Lead Specialist, Environmental Programs

Rivian is seeking a Lead Specialist, Environmental Programs to own environmental regulatory compliance across a geographically distributed portfolio of sites, projects, and operations. This is an experienced individual-contributor role requiring both regulatory depth and practical operating judgment.

The role translates federal, state, and local requirements into permits, compliance programs, site controls, project requirements, and clear actions for operational teams. Core scope includes permitting, air quality, hazardous waste/RCRA, construction stormwater, operational environmental compliance, agency engagement, corrective actions, and environmental readiness for new or changing sites.

The successful candidate will work across manufacturing, research and development, Workplace, Service, Facilities, Construction, Real Estate, Legal, Procurement, EHS, contractors, and environmental service providers. The role leads through technical credibility, influence, and follow-through rather than direct people management.

• Own and support a multi-site portfolio of environmental permits, compliance obligations, regulatory commitments, and site interfaces; maintain calendars, records, escalation paths, and closure evidence.

• Determine regulatory applicability and support permit acquisition, modification, renewal, activation, and ongoing compliance for new and active sites.

• Manage or provide technical oversight for air permits, emissions records, applicability determinations, reporting, deviations, potential-to-emit inputs, and agency correspondence.

• Lead or support hazardous-waste and RCRA programs, including generator status, accumulation, waste profiles, manifests, inspections, training, vendor controls, and recordkeeping.

• Support related operational programs such as SPCC, chemical management, wastewater or pretreatment, universal waste, batteries, and extended producer responsibility.

• Integrate environmental requirements into construction, expansion, retrofit, commissioning, site activation, and operational handoffs, including NPDES, SWPPP, BMPs, construction inspections, corrective actions, and contractor accountability.

• Serve as an environmental point of contact for agency inspections, notices of violation, information requests, and other external engagements; lead responses through corrective action, documentation, and closure.

• Participate in environmental incident, spill, release, and near-miss reviews; identify root causes and drive risk-based preventive actions.

• Use environmental data, permit calendars, inspections, recurring findings, and action registers to prioritize risk and improve performance across sites.

• Develop practical standards, procedures, training, templates, dashboards, and governance practices that make environmental compliance more consistent and scalable.

• Partner with site and functional leaders to explain complex requirements, assign accountable owners, and distinguish enterprise program ownership from site-level execution.

• Lead projects and workstreams, mentor colleagues, and support evolving programs such as EPR, PFAS, TSCA, product stewardship, and battery reuse or recycling as business needs require.

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, environmental engineering, chemistry, natural resources, public policy, or a related field; equivalent education and experience may be considered.

• 8+ years of progressively responsible environmental, regulatory, or EHS experience.

• Experience managing environmental compliance across a national or multi-site portfolio with varied operations, jurisdictions, or facility types.

• Experience in automotive, aerospace, EV, energy, industrial, semiconductor, chemical, or another physical-product manufacturing environment.

• Broad working knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental requirements, with demonstrated depth in multiple areas such as:

• Air permitting, emissions inventories, potential-to-emit, and air reporting.

• RCRA, hazardous waste, waste characterization, manifests, generator requirements, and vendor oversight.
  NPDES, construction stormwater, SWPPP, BMPs, inspections, and corrective actions.

• SPCC, chemical management, wastewater or pretreatment, batteries, or other operational programs.

• Experience acquiring, modifying, maintaining, or closing environmental permits and compliance obligations.

• Experience leading agency interactions, inspections, notices of violation, corrective actions, or enforcement-related responses.

• Experience integrating environmental requirements into construction, expansion, commissioning, site activation, or operational change projects.

• Strong project leadership, analytical, written, verbal, and relationship-building skills, including the ability to communicate technical requirements to non-technical audiences.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and environmental compliance, action-tracking, or data-management systems.

• Willingness to travel domestically, typically up to approximately 25%, and support extended or non-standard schedules during significant environmental risks, incidents, agency activity, or operational emergencies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional certification such as CHMM, CPEA, CSP, PE, or a comparable environmental credential.
• Experience with air emissions modeling, complex air-permit modifications, state-specific RCRA programs, waste minimization, recycling, industrial stormwater, SPCC, wastewater pretreatment, or environmental due diligence.
• Experience establishing national environmental standards, RACI frameworks, vendor-governance processes, or compliance-assurance systems.
• Experience with environmental management platforms such as Serenity, Enablon, Intelex, SAP EHS, or comparable tools.
• Experience supporting emerging programs such as PFAS, TSCA, product stewardship, circularity, end-of-life vehicle management, or battery reuse and recycling.