Staff Body Controls Engineer (Lighting)

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies; Irvine (CA); Presencial; USD 150.000 - 210.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

RSUs equity

Health coverage

Retirement plan

Descripción de la vacante

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies seeks a Staff Body Controls Engineer to lead the development of automotive lighting control systems and coordinating across teams. The role combines electrical/mechanical engineering expertise with leadership to mentor junior engineers and drive multi‑project delivery.

Ideal candidates bring hands-on experience with embedded RTOS, CAN tools, C/Python development, and a track record of delivering scalable control solutions within an automotive environment.

Formación

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical or mechanical engineering (Master’s preferred).
• 7+ years in automotive control systems with project leadership experience.
• Strong embedded systems RTOS and real‑time control knowledge.
• Proficient in C and Python for scalable, maintainable code.
• Experience with Agile/Scrum and modern software tooling (JIRA, JAMA, Git).
• FMEA and fault tree analysis leadership experience.

Responsabilidades

• Lead architecture and development of advanced lighting control systems.
• Refine requirements and produce high‑level functional designs.
• Develop validation strategy and coordinate calibration at feature level.
• Create test cases for Unit, SIL, and HIL testing.
• Collaborate with controls engineers and cross‑functional teams on models.

Conocimientos

Automotive control systems

RTOS

C programming

Python

Agile/Scrum

CAN/LIN tools

JIRA/JAMA/Git

FMEA

CANoe/CANalyzer/CANape

Leadership

Debugging troubleshooting

Educación

Bachelor’s degree in electrical or mechanical engineering

Master’s degree preferred

Herramientas

Vector CANalyzer

CANoe

CANape

Git

Descripción del empleo

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

We are seeking a dedicated and innovative Staff Body Controls Engineer to join our software development team. This role is integral to the development and integration of control systems for various vehicle functions, including closures, lighting, seating, and accessory devices. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in electrical or mechanical engineering, with a focus on automotive lighting control systems, and will demonstrate leadership in driving projects and mentoring junior engineers.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: Lead the architecture and development of advanced control systems for automotive lighting systems, with experience in advanced automotive lighting feature sets.

• Review and refine requirements, producing high-level functional specification designs to offer innovative control solutions.

• Develop a validation strategy, devise a plan, and spearhead the calibration process at the feature level to ensure the successful delivery of the complete vehicle feature set.

• Create and oversee the development of comprehensive test cases and scripts to validate features in Unit test, Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) test, and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test environments.

• Collaborate with other controls engineers and cross-functional teams to enhance or create simulation models for analyzing, optimizing, and troubleshooting different aspects of the vehicle.

• Work closely with the engineering team to ensure software robustness and seamless integration of new features, driving best practices in software development.

• Utilize a multidisciplinary approach to troubleshoot complex functional problems within our vehicles by addressing root causes across physical, electrical, and software domains.

• Project Management: Oversee multiple projects, ensuring timely delivery and adherence to specifications, while managing resources and budgets effectively.

• Prioritize and elevate issues based on user impact and program objectives for prompt resolution, demonstrating strong decision-making skills.

• Mentor and guide junior engineers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge sharing within the engineering team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or mechanical engineering; Master’s degree preferred.

• 7+ years of experience working with automotive control systems, with a proven track record of leading projects.

• Deep understanding of embedded systems architecture and real-time operating systems (RTOS).

• In-depth knowledge of control theory principles & algorithm design, including compensator design and PID tuning.

• Expertise in C programming languages as well as Python, with a focus on developing scalable and maintainable code.

• Strong knowledge of software development lifecycle and methodologies, including Agile and Scrum. Experience with tools for requirements management, revision control, issue management systems like JIRA, JAMA, Git

• Familiarity with failure analysis methodologies such as FMEA and fault trees, with experience in leading FMEA sessions.

• Proficiency in CAN/LIN/ETH tools like Vector CANalyzer, CANoe, CANape, etc., along with a deep understanding of embedded hardware & software design.

• Demonstrated creativity in design work coupled with hands‑on building abilities, with a portfolio of successful projects.

• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence and drive change.

• Willingness to travel up to 20% as required.

Total Rewards

We build the exceptional — and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program.

Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements.

In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full-time employees — including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs. Offerings vary by country. Learn more about our global benefit programs .

External candidates can apply for this role through the Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies careers site (https://rivianvw.tech/#careers). If you are a current employee, please apply through our internal job board .

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].

Candidate Data Privacy

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies” 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies affiliates; and (iii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies’ service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, 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.

If you provide a mobile telephone number as part of your application or during the recruitment process, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use that number to contact you via SMS text message for recruitment-related purposes, including scheduling, logistics, and status updates. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any text message you receive from us. Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of applying for or being considered for employment.

Please see our Candidate Data Privacy Notice (English)and Candidate Data Privacy Notice (Serbian) for more information.

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Please note this job posting represents an open, active vacancy. Additionally, we are not currently accepting applications from third party application services.