Senior Aerothermal Engineer — Thermal Systems Lead

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

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Sr. Aerothermal Development Engineer to drive the thermal attributes process from target setting to vehicle-level sign-off. You will benchmark and analyze customer fleets, create test plans, and lead hardware/software development for HVAC and propulsion conditioning.

You will work with cross-functional teams to optimize thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and system response using data-driven methods and aerothermal simulations, with up to 30% travel for testing activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Graduate Degree in Engineering (Mechanical/Aerospace) from an accredited university.
• 2-5 years’ automotive thermal system development, HVAC design, or electronics cooling with data analysis focus.
• Expertise in thermal instrumentation, data acquisition, and post-processing large datasets.
• Strong understanding of control systems and proposing/supporting control logic changes for thermal management.
• Knowledge of CAN, LIN, Ethernet and relevant debugging tools.
• Familiarity with automotive refrigerant/heat pump systems and EV HVAC.
• Foundational understanding of aerothermal simulation (CFD, thermal comfort) and data-driven problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Lead 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 proactively 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 both 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 procedure.
• Drive the development and refinement of control strategies for HVAC and thermal management systems based directly on test data analysis and identified performance gaps.
• Collaborate closely with HVAC control strategy lead & controls engineers to propose and 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 (e.g., thermal comfort, system capacity, HVAC/propulsion conditioning performance).
• Present compelling analysis results to leadership and cross-functional teams, highlighting key findings, root causes, and recommended solutions.
• Utilize a foundational understanding of aerothermal simulation (CFD, thermal comfort) to correlate simulation results with physical data, and assist in diagnosing complex issues identified during testing.
• Participate in cross-functional teams (Studio, Thermal, Interior, Exterior, Controls) to develop and implement innovative and efficient HVAC and cooling strategies, with a strong emphasis on data-driven decisions.
• Manage opening and closure of engineering concerns and issues throughout the vehicle life, ensuring robust root cause analysis using test data.
• Travel: up to 30% (primarily for testing activities).

Skills

Data analysis

Test planning

Root-cause analysis

Autonomy

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Data visualization

Education

Bachelor's or Graduate Degree in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

CAN

LIN

Ethernet

Debugging tools

CFD

Thermal simulation

Job description

Rivian is seeking a Sr. Aerothermal Development Engineer to drive the thermal attributes process from target setting to vehicle-level sign-off. You will benchmark and analyze customer fleets, create test plans, and lead hardware/software development for HVAC and propulsion conditioning.

You will work with cross-functional teams to optimize thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and system response using data-driven methods and aerothermal simulations, with up to 30% travel for testing activities.