Senior Data Engineer- Large Driving Model, Autonomy

Rivian; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 179,000 - 223,800; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Comprehensive insurance benefits

401(k) Plan

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Job summary

Rivian in Palo Alto is seeking a Senior Data Engineer to play a pivotal role in developing their Large Driving Model. You will take ownership of data pipelines that fuel critical solutions within autonomous systems.

The ideal candidate should have extensive experience in Python, a strong understanding of data challenges, and the ability to work independently. Responsibilities include refining evaluation benchmarks and collaborating with modeling teams.

Competitive salary range of $179,000.00 - $223,800.00 based on qualifications and experience.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as a Data Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, or Motion Planning Engineer.
• Proven track record of building production-grade data products.
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain scalable data mining pipelines to extract critical driving scenarios.
• Lead the curation and analysis of large-scale training sets.
• Design and implement evaluation frameworks to measure model performance.

Skills

Python

SQL

Data processing frameworks (Spark, Ray)

Data-centric AI

Robotics telemetry

Education

B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Cloud infrastructure

C++

Job description

About Rivian

Rivianis on a mission to keep the world adventurous forever. This goes for the emissions-free Electric Adventure Vehicles we build, and the curious, courageous souls we seek to attract.

As a company, we constantly challenge what’s possible, never simply accepting what has always been done. We reframe old problems, seek new solutions and operate comfortably in areas that are unknown. Our backgrounds are diverse, but our team shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it for future generations.

Role Summary

We are seeking Senior Data Engineers to play a pivotal role in the development of our Large Driving Model (LDM). In this role, you will take ownership of the data pipelines and curation strategies that fuel our models. You will be responsible for building miners that surface high-value examples, refining evaluation benchmarks, and collaborating directly with modeling teams to accelerate performance.

If you are a strong individual contributor with a deep background in Python, a passion for autonomous systems, and the ability to navigate complex data challenges independently, we want to hear from you.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain scalable data mining pipelines to extract rare and critical driving
  scenarios from massive fleet datasets.
• Lead the curation and analysis of large-scale training sets to improve the robustness and
  generalization of the LDM.
• Design and implement rigorous evaluation frameworks to measure model performance against real-world baselines.
• Provide technical guidance and code reviews for junior and mid-level engineers, ensuring high standards for code quality and system design.
• Partner closely with modeling engineers to define data requirements and iterate on rapid
  experimental loops.
• Identify trends, anomalies, and data distribution shifts that impact model training and validation.
• Contribute to the design of data infrastructure, making informed decisions on tradeoffs between data quality, scale, and compute efficiency.
• Transition experimental data strategies into production-ready pipelines with a focus on Python-based automation.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience as a Data Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, or Motion
  Planning Engineer, specifically within the autonomous driving, robotics, or computer vision space.
• Advanced proficiency in Python and SQL is required, with a proven track record of building production-grade data products.
• Hands‑on experience with distributed data processing frameworks (e.g., Spark, Ray) and cloud infrastructure.
• Solid understanding of data‑centric AI, dataset curation strategies, and model evaluation methodologies.
• Experience handling large‑scale sensor data or complex robotics telemetry.
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, taking projects from a vague concept to a verified, high performing product.
• Strong ability to communicate technical trade‑offs and collaborate effectively within a fast‑paced team environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency in C++.
• Hands‑on experience in robotics or autonomous systems.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $179,000.00 - $223,800.00 for California based applicants. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, shift, and organizational needs.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits for full‑time and part‑time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26, including but not limited to paid vacation, paid sick leave, and a competitive portfolio of insurance benefits including life, medical, dental, vision, short‑term disability insurance, and long‑term disability insurance to eligible employees. You may also have the opportunity to participate in Rivian’s 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program if you meet certain eligibility requirements. Full‑time employee coverage is effective on their first day of employment. Part‑time employee coverage is effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment. More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com.

Equal Opportunity

Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetically determined characteristics, status as a protected veteran or candidate for health, disability, or these are protected.