Staff Electrical Systems Design Engineer

Rivian; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 167,000 - 209,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Health insurance

401(k) Plan

Job summary

Rivian in Palo Alto seeks a specialist to lead the design of low-voltage electrical systems essential for advanced autonomous vehicles. You will initiate projects from early-stage development through to manufacturing, interacting across departments to create innovative solutions.

Successful candidates will have at least 6 years of experience in integrated hardware and software systems design, with a strong foundation in electrical engineering. This is an impactful opportunity in a dynamic environment focused on sustainability and adventure.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience with design and testing of integrated hardware & software systems.
• 3+ years of experience with developing SAE Level 3 or higher autonomous vehicle systems.
• Familiarity with ISO 26262 or similar functional safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Define customer user stories and derive high-level system requirements.
• Develop low-voltage electrical system designs.
• Write test procedures and run them on vehicle test beds.

Skills

Electrical engineering fundamentals

Troubleshooting sensors

Root cause analysis

Multidisciplinary trade studies

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering

Tools

Electrical test equipment

CAD software

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

This role will lead the design of low‑voltage electrical systems for advanced autonomy vehicles. This is a wide‑ranging and impactful role that begins at early stage product development and ends at manufacturing launch. You will work across the company to develop the power architecture, network connectivity, and sensor/actuator systems required to support autonomous driving. You will collaborate with the manufacturing team to design a vehicle that can be built at automotive scale. This is a hands‑on role that will be involved in problems large and small. Attention to detail, open communication, and strong engineering fundamentals are paramount for success.

Responsibilities

• Interface with product management teams to define customer user stories and derive high‑level system requirements
• Drive the development of low‑voltage electrical system designs that meet company goals for vehicle performance, cost, and customer experience
• Analyze electrical system designs against safety‑critical system requirements
• Write test procedures to verify safety‑critical requirements and run them on vehicle test beds
• Work with the manufacturing team to incorporate high‑rate process requirements into the system design
• Own and document electrical system specifications
• Investigate hardware and software issues to identify their root cause. Develop corrective actions to prevent issue recurrence

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering: Electrical, Mechanical, Software, Aerospace, or similar field
• 6+ years of experience with design and testing of integrated hardware & software systems
• 3+ years of experience with developing SAE Level 3 or higher autonomous vehicle systems
• Excellent electrical engineering fundamentals
• Familiarity with ISO 26262 or similar functional safety standards (e.g. ARP4754)
• Familiarity with autonomous vehicle sensing technologies
• Experience leading multidisciplinary trade studies to conclusion
• Experience with planning, writing, and executing test procedures
• Ability to troubleshoot sensors, actuators, and digital signals, and perform root cause analysis
• Familiarity with electrical test equipment (multimeter, power supply, oscilloscope, CANalyzer, wireshark, and other analog and digital dataloggers)
• Ability to read wiring schematics and interact with CAD software

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $167,000 - $209,000 for Palo Alto 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.

You can apply for this role through careers.rivian.com (or through internal-careers-rivian.icims.com if you are a current employee). This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than April 30, 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

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) 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.