Senior Vehicle Dynamics & Motion Control Engineer

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 218,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies in Irvine, CA seeks a senior Systems Engineer for Propulsion & Dynamics to own motion control features from concept to release. You will define architectures, interfaces, and tests across multiple programs, targeting Traction Control, AWD, and Torque Vectoring while ensuring safety and traceability.

You will develop plant models, drive functional allocation decisions, and collaborate with VW Group teams across time zones.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical, Electrical, Automotive, Mechatronics or Controls Engineering (Master's preferred).
• 8+ years of systems engineering experience with a focus on vehicle dynamics, chassis controls or brake systems, including taking a feature from concept to production release.
• Working knowledge of Traction Control, All‑Wheel Drive and Torque Vectoring systems at the level of the control strategy.
• Demonstrated ownership of requirements in a formal requirements management tool with traceability to verification (Jama, Flow, DOORS or equivalent).
• Experience with automotive networks and interface definition — CAN / CAN FD, FlexRay, LIN, automotive Ethernet, and ARXML or DBC-based signal definition.
• Validation experience at one or more test levels (SIL, HIL, component or vehicle), including specifying test cases and separating a test defect from a software defect; comfort scripting in Python.
• Understanding of ISO 26262 functional safety guidelines as applied to safety‑critical automotive systems, and familiarity with DFMEA / STPA processes.
• Demonstrated use of AI coding assistants (e.g., Cursor, Claude, GitHub Copilot) or AI‑powered analysis tools in an engineering context.
• Strong written communication and the ability to decide under ambiguity.
• Willingness to work across time zones with global colleagues and to travel internationally on occasion.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end system definition for a portfolio of vehicle motion control features across multiple vehicle programs and software packages with focus on Traction Control, All‑Wheel Drive and Torque Vectoring functionalities.
• Define the logical architecture, boundary diagrams, function allocation, state machines, sequence diagrams and theory of operation for each feature, and keep them current as the platform evolves.
• Support development of plant models for Propulsion & Vehicle Dynamics components where necessary.
• Develop and release requirements at vehicle, system and component level with full traceability from feature requirement through software requirement to test case.
• Drive functional allocation decisions across zonal controllers, brake ECUs and secondary ECUs, producing written trade studies that weigh regulatory compliance, functional safety, supplier versus in‑house ownership, and simulated vehicle behavior.
• Own interface and signal‑level definition — raise and review network signal change requests and specify CAN FD, FlexRay and backbone Ethernet signals, keeping interface documentation aligned with implemented software behavior.
• Contribute to feature‑level DFMEAs and support system‑level Functional Safety work products compliant with ISO 26262, including impact analysis for ASIL‑relevant functions.
• Formulate and drive DVP&R across SIL, HIL, component and vehicle levels, and author automated HIL tests in Python where doing so accelerates delivery.
• Triage nightly HIL regression failures — distinguish real software defects from test artifacts, call release‑blocker status, and route or resolve accordingly.
• Prepare design review gate packages, including requirement and test coverage metrics that separate safety and non‑safety requirements, and close the resulting open items.

Skills

Vehicle dynamics

Traction Control

All‑Wheel Drive

Torque Vectoring

CAN FD

FlexRay

Automotive Ethernet

DFMEA

ISO 26262

Python scripting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Automotive, Mechatronics or Controls Engineering

Tools

XCP

CANape

A2L-based workflows

Job description

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies in Irvine, CA seeks a senior Systems Engineer for Propulsion & Dynamics to own motion control features from concept to release. You will define architectures, interfaces, and tests across multiple programs, targeting Traction Control, AWD, and Torque Vectoring while ensuring safety and traceability.

You will develop plant models, drive functional allocation decisions, and collaborate with VW Group teams across time zones.