Sr. Durability Validation Engineer

Rivian; Chelsea (MI); On-site; USD 111,000 - 139,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Life insurance

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Short-term disability insurance

Long-term disability insurance

401(k) Plan

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Full-time employee coverage on start

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a dedicated engineer to lead full-vehicle over-the-road durability verification and validation. You will collaborate with durability, chassis, dynamics, and program teams to ensure vehicle structural integrity, optimize test setups, and drive continuous improvement for sustainable mobility.

Role requires hands-on testing, data collection, and strong analytical skills to deliver reliable results and support Rivian's mission of adventurous, emissions-free vehicles.

Qualifications

• : Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, materials engineering, or a related field.
• : 2+ years of full-vehicle structural durability testing, accelerated fatigue testing, and objective/subjective vehicle evaluation experience
• : Hands-on experience troubleshooting vehicle hardware/software issues using CAN bus tools and data acquisition systems
• : Experience organizing DVPs, managing fleet logistics, and utilizing Jira/Confluence for tracking
• : Strong capability to lead independent root cause analysis and teardowns
• : Experience with MATLAB/Simulink, Python, or similar analysis software is a plus
• : Proven problem-solving and communication skills
• : Passion for Rivian's mission and inclusive workplace

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple accelerated full-vehicle structural durability tests concurrently at the proving grounds.
• Plan, coordinate, execute, and report durability tests focusing on structural durability and fatigue.
• Perform failure analysis and inspections on body, chassis, and suspension durability.
• Support road load data collection, DVPs, CAE correlation, and target setting.
• Manage test vehicle logistics, inspections, and fleet uptime optimization.
• Troubleshoot hardware/software issues to minimize track downtime and drive fixes.
• Document test results and communicate findings to program teams.

Skills

Durability testing

CAN data tools

Jira & Confluence

Root cause analysis

Vehicle instrumentation

Programming (MATLAB/Simulink, Python)

Data analysis

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or automotive engineering

Tools

Somat eDAQ

VehicleSpy

CANape

CANalyzer

iPetronic

Raptor eMBD

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

In this position, you will lead full-vehicle Over-the-Road (OTR) durability verification and validation, as well as road load data collection. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional partners-including durability, chassis, dynamics, and program teams-to evaluate vehicle integrity, optimize test setups, and drive continuous improvement. This position offers an opportunity to contribute directly to Rivian's mission by ensuring structurally durable vehicles for our customers. With your experience and proactive mindset, you'll play a vital role in ensuring an outstanding future for sustainable mobility.

Responsibilities

• Execute multiple accelerated full vehicle structural durability tests concurrently at the proving grounds
• Manage vehicle durability test planning, coordination, execution, and results reporting, with a primary focus on structural durability and fatigue performance.
• Perform failure analysis & inspections of the vehicles with a primary focus on body, chassis, and suspension system durability
• Support road load data collection, component/subsystem DVPs, CAE correlation and target setting
• Manage test vehicle logistics, incoming inspections, component condition monitoring, and track scheduling to maximize durability fleet uptime
• Troubleshooting & Root Cause issues to resolve complex vehicle hardware and software issues to minimize track downtime
• Document vehicle condition, test reports, and log issues to program teams and functional groups

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, materials engineering, or a related field
• 2+ years of full-vehicle structural durability testing, accelerated fatigue testing, and objective/subjective vehicle evaluation experience
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting vehicle hardware/software issues using CAN bus tools and data acquisition systems (e.g., Somat eDAQ, VehicleSpy, CANape, CANalyzer, iPetronic, or Raptor eMBD)
• Experience organizing DVPs, managing fleet logistics, and utilizing tools like Jira and Confluence for task tracking and issue escalation.
• Strong capability to lead independent root cause analysis, conduct hardware/software debugging, and execute teardowns
• Experience with vehicle instrumentation, data collection and processing is a plus
• Experience with MATLAB/Simulink, Python, nCode or other programming languages or analysis software is a plus.
• Proven track record of problem-solving and independent root cause analysis
• Exceptional communication, organizational, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment and manage competing priorities.
• Passion for Rivian's mission and a commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $111,000-138,700 for Michigan 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
• Life insurance
• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• 401(k) Plan
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Full-time employee coverage effective on first day of employment
• Part-time employee coverage effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment

More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com.

This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than March 27, 2026.

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 and Technology

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.

How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process: To ensure transparency, we want candidates to know that Rivian uses iCIMS Talent Cloud Artificial Intelligence (TCAI) and AI-enabled tools to assist with screening, reviewing, organizing and highlighting profiles and applications that match the key requirements for each role.

AI does not make hiring decisions: Qualified candidate applications are reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate.

Participation in AI profile matching is entirely voluntary. If you prefer that your profile not be used in this process, you can opt out at any time. Opting out means your profile will be excluded from automated matching and will not be surfaced for additional roles through this system. Your current application remains active and will not be affected in any way.

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