Staff Technical Program Manager

Rivian; Plymouth (MI); On-site; USD 141,000 - 176,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Long-term disability insurance

401(k) plan

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Staff Technical Program Manager for the Upfit Team in Michigan. You will drive strategic upfit initiatives, future roadmaps, and product plans while supporting Rivian's commercial van programs.

This role emphasizes change management, cross‑functional alignment, and proactive problem solving in a fast-changing environment. You will collaborate with Product Development, Engineering, Operations, and business partners to scale new solutions for Rivian’s commercial vehicle

Qualifications

• 5-7+ years of experience in technical program management within Automotive, Tier 1, OEM, or related field.
• Bachelor’s degree with emphasis in Industrial/Mechanical Engineering, Business, Operations, or Finance.
• Commercial background in fleets, commercial vehicles, or B2B enterprise projects.
• Proficiency in Jira and Databricks; fluency with AI tools to accelerate workflows and data analysis; CAD/Catia/Enovia/PLM is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary TPM driving strategic upfit initiatives, future product roadmap planning, and product/upfit validations.
• Lead key aspects of the commercial van program, including change management for continuous improvement designs.
• Leverage analytics to track KPIs, build reporting, and enable data-driven decision making with cross-functional teams.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Purchasing, Demand Planning, Logistics, and Finance to translate vehicle requirements into milestones.

Skills

Self-starter mentality

Strategic problem solver

Commercial fleet experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial/Mechanical Engineering, Business, Operations, or Finance

Tools

Jira

Databricks

CAD/Catia/Enovia/PLM

AI tools

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.

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

As a Staff Technical Program Manager on the Upfit Team, you will serve as the strategic engine driving Rivian’s upfitting initiatives, future roadmap planning, and comprehensive product plan. Beyond standard execution, this role requires a visionary leader who will also play a critical part in supporting Rivian's commercial van programs, with an emphasis on driving change management for continuous improvement designs. This is a highly dynamic and fluid environment where priorities shift rapidly. We are seeking a proactive self-starter who doesn't wait for direction, but rather identifies opportunities, defines the work, and drives cross-functional alignment. By leveraging strong data analytics and strategic problem-solving, you will collaborate closely with Product Development, Engineering, Operations, and business partners to evaluate, implement, and scale new solutions for Rivian’s commercial vehicle portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Technical Program Leadership: Act as the primary TPM driving strategic upfit initiatives, future product roadmap planning, and comprehensive product and upfit validations.
• Commercial Van Program Management: Lead key aspects of the commercial van program, taking ownership of change management for continuous improvement designs to optimize vehicle performance, utility, and partner integration.
• Data-Driven Strategy & Analytics: Leverage tools like Databricks, Jira, and emerging AI technologies to build robust analytics reporting, track KPIs, and drive informed, first-principles decision-making across the business.
• Agile Execution in a Dynamic Environment: Navigate and thrive in a fast-paced setting where priorities shift frequently. Proactively identify operational gaps, define project scopes, and pioneer process redesigns without waiting for top-down direction.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Foster operational partnerships with Engineering, Purchasing, Demand Planning, Logistics, and Finance to translate complex vehicle-level requirements into seamless, actionable milestones.
• Partner Integration & Alignment: Oversee the end-to-end integration of Authorized and Preferred Upfit partners, ensuring seamless alignment with Rivian’s internal systems, service requirements, and core values.
• Strategic Communication: Lead business reviews by providing exceptionally organized, high-impact updates, clearly articulating project status, risks, and actionable recommendations to leadership and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

• 5-7+ years of experience in technical program management within the Automotive, Tier 1, OEM, or a closely related technical field.
• Bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in Industrial/Mechanical Engineering, Business, Operations, or Finance.
• Commercial Experience: Strong preference for candidates with a background in commercial fleets, commercial vehicles, or B2B enterprise projects.
• Technical Stack: Proficiency in Jira and Databricks is essential. Must be fluent in utilizing modern AI tools to accelerate workflows and data analysis. Experience with CAD/Catia/Enovia/PLM is highly preferred.
• Strategic Problem Solver: Broad experience defining, launching, and driving strategic process redesign initiatives to improve both internal and external operations.
• Self-Starter Mentality: Proven ability to operate autonomously, seeking out innovations and presenting new strategies to continuously improve the organization.
• Knowledge of upfitting and general aftermarket product development is a strong plus.
• Work Environment: This role requires working onsite at our Rivian facility in Irvine, CA, with the ability to travel occasionally as needed to support business objectives.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $154,000- 192,500 for Southern California based applicants.

The salary range for this role is $140,600-175,800 for Normal, Illinois based applicants.

The salary range for this role is $140,600-175,800 for Plymouth, Michigan 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 and 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 and Technology

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.

How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process: To ensure transparency, we want candidates to know that Rivian uses iCIMS Talent Cloud Artificial Intelligence (TCAI) and AI-enabled tools to assist with screening, reviewing, organizing and highlighting profiles and applications that match the key requirements for each role.

AI does not make hiring decisions: Qualified candidate applications are reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate.

Participation in AI profile matching is entirely voluntary. If you prefer that your profile not be used in this process, you can opt out at any time. Opting out means your profile will be excluded from automated matching and will not be surfaced for additional roles through this system. Your current application remains active and will not be affected in any way.

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