Sr. Electrical Engineer, Special Projects

Based in Irvine, CA, the Special Projects Team is the hands-on heartbeat of Rivian's future, where you’ll get out from behind the desk to turn ambitious concepts into physical reality. We are responsible for everything from clean-sheet electrical architecture and rapid prototyping to full-vehicle builds, including engineering the show-stopping prototypes for the R2, R3, and R3X unveils. Our mission is to rapidly construct early-stage development assets that drive Rivian’s critical production decisions, meaning you will be actively translating design intent into functioning physical assemblies right on the shop floor.

You won’t just be building future models; you'll also get your hands dirty retro-fitting existing vehicles for high-pro file, unique applications like a Grey's Anatomy Ambulance or the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Van. We prioritize agility and rapid problem-solving over bureaucratic red tape, allowing you to work shoulder-to-shoulder with an elite crew of fabricators, machinists, and designers at breakneck speeds. This role is highly collaborative and fast-paced while offering experience working on a wide range of interesting projects.

• Design ground-up hardware for show cars and early prototypes,

• flexing your expertise across mechatronics, LV/HV wiring, and power electronics.

• Program microcontrollers and write embedded software to transform static assemblies into dynamic, fully functional electromechanical systems.

• Partner with cross-functional teams to translate ambitious ideas into reality, designing clever surrogate hardware to bypass bottlenecks and hit aggressive timelines.

• Maintain clean, actionable documentation so your custom architectures can be easily serviced, duplicated, or evolved for future projects.

• An understanding of LV and HV vehicle architecture for circuit and wiring design

• Ability to design PCBs and integrate their functions into vehicle architectures

• The ability to collaborate to find solutions complex problems in unfamiliar systems

• Experience with mechatronics systems such as powering and actuating motors for testing applications

• The ability to quickly make tradeoffs and decisions to drive progress

• The ability to develop software for custom prototypes designed within this same role.

• Strong teamwork skills, the ability to collaborate, and a positive attitude