Staff Structural Simulation Engineer

Role Summary

As a Staff Structural Simulation Engineer, you will 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 to ensure aggressive hardware reliability targets are met. Your role involves establishing material characterization protocols and sophisticated model correlation to maintain world-class simulation fidelity. You will serve as a technical authority, driving strategic cross-functional decisions and leading complex root-cause analysis for pioneering electrical hardware to guide multidisciplinary teams toward engineering excellence.

Responsibilities

• Risk Management & Strategy: Spearhead structural and thermo-mechanical design risk management for low-voltage electronics assemblies within pioneering vehicle electrical hardware.
• Numerical Simulation & Analysis: Execute multi-scale numerical simulations (e.g., random vibrations, shock, thermal-cycling) for electronics assemblies to establish and meet aggressive functional performance and reliability targets.
• Haptic Switches & Tactile Interfaces: Conduct structural stiffness assessments and actuation mechanics simulations for haptic switches and touch surfaces to define baseline tactile feel, deformation limits, and long-term switch response.
• Human Comfort & Aggressive Ergonomic Loading: Perform non-linear structural evaluations under human comfort loading and aggressive abuse scenarios (such as localized over-actuation, high-impact press forces, and mishandling) to prevent plastic deformation or fatigue failure.
• Sensor & Low-Voltage Electronics Packages: Direct multi-physics simulations for critical low-voltage electronic modules and sensing hardware (e.g., radar, ultrasonic, optical, and positional sensors) to minimize thermal/mechanical distortion and structural deflection underoperational and environmental stress.
• PCB & Component Optimization: Define structural risk margins, dictate component selection, and optimize component layout on heterogeneously integrated printed circuit boards, driving significant performance gains.
• Design Guidance & Architecture: Deliver comprehensive design guidance, including setting enclosure stiffness requirements, defining thermal stack-up, optimizing cooling architecture, and specifying material systems to electronics assembly design teams.
• Material Characterization & Database Management: Establish material characterization protocols and manage the centralized simulation material database for critical electronics components, polymers, and elastomers, ensuring simulation fidelity.
• Benchmarking & Model Correlation: Direct, manage, and validate structural benchmarking activities, including sophisticated model correlation through advanced techniques like sine-sweep testing and high-fidelity strain gauge measurements.
• Validation & Root-Cause Analysis: Provide simulation expertise and strategic support to reliability engineering teams for complex root-cause analysis during rigorous testing and validation cycles.
• Cross-Functional Technical Leadership: Drive critical, cross-functional program decisions and consensus across multidisciplinary engineering teams, serving as a technical authority to ensure unparalleled product and engineering excellence.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or equivalent; Ph.D. preferred.
• 3-5 years (Ph.D) / 5-7 years (M.S.) of relevant industry experience working on problems in Structural Mechanics for electronics assemblies.
• Solid understanding of theoretical and experimental structural mechanics with excellent domain knowledge in Non-Linear analysis, Explicit Analysis, Linear Dynamics and Vibrations, and Coupled Thermal-Structural analysis.
• Demonstrated expertise in IC package (electronics package) design, materials, and common Chip-Package Interaction (CPI) failure modes across diverse applications, including high-power semiconductors and high-performance compute (e.g., AI and ADAS chips).
• Expertise in material testing, tensile testing, designing customized test fixtures, and calibrating FEA models for versatile material types (adhesives, foams, elastomers, plastics, metals, brittles, etc.).
• Broad understanding of structural composition and manufacturing of diverse package types, including Ball Grid Arrays (BGAs), System-on-Chip (SoC), and System-in-Package (SiP).
• Strong foundation in FEA solvers, particularly Ansys, Abaqus, Optistruct, and SimLab/SimSolid, with proven ability to independently set up, execute, and troubleshoot analysis convergence issues.
• Proficient in pre/post-processing tools such as Hypermesh, ANSA/Meta, SimLab, etc.
• Excellent understanding of constitutive models and failure modes in metals, plastics, and elastomers.
• Proficient with using Python/Matlab for running analysis and post-analysis data processing.
• Experience developing and leading other multidisciplinary engineers.
• Excellent communication skills across all functions and levels.
• Excellent documentation practices.
• Fluent written and spoken English.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $137,000 - $172,000 for Irvine, CA 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 September 15th, 2026.