Senior Studio Craftsmanship & Perceived Quality Engineer

Rivian; Tustin (CA); On-site; USD 108,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Senior Studio Perceived Quality Engineer in California to bridge creative design and engineering excellence, turning subjective sensory inputs into objective engineering specs. You will lead early attribute research, theme packaging, and feasibility for interior and exterior Class A surfaces, mentoring others while driving world-class vehicle craftsmanship.

The role calls for a strong blend of creativity and technical rigor, collaboration across disciplines, and willingness

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Design Engineering, Transportation Design, or a related technical discipline.
• 5 years’ experience with Craftsmanship, Perceived Quality, or Studio Engineering in automotive or similar high quality product engineering discipline.
• Deep knowledge of part and assembly tolerance stack analysis, GD&T, and statistical qualification of equipment, design for manufacturing.
• A keen eye for aesthetics, and a deep understanding of the technical and manufacturing limitations required to achieve premium perceived quality.
• 3+ years experience with Catia V5 or V6 (or similar CAD software).
• Bonus Skills: VRED and Class A surface modeling are preferred.
• Manufacturing knowledge: tooling requirements, lead times, and DFM considerations.
• Regulatory knowledge: domestic and global homologation, legal, and safety requirements.
• Interpersonal skills: communication and cross-functional collaboration.
• Willingness to travel 10-30%.

Responsibilities

• Lead craftsmanship development and establish criteria for excellence.
• Define and provide specifications to Studio, Engineering, and Supplier teams for visible interfaces, haptics, paint, and surface quality.
• Drive interface maturation and verify conformance to inputs.
• Virtually validate data for craftsmanship excellence and triage issues on physical builds.
• Translate requirements into build standards and oversee handoff to production teams.
• Perform vehicle and part level reviews to detect issues early and enable rapid resolution.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Eye for design

Tolerance analysis

Manufacturing know-how

Regulatory knowledge

Travel

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Eng./Design/Transportation Design

Tools

Catia V5/V6 (CAD)

VRED

Class A surface modeling

Job description

Rivian is seeking a Senior Studio Perceived Quality Engineer in California to bridge creative design and engineering excellence, turning subjective sensory inputs into objective engineering specs. You will lead early attribute research, theme packaging, and feasibility for interior and exterior Class A surfaces, mentoring others while driving world-class vehicle craftsmanship.

The role calls for a strong blend of creativity and technical rigor, collaboration across disciplines, and willingness