Sr. Autonomy Data Collection and Prototyping, Vehicle Build and Bring Up Engineer

Rivian; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 162,800 - 203,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Comprehensive insurance benefits

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Vehicle Build and Bring Up Engineer in Palo Alto to bridge design engineering and vehicle prototyping. You will lead the operational handoff, ensuring high-quality builds and data integrity for autonomy stacks.

With a focus on workflow optimization, your role includes developing tools and documentation for technicians and overseeing hardware integration. The position offers competitive benefits and a salary range of $162,800-$203,500 for Bay Area candidates.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of relevant experience in a prototyping or manufacturing environment.
• High proficiency with ISO 14229 (UDS), DoIP, and DoCAN.
• Hands-on experience with automotive test execution environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the transition of complex build tasks from engineering to operator-led processes.
• Engineer solutions to reduce cycle time while maintaining build integrity.
• Ensure the full autonomy data collection suite is mission-ready.
• Validate that every build meets rigorous data-logging standards.
• Lead the physical integration of base vehicles into data collection platforms.
• Develop and implement EOL testing tools for the prototyping environment.
• Create tools and documentation that enable technicians to execute tasks.

Skills

Operational Handoff & Enablement

Workflow Optimization

Bring‑Up Execution & Success

Data Quality Assurance

Hardware Upfit & Release Support

End‑of‑Line & Quality Validation

Cross‑Functional Empowerment

Education

B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field

Tools

Python

Bash

Linux

Vector CANoe

NI TestStand

Job description

About Rivian

Rivian is 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

As the Data Collection & Prototyping: Vehicle Build and Bring Up Engineer, you are the bridge between design engineering and the physical fleet. Your mission is to ensure that every vehicle or test rig in our prototyping facility achieves a successful Hardware and Software Bring‑Up as we scale our operations.

You aren’t just building a vehicle; you are building the process that builds the vehicle. You will design the automation, electrical checks, and diagnostic workflows that enable our operations team to deploy state‑of‑the‑art autonomy stacks with high confidence. Crucially, you ensure that every build is executed to a standard where data integrity enables downstream Data Science and ML consumers. You are responsible for the “technical handoff”—translating complex engineering requirements into robust, repeatable processes that empower operators to execute.

Responsibilities

• Operational Handoff & Enablement: Lead the transition of complex build tasks from engineering‑only execution to operator‑led processes. You are responsible for creating the work procedures, intuitive tooling, and documentation that allow the wider operations team to take on high‑level tasks with zero loss in quality.
• Workflow Optimization: Apply Industrial and Process Systems principles to identify bottlenecks in the "Build → Upfit → Flash → Test" cycle, engineering solutions to reduce cycle time while maintaining build integrity.
• Bring‑Up Execution & Success: Own the end‑to‑end success of HW/SW bring‑up for the Data Collection fleet. This includes firmware flashing, sensor calibration, and network verification (Ethernet/CAN) to ensure the full autonomy data collection suite is "mission‑ready."
• Data Quality Assurance: Validate that every build meets the rigorous data‑logging standards required by downstream consumers. You are responsible for ensuring that sensor mounts, time‑sync protocols, and logging configurations are correct to prevent data corruption or bias.
• Hardware Upfit & Release Support: Lead the physical integration and modification of base vehicles into data collection platforms. Oversee the deployment of hardware releases across the prototype fleet, acting as the primary technical lead for "Day 0" deployments.
• End‑of‑Line (EOL) & Quality Validation: Develop and implement EOL testing tools specifically for the prototyping environment. This includes authoring custom UDS RoutineControl sequences to automate electrical quality checks and service diagnostics.
• Cross‑Functional Empowerment: Act as the technical lead for the shop floor. Create the tools and documentation that enable technicians to take on high‑level tasks, ensuring clear communication and consistent execution.

Qualifications

• Education: B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Scaling & Operational Experience: 3+ years of relevant experience in a prototyping or manufacturing environment, with a proven track record of scaling new, complex products through their early‑stage lifecycle.
• Industrial Systems & Build Orchestration: A background in Industrial or Systems Engineering with a passion for designing automated build sequences and "Standard Work" (SOPs). Ability to architect the "Logical Flow" of a build—ensuring hardware dependencies, software prerequisites, and validation steps are executed in the correct industrial sequence to optimize workflows and guarantee data integrity. You take pride in creating "Golden Build" processes that enable operations teams to successfully execute complex tasks through clear technical translation.
• Diagnostic Protocols: High proficiency with ISO 14229 (UDS), DoIP (ISO 13400), and DoCAN (ISO 15765). Specific experience authoring Service RoutineControl sequences to automate hardware procedures and safety checks.
• Strategic Automation & AI Augmentation: Expert‑level proficiency in Python or Bash to streamline and automate repetitive workflows. Leverages modern AI‑assisted engineering tools (LLMs/Agentic workflows) to accelerate the development of robust, repeatable scripts, ensuring that any recurring bring‑up or validation task is transformed into a high‑reliability automated process to maximize efficiency and eliminate manual error.
• EOL Test Frameworks: Hands‑on experience with automotive test execution environments like Vector CANoe/CANalyzer (CAPL), NI TestStand, or custom Python‑based diagnostic frameworks (e.g., udsoncan, python‑can).
• Systems & Networking: Strong knowledge of vehicle network architecture (Automotive Ethernet, CAN/CAN‑FD, TCP/IP, UDP) and the ability to perform deep‑dive debugging on high‑speed data links.
• Software Deployment: Experience with Linux‑based system administration, shell scripting, and Hardware‑in‑the‑Loop (HiL) validation to ensure software stack integrity.
• Hands‑On Mentality: You are as comfortable in a terminal as you are with a multimeter, oscilloscope, or crimping tool. You have a passion for being physically present at the "Gemba" (the shop floor) to solve first‑of‑kind hardware issues and manage hardware upfits.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $162,800-$203,500 for San Francisco Bay Area 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.

Benefits

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 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. Further 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) record‑keeping; (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) 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.

Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.