Lead Vehicle Safety Testing & Validation

Rivian; Plymouth Charter Township (MI); On-site; USD 199,000 - 249,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Insurance benefits (life, medical, etc

Dental & vision coverage

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Senior Manager of Safety Test & Validation to lead Rivian's Vehicle Safety Engineering test and validation team. You will drive end-to-end testing strategies to meet global regulatory and consumer standards, oversee DVP creation, manage external test facilities, and collaborate across engineering, program management, and homologation teams to ensure safety performance.

The role requires extensive experience in vehicle safety, crashworthiness, and global regulatory standards,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical/Automotive Engineering.
• Extensive experience in vehicle safety, crashworthiness, and structural performance with knowledge of FMVSS, UNECE, US NCAP, Euro NCAP, IIHS.
• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams.
• Strong expertise in CAE methodologies, crash test planning, and vehicle safety validation.
• Deep understanding of vehicle structures, materials and crash management strategies.
• Ability to drive cross-functional collaboration and influence decisions.

Responsibilities

• Participate in cross-functional strategy development to advance Rivian's Vehicle Safety Engineering test and validation vision.
• Define, establish, and optimize vehicle- and component-level testing programs to validate performance against internal targets, global standards, and regulatory requirements (FMVSS, UNECE, Euro NCAP, etc.).
• Oversee program Design Verification Plan (DVP) development, execution, and milestone tracking.
• Influence internal and external functional groups to achieve seamless validation execution across systems and vehicles.
• Develop strategic partnerships with test labs, research institutions, and key vendors; plan assets, capacity, timelines, budget, and equipment investments.
• Represent Rivian in technical regulatory discussions and vehicle rating/performance evaluations for validation.
• Establish and maintain internal standards, procedures, and stakeholder instructions for repeatable test execution.
• Oversee test setup, execution, and post-test assessment; ensure accountability and documentation.

Skills

Vehicle Safety

CA E Methods

Team Leadership

Cross-Functional

Project Management

DVP Development

Regulatory Knowledge

Education

Mechanical/Automotive Eng

Tools

CAE Software

Job description

Rivian is seeking a Senior Manager of Safety Test & Validation to lead Rivian's Vehicle Safety Engineering test and validation team. You will drive end-to-end testing strategies to meet global regulatory and consumer standards, oversee DVP creation, manage external test facilities, and collaborate across engineering, program management, and homologation teams to ensure safety performance.

The role requires extensive experience in vehicle safety, crashworthiness, and global regulatory standards,