Senior Software Engineer - Display/Touch Infotainment Platform

Rivian VW Group; Palo Alto, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity eligibility

Annual performance bonus

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Rivian Volkswagen Group Technologies seeks a skilled Software Engineer for automotive infotainment software. You will own end-to-end display and input subsystems, from low-level drivers to OS frameworks, ensuring a responsive, visually flawless user experience across future Rivian and VW vehicles.

Join a collaborative team focusing on Android Automotive, Linux-based platforms, and cross-functional integration with hardware partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 5+ years in embedded software or platform engineering for display panels, touch screens, or hardware input tech.
• Strong C/C++ proficiency and experience with embedded OSes (Linux, QNX, Android Automotive).
• Experience with display/input frameworks (Linux DRM/KMS, Android SurfaceFlinger/InputManager).
• Experience with I2C, SPI, UART, MIPI DSI interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Develop, integrate, and maintain display drivers and compositor frameworks for automotive topologies.
• Develop and integrate drivers and middleware for touch panels and physical buttons; optimize input processing and latency.
• Tune the glass-to-glass pipeline for frame rates and visual quality; reduce latency.
• Bring up new display panels with hardware vendors and SoC partners via standard buses.
• Troubleshoot display/input issues using profilers, debuggers, and logic analyzers.
• Implement features like dynamic backlight control and multi-display sync.
• Collaborate with Hardware, UI/UX, and System teams to satisfy safety and EMC requirements.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Embedded software

Embedded OS (Linux/QNX/Android)

Display and input frameworks

Hardware interfaces (I2C/SPI/UART/MIPI

Problem solving & debugging

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/EE or related

Job description

About Us

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world.

The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone.

Role Summary

The Infotainment Platform team at Rivian Volkswagen Technologies is looking for a skilled Software Engineer to join our Automotive Software team. We are developing the next generation, Android-based in-vehicle experience that will be deployed across all future electric vehicles in the Rivian and Volkswagen Group portfolios. You will work on the architecture, integration, and optimization of both display and input subsystems for our next-generation infotainment platforms. In this role, you will own the end-to-end pipeline from the low-level hardware drivers (touch controllers, display panels, physical buttons) up through the OS frameworks (Linux, QNX, Android Automotive) to ensure a seamless, highly responsive, and visually flawless user experience.

Join us in driving the future of automotive infotainment!

Responsibilities

• Display & Graphics Pipeline: Develop, integrate, and maintain display drivers and compositor frameworks (e.g., DRM/KMS, SurfaceFlinger, Wayland, OpenWFD) for complex, multi-display automotive topologies.

• Touch & Input Subsystems: Develop and integrate drivers and middleware for touch panels (capacitive, resistive) and physical infotainment buttons (e.g., hard keys, rotary dials, steering wheel controls). Optimize input processing, gesture recognition, multi-touch coordination, and noise filtering within the OS input frameworks (e.g., Android InputFlinger, Linux evdev).

• Performance Optimization: Tune the complete glass-to-glass pipeline. Optimize frame rates, visual quality (color accuracy, white point tuning), and touch/button latency to ensure a fluid, highly responsive user experience.

• Hardware Bring-Up & Integration: Partner closely with hardware vendors and SoC partners to bring up new display panels (LCD, OLED) and input interfaces via standard buses (MIPI DSI, I2C, SPI) and SerDes links.

• System-Level Debugging: Investigate and resolve complex display and input issues (e.g., screen freezes, visual artifacts, touch ghosting, missed button presses, dropped frames) using software profilers, gdb, JTAG, and logic analyzers.

• Feature Development: Implement advanced system features such as dynamic backlight control, power sequencing, resolution switching, fault monitoring, and multi-display synchronization.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Hardware engineers, UI/UX designers, and System teams to define requirements, document software architectures, and ensure compliance with automotive safety and EMC requirements.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.

• 5+ years of proven experience in embedded software development or platform engineering, specifically focusing on display panels, touch screens, and hardware input technologies.

• Strong proficiency in C/C++ programming.

• Deep understanding of embedded operating systems such as Linux, QNX, or Android Automotive OS.

• Solid grasp of display and input frameworks (e.g., Linux DRM/KMS, Android SurfaceFlinger/InputManager).

• Experience with hardware peripherals and interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, MIPI DSI).

• Excellent problem-solving, system-level debugging, and teamwork skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience bringing up automotive infotainment platforms on major SoCs (e.g., Qualcomm Snapdragon, NXP).

• Familiarity with graphics libraries and hardware compositors (OpenGL ES, Vulkan, HWC).

• Experience with automotive communication protocols (CAN, Automotive Ethernet).

• Familiarity with display virtualization (VirtIO-GPU) and hypervisor environments (e.g., QNX, Gunyah).

• Proficiency with performance profiling tools like Systrace, Perfetto, and vendor-specific GPU profilers.

Total Rewards

We build the exceptional — and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program.

Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements.

In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full-time employees — including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs. Offerings vary by country. Learn more about our global benefit programs.

Equal Opportunity

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are also committed to ensuring compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at [e-mail].

Candidate Data Privacy

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies” may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) record keeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies affiliates; and (iii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies’ service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, and the European Union and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.

If you provide a mobile telephone number as part of your application or during the recruitment process, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use that number to contact you via SMS text message for recruitment‑related purposes, including scheduling, logistics, and status updates. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any text message you receive from us. Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of applying for or being considered for employment.

Please see our Candidate Data Privacy Notice (English) and Candidate Data Privacy Notice (Serbian) for more information.