Sr. Staff Hardware Systems Architect - Infotainment/Skunkworks

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 213,000 - 266,300; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual performance bonus

Equity options

Job summary

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies in Palo Alto is seeking an experienced Hardware Systems Architect to lead the development of system architectures within the low voltage electrical system of vehicles. You will work cross-functionally, define performance criteria, and guide technology roadmap.

The ideal candidate holds an advanced degree and has over 10 years of experience in automotive or aerospace, with a strong focus on embedded systems and high-compute technologies. This position includes a competitive salary and annual performance bonus.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on experience in automotive or aerospace industries.
• Familiarity with infotainment and autonomy technologies.
• Experience with embedded systems and network performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead efforts to develop understanding of product features.
• Collaborate to translate features into technical requirements.
• Establish vendor relationships for technology mapping.

Skills

Automotive high-compute technologies

Embedded systems design

Network performance optimization

High-speed automotive interfaces

Machine learning

Education

Advanced degree in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering

Tools

High-compute SoCs

Embedded hardware components

Job description

About Us

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software‑defined vehicles around the world.

The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone.

Role Summary

In this position, you will lead efforts within the Hardware Systems Architecture team to develop a full understanding of product features and attributes, collaborate cross‑functionally to translate and decompose them into technical requirements, and ultimately define their respective sub‑system and constituent module architectures – all within the vehicle’s low voltage electrical (LVE) system. In later stages of development, you will leverage these insights to help define system performance criteria and methodology for validation of these systems against their requirements. This role spans sub‑systems including infotainment, telematics, networking, camera systems, vehicle access / security, and more.

Responsibilities

• Work cross‑functionally with hardware architecture, hardware design and software application teams to factor functional and performance requirements into their sub‑systems, identify the key metrics and trade‑offs, and optimize them using data and analysis, to distill clear system and module architecture requirements.
• Model system‑level trade‑offs concerning distributed compute, network and other resources, considering dimensions like power efficiency, end‑to‑end latencies, compute/memory utilization, and scalability, to help produce optimal systems architectures.
• Establish key vendor relationships to map the space of available and future hardware platforms and peripheral technologies, and use this to build out a scalable infotainment roadmap.
• Guide the development of mock‑ups or prototypes to study next‑gen technologies, establish proofs‑of‑concept, test modelled assumptions, and/or serve as reference platforms for future bring‑up, system integration, or system‑level validation.
• Collaborate with system performance engineers, hardware design and software teams to create comprehensive validation plans that surface key system‑level performance metrics, locate bottlenecks or chokepoints, and identify over‑/under‑design scenarios relative to system requirements.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a related field, and a track record of 10+ years of hands‑on experience in relevant industries, including automotive, aerospace, or relevant consumer applications.
• Strong familiarity with the landscape of automotive high‑compute technologies for infotainment and autonomy, including GPU & display pipelines, camera & ISP pipelines, audio & DSP sub‑systems, machine learning & generative AI co‑processing, and related sub‑systems.
• Experience designing and developing embedded systems to optimize for network performance, compute and network resource utilization, power moding states and efficiency, end‑to‑end latencies, and other system performance characteristics.
• Hands‑on experience with a variety of embedded hardware typical in automotive applications, including high‑compute SoCs, MCUs, camera or other sensors, de‑-/serializers, transceivers, networking components, and/or related connectivity and peripheral interfaces.
• Strong understanding of embedded computing platforms, and the methods for quantifying performance of their processors, including CPU, GPU, NPU, DSP, ISP, etc, as well as memory systems, networking and peripheral interfaces.
• Conversant with on‑ and off‑board high‑speed automotive interfaces and networks, such as PCIe, GMSL, FPD‑Link, Ethernet, A2B, USB, CAN‑FD, and how to characterize their utilization and performance.
• Solid grasp of the power related aspects of distributed embedded architectures, including efficient utilization of low‑power states, wake propagation and sequencing.
• Experience with camera sensors, and downstream processing pipelines, including ISPs, DSPs, GPUs, NPUs and how to characterize key performance metrics, and resource allocation.
• Some familiarity with automotive audio technologies including RNC, SDR, DSPs, i2s and A2B interfaces, amplifiers, mics, accelerometers and related peripherals.
• Conversant with wireless technologies like GNSS, BLE, LTE, 5G, Wi‑Fi, and/or UWB, and their performance evaluation at the protocol and systems integration levels.

Total Rewards

Full‑time positions include base salary, eligibility for an annual performance bonus, and eligibility for equity. In addition to base salary, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies offers benefits tailored to the local market.

Compensation Range: $213K - $266.3K

Equal Opportunity

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. 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. We are also committed to ensuring compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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].