Lead Staff Software Engineer, Embedded, Autonomy

Rivian; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 206,500 - 258,100; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Insurance benefits

401(k) Plan

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Job summary

A leading electric vehicle manufacturer is seeking a Lead Staff Engineer in Palo Alto, California to develop embedded software for their next-generation autonomy driving platform. The successful candidate will architect and test software functionalities, lead cross-functional teams, and optimize performance on high compute embedded systems. Ideal applicants should have a Bachelor's or Master's in a relevant field and at least 8 years of experience. Competitive salary range offered, with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 8+ years of related work experience.
• Experience programming with C and C++ languages.
• Experience with bleeding-edge embedded software development and hardware bring-up.
• Proven track record of mentoring engineers or leading small-to-medium technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, develop, and maintain applications, drivers, and frameworks on high compute embedded platforms.
• Lead feature development involving cross-functional teams through multiple phases of the SDLC.
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to bring-up hardware and integrate software with vehicle components.
• Identify and implement optimizations to enhance system performance and power efficiency.
• Mentor and coach junior and senior engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence.

Skills

C programming

C++ programming

Embedded systems

Hardware bring-up

Linux device drivers

Debugging

Mentoring

Project management

Version control (Git)

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field

Tools

Embedded development tools

Debuggers

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

In this position, you will be a Lead Staff Engineer developing embedded software for Rivian’s next‑generation autonomy driving platform. You will architect, design, develop, and test platform software to support Rivian’s cutting‑edge autonomy stack. You will lead feature development involving cross‑functional teams and oversee features from concept to deployment. Focus areas will include application development, driver development, hardware bring‑up, and simulation.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, develop, and maintain applications, drivers, and frameworks on high compute embedded platforms.
• Lead feature development involving cross‑functional teams through multiple phases of the SDLC.
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to bring‑up hardware and integrate software with various vehicle components and systems.
• Identify and implement optimizations to enhance system performance, memory utilization, and power efficiency.
• Participate in and conduct code reviews to maintain code quality, adherence to coding standards, and knowledge sharing within the team.
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for software designs, interfaces, and testing procedures.
• Develop and execute test plans to validate software functionality, safety, and reliability in compliance with automotive standards.
• Keep up with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to contribute to continuous improvement within the team.
• Mentor and coach junior and senior engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and potentially overseeing a dedicated sub‑team of embedded developers.
• Drive the technical roadmap for the Autonomy platform and assist in resource planning, hiring, and team growth strategy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 8+ years of related work experience.
• Experience programming with C and C++ languages.
• Experience with bleeding‑edge embedded software development and hardware bring‑up.
• Experience developing, profiling, and optimizing code running on a multi‑core embedded Linux target.
• Experience with Linux device drivers for hardware blocks such as Camera Serial Interface (CSI), Image Signal Processor (ISP), Ethernet, I2C, SPI, UART, UFS, or PCIe.
• Proven track record of mentoring engineers or leading small‑to‑medium technical teams.
• Experience in project management, sprint planning, or defining engineering processes within a high‑growth environment.
• Experience working with embedded development tools and debuggers.
• Experience working with version control systems (e.g., Git) and issue tracking tools.
• Strong understanding of modern SoC architectures, operating system fundamentals, hardware/software interfaces, and abstractions.
• Strong communication, debugging, problem‑solving, and teamwork abilities.
• Experience with automotive communication protocols such as CAN, UDS, and DOIP is a plus.
• Experience with any RTOS (e.g., FreeRTOS, QNX, GreenHills, etc.) is a plus.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $206,500.00 – $258,100.00 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.

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.

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

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. 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) 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.

Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.