Senior Aerothermal Engineer — Thermal Systems Innovator

Rivian Automotive; Tustin (CA); On-site; USD 122,000 - 152,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) Plan

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Health, dental, vision insurance

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Sr. Aerothermal Development Engineer to drive development and validation of thermal systems across HVAC and propulsion conditioning. You will lead testing campaigns, define procedures, instrument vehicles, and analyze data to close design gaps.

Role requires experience in automotive thermal systems, instrumentation, and data analysis, with a focus on benchmarking and cross-functional teamwork. Travel up to 30% for testing activities is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Graduate Degree in Engineering (Mechanical/Aerospace) from an accredited university with a strong background in Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics, and Experimental Methods/Data Analysis.
• 2-5 years of automotive thermal system development, HVAC design, or electronics cooling with emphasis on physical testing and data analysis.
• Expertise in thermal instrumentation, data acquisition, and advanced post-processing techniques for large datasets.
• Proven experience analyzing complex thermal and HVAC performance data to identify trends, diagnose issues, and drive solutions.
• Strong understanding of control systems and experience proposing/supporting control logic changes for thermal management systems.
• Working knowledge of automotive communication protocols (CAN, LIN, Ethernet) and relevant debugging tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning and execution of thermal system development and validation testing, including travel to off-site locations for testing in extreme hot and cold conditions.
• Develop comprehensive test procedures that align with user stories and attribute requirements, ensuring high-quality and actionable test results.
• Specify, plan, and assist with vehicle instrumentation, ensuring data acquisition solutions meet required accuracy and robustness.
• Identify, document, and address system design gaps and vehicle issues throughout all phases of testing and development based on empirical data.
• Support chamber and on-road testing for HVAC and Propulsion Conditioning Attributes, contributing to hardware and software development.
• Create and maintain detailed testing documentation, including test plans, verification procedures, and comprehensive test reports detailing analysis findings during development cycle and sign-off procedures.
• Drive the development and refinement of control strategies for HVAC and thermal management systems based on test data analysis and identified performance gaps.
• Collaborate with HVAC control strategy lead & controls engineers to implement logic changes that optimize thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and system response.
• Perform in-depth data analysis of complex test data from vehicle, subsystem, and component-level aerothermal tests.

Skills

Thermodynamics

Heat transfer

Fluid mechanics

Experimental methods

Data analysis

Problem solving

Communication

Autonomous work

Education

Bachelor’s or Graduate Degree in Engineering (Mechanical/Aerospace)

Tools

CAN

LIN

Ethernet

Job description

Rivian is seeking a Sr. Aerothermal Development Engineer to drive development and validation of thermal systems across HVAC and propulsion conditioning. You will lead testing campaigns, define procedures, instrument vehicles, and analyze data to close design gaps.

Role requires experience in automotive thermal systems, instrumentation, and data analysis, with a focus on benchmarking and cross-functional teamwork. Travel up to 30% for testing activities is expected.