Senior Vehicle Dynamics Engineer

Rivian; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 121,500 - 151,900; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Insurance benefits

401(k) Plan

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Senior Vehicle Dynamics Engineer to join our Southern California team. You will shape how Rivian vehicles interact with road surfaces, bridging mechanical tuning and software-defined architectures with active chassis controls.

Your mission is to deliver the Rivian DNA driving experience. The role spans tuning chassis hardware, calibrating damping and suspension systems, validating designs with data, and collaborating with MBD teams to accelerate physical testing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Automotive Engineering.
• 3–5 years automotive experience in vehicle dynamics or chassis development.
• Proficiency with data acquisition tools such as CANape or Dewesoft.
• Familiarity with simulation software like CarSim, CarMaker or ADAMS.

Responsibilities

• Passive Hardware Tuning: lead development and testing of chassis hardware, dampers and tires.
• Active Systems Calibration: calibrate software controlling active damping, air suspension and EPS.
• Testing & Evaluation: support on-site testing across locations; translate ride feel into engineering direction.
• Virtual Integration: work with MBD team to correlate subjective and objective results.

Skills

Vehicle dynamics

Data acquisition

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Automotive Engineering

Tools

CANape

Dewesoft

CarSim

CarMaker

ADAMS

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

Rivian is looking for a Senior Vehicle Dynamics Engineer to join our Southern California based team. In this role, you won’t just be a passenger in the development process, you’ll be the one shaping how our vehicles interact with the road (and the dirt). You will help bridge the gap between traditional mechanical hardware tuning and the software defined architectures with active chassis controls. Your mission is to deliver the "Rivian DNA" driving experience.

Responsibilities

1. Passive Hardware Tuning: You are the architect of the vehicle's mechanical foundation. You will lead the development and testing for:
   • Chassis Hardware: Tuning and optimizing springs, anti-roll bars, and bushings.
   • Damper Tuning: Optimizing valve codes for passive damping to ensure a robust baseline.
   • Tire Development: Evaluate tire submissions and guide the development process to achieve the full vehicle attribute targets.
2. Active Systems Calibration: You will be responsible for calibrating the software logic that controls:
   • Active Damping: Semi-active or fully active hydraulic control strategies.
   • Air Suspension: Manage the ride heights and load leveling calibrations.
   • Electronic Power Steering (EPS): Tuning steering feel and effort build.
3. Testing & Evaluation: Travel on-site to support the various test locations utilized:
   • Subjective Evaluations: Conduct ride comfort, limit handling, and off-road capability assessments. You must be able to translate a "feel" into actionable engineering direction.
   • Objective Testing: Instrument vehicles and analyze data (VBox, Dewesoft, MATLAB) to validate performance against internal metrics.
4. Virtual Integration: Work closely with the Multi-Body Dynamics (MBD) Simulation team:
   • Sim Synergy: Provide real-world subjective to objective correlation data to refine their models and use their virtual tuning results to hit the ground running during physical testing.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience: 3-5 years of automotive experience in vehicle dynamics or chassis development.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in data acquisition tools (CANape, Dewesoft, or similar).
• Familiarity with simulation software (CarSim, CarMaker, or ADAMS) is a plus.
• Mindset: You thrive in the gray area where subjective meets objective. You are comfortable with rapid iteration and possess a deep passion for automotive tech.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $121,500-151,900 for Southern 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.

The successful candidate may be eligible for annual performance bonus and equity awards.

• paid vacation
• paid sick leave
• a competitive portfolio of insurance benefits including life, medical, dental, vision, short-term disability insurance, and long-term disability insurance to eligible employees
• participation 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 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.

Rivian 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 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 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) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Rivian 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 affiliates; and (iii) Rivian’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

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