Lead Structural & Thermal Simulation Engineer

Rivian Automotive; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 149,000 - 187,000; Full time

Job summary

Rivian Automotive seeks a Staff Structural Simulation Engineer to lead structural and thermo-mechanical risk management for advanced vehicle electronics through high-fidelity simulations. You will define design requirements for PCB layouts, enclosures, and cooling to meet aggressive reliability targets and guide multidisciplinary teams toward engineering excellence.

You will establish material characterization protocols, execute multi-physics simulations for sensors and electronics modules, and

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or equivalent; Ph.D. preferred.
• 3-5 years (Ph.D) / 5-7 years (M.S.) of relevant industry experience working on problems in Structural Mechanics for electronics assemblies.
• Strong knowledge in nonlinear analysis, explicit analysis, dynamics and vibrations, and coupled thermal-structural analysis.
• Experience with IC package design and CPI failure modes in high-power electronics.
• Proficiency with Python/Matlab for analysis and post-processing.

Responsibilities

• Lead structural and thermo-mechanical risk management for electronics assemblies.
• Perform multi-scale simulations (random vibrations, shock, thermal cycling) to meet reliability targets.
• Conduct stiffness assessments and touch surface simulations for haptic interfaces.
• Perform nonlinear structural evaluations under aggressive loading to prevent failure.
• Direct multi-physics simulations for critical low-voltage electronic modules and sensors.
• Optimize PCB and component layouts on heterogeneous boards.
• Provide design guidance on enclosure stiffness, thermal stack-up, and cooling architecture.
• Manage material data and simulation databases for electronics components.
• Coordinate benchmarking and model correlation using advanced techniques.
• Support reliability teams with root-cause analysis during testing and validation.
• Drive cross-functional program decisions as a technical authority.

Skills

Non-Linear analysis

Explicit Analysis

Linear Dynamics

Thermal-Structural analysis

FEA solvers

Python/ Matlab

Model correlation

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Master's Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Ph.D. preferred

Tools

Ansys

Abaqus

Optistruct

SimLab/SimSolid

Hypermesh

ANSA/Meta

Job description

Rivian Automotive seeks a Staff Structural Simulation Engineer to lead structural and thermo-mechanical risk management for advanced vehicle electronics through high-fidelity simulations. You will define design requirements for PCB layouts, enclosures, and cooling to meet aggressive reliability targets and guide multidisciplinary teams toward engineering excellence.

You will establish material characterization protocols, execute multi-physics simulations for sensors and electronics modules, and