wiring, and power electronics.
• Program microcontrollers and write embedded software to transform static assemblies into dynamic, fully functional electromechanical systems.
• Partner with cross‑functional teams to translate ambitious ideas into reality, designing clever surrogate hardware to bypass bottlenecks and hit aggressive timelines.
• Maintain clean, actionable documentation so your custom architectures can be easily serviced, duplicated, or evolved for future projects.

Skills

LV/HV wiring

PCB design

Mechatronics

Embedded software

Microcontrollers

Software for prototypes

Team collaboration

Engineering degree

Education

Bachelors Degree in Engineering

Job description

Rivian in Irvine, CA, is seeking a hands‑on engineer for the Special Projects Team to translate ambitious concepts into physical reality. You will design show‑car hardware, program microcontrollers, and collaborate across teams to deliver functional electromechanical systems on tight timelines.

The role emphasizes prototyping, rapid problem‑solving, and documentation to support future projects on a dynamic shop floor.