Materials Engineer - Automotive & Sustainability

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

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

401(k) plan

Employee stock purchase program

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Vehicle Materials Engineer in California to advance material development from concept to production. You will collaborate with product teams to prototype, validate, and standardize materials used in our EV platforms.

You will lead sustainability-driven materials initiatives, manage multiple vendor relationships, and ensure quality through rigorous documentation and cross-functional collaboration. This role supports Rivian’s mission and values.

Qualifications

• Bachelors or Masters in Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or similar.
• 1-3+ years of materials development industry experience.
• Multidisciplined experiences in automotive plastics, deco materials (plated, Aluminum wood), polymeric films, fabrics/textiles, composites, and natural fibers.
• Proven experience with managing multiple complex projects simultaneously and vendors.
• First-class communication skills across sites & time zones to a wide range of audiences.
• Ability to solve problems using a first-principles approach.
• Highly organized and detail oriented in documentation and data management.
• Willingness to work cross-functionally in a dynamic environment.
• Sound commercial and financial awareness.
• Google suite proficiency.
• Ability for 10% travel including weekends and international travel.

Responsibilities

• Drive material prototyping & development in partnership with the product development team.
• Complete engineering approval of program materials as part of the Materials Engineering Validation process.
• Author Rivian Materials Standards and Rivian Testing Specifications.
• Lead advanced materials development with a focus on sustainability initiatives, improved durability and cleanability.
• Drive root cause analysis for ongoing production issues related to materials, working directly with Tiers and Materials Vendors.
• Provide materials modeling inputs for digital validation.
• Work with Supplier Quality Engineering and Purchasing on supplier development.
• Demonstrate curiosity and high learning agility.
• Exhibit "Rivian Compass" values in everything you do.

Skills

Materials development

Vendor management

Cross-site communication

Problem solving

Documentation

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Materials/Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Google Suite

Job description

Rivian is seeking a Vehicle Materials Engineer in California to advance material development from concept to production. You will collaborate with product teams to prototype, validate, and standardize materials used in our EV platforms.

You will lead sustainability-driven materials initiatives, manage multiple vendor relationships, and ensure quality through rigorous documentation and cross-functional collaboration. This role supports Rivian’s mission and values.