Sr. Staff Autonomy Embedded Software Engineer

Rivian; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 265,000 - 331,300; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) Plan

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Comprehensive health insurance

Job summary

A leading electric vehicle manufacturer in Palo Alto is seeking an experienced embedded software engineer to lead the development of software for advanced sensor systems. The ideal candidate will have over 8 years of experience in embedded software, a strong command of C programming, and familiarity with RTOS fundamentals. Responsibilities include architecting software solutions, mentoring engineering teams, and ensuring high-quality code delivery. This position offers a salary ranging from $265,000 to $331,300, along with a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in embedded software development.
• Experience as a technical lead is preferred.
• Proficient in programming C for embedded systems.

Responsibilities

• Architect and develop embedded software components.
• Mentor and guide a team of Software Engineers.
• Oversee troubleshooting across software and hardware.

Skills

Embedded software development

C programming

Python

RTOS fundamentals

Debugging tools

Education

Master's or Doctorate in Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

JTAG/SWD

Oscilloscope

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

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced candidate to help lead embedded software development for state‑of‑the‑art sensor systems for next‑generation autonomy. You will be a vital contributor, responsible for the complete development cycle of embedded software for our innovative Radar sensing products. You will be instrumental in the software life cycle, coding across the entire stack—from the application layer down to low‑level device drivers. Responsibilities include creating software prototypes for early hardware/software co‑designs, developing validation test cases in Python/C, building SDKs, and more. You will collaborate with top talent in embedded hardware and software development within this dynamic industry.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, develop and deploy embedded software components for board bring‑up, verification, and validation of automotive electronics.
• Develop SW stack on bare‑metal, RTOS and Linux, from application layer to device drivers.
• Develop software stack with bootloader, PTP time sync, cybersecurity, and functional safety.
• Mentor and guide a team of Software Engineers to design, develop, and deploy embedded software for board bring‑up, verification, and debugging of automotive electronics.
• Work with HW and SW architects to collaborate on next‑gen platform architecture with various SoCs and the software stack, share plans/roadmaps, and align deliverables.
• Crisply communicate with peers, stakeholders, customers, technical leaders, and OEMs/ODMs. Collaborate across multiple disciplines to deliver quality code, help resolve complex problems, prioritize, and get things done with high efficiency and urgency.
• Oversee troubleshooting across the s/w and h/w stack to root‑cause the issue and provide quick resolution collaborating with multiple teams if needed.
• Design drivers, middleware, applications and other components for enabling different electronic components.
• Debug in real time across software and hardware to understand the real issues and provide solutions, work and collaborate with multiple teams if needed.

Qualifications

• Master’s or Doctorate degree in Computer Science/Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years of professional experience developing embedded software on microcontrollers (automotive, industrial, or similar safety‑/reliability‑critical domains).
• 1+ years of experience as a technical lead, leading software development teams, is a big plus.
• Strong programming skills in C for embedded systems; working knowledge of Python for tooling, scripting, or test automation is a plus.
• Solid understanding of RTOS fundamentals (tasks, scheduling, interrupts, synchronization, memory management) and experience bringing up or configuring at least one RTOS‑based platform.
• Hands‑on experience with board bring‑up and low‑level drivers for peripherals such as SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet, GPIO, timers, ADC/DAC, and external memories.
• Proficiency with embedded debugging tools (JTAG/SWD, Lauterbach or similar, in‑circuit debuggers, flashing tools) and lab equipment (oscilloscope, logic analyzer, multimeter, power supplies).
• Demonstrated ability to debug complex system issues end‑to‑end, spanning firmware, hardware, and interactions with test or application software.
• Proven track record of cross‑functional collaboration and clear, concise technical communication with architects, design engineers, validation teams, and external vendors.
• Ability to crisply communicate with peers, stakeholders, customers, and technical leaders.

Preferred Skills

• Team leading skills are a big plus.
• Experience with automotive ECUs is a big plus.
• Background in platform/BSP development for MCU‑based ECUs, including clocking, BSP, and device configuration, Hardware abstraction layers.
• Experience with hardware components like sensors, gate drivers etc.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $265,000.00 - $331,300.00 for 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. 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 but not limited to 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. 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.

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