Staff Structural Simulation Engineer: Electronics & Thermal

Rivian Automotive; Tustin (CA); On-site; USD 137,000 - 172,000; Full time

Job summary

Rivian seeks a Staff Structural Simulation Engineer in Irvine, CA to lead structural and thermo-mechanical risk management for advanced vehicle electronics through high-fidelity numerical simulations.

You will define critical design requirements for integrated PCB layouts, enclosures, and cooling architectures, and drive material characterization protocols and cross-functional decisions to ensure reliability and engineering excellence.

Qualifications

• Master's in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or equivalent; Ph.D. preferred.
• 5+ years of structural mechanics experience for electronics assemblies (or 3-5 years if Ph.D).
• Strong background in nonlinear analysis, dynamics, vibrations, and thermal–structural coupling.
• Familiarity with automotive/OEM standards (ISO 17650, AEC-Q).
• FEA model calibration for diverse materials; CPI failure modes awareness.

Responsibilities

• Lead structural and thermo-mechanical risk management for electronics hardware.
• Define design requirements for PCB layouts, enclosures, and cooling architectures.
• Establish material characterization protocols and correlate models with tests.
• Drive cross-functional decisions and root-cause analysis for hardware reliability.
• Guide multidisciplinary teams and ensure engineering excellence.

Skills

Structural mechanics

Non-linear analysis

Explicit analysis

Linear dynamics & vibrations

Thermal-structural coupling

FEA experience

Python/ Matlab

Cross-functional leadership

Documentation

Communication

Education

MS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Ph.D. preferred

Tools

ANSYS

Abaqus

Optistruct

SimLab/SimSolid

HyperMesh

ANSA/Meta

Job description

Rivian seeks a Staff Structural Simulation Engineer in Irvine, CA to lead structural and thermo-mechanical risk management for advanced vehicle electronics through high-fidelity numerical simulations.

You will define critical design requirements for integrated PCB layouts, enclosures, and cooling architectures, and drive material characterization protocols and cross-functional decisions to ensure reliability and engineering excellence.