Sr. Test Engineer

Position: Sr. Staff Test Engineer
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

The Sr. Staff Test Engineer is a senior technical leader and subject-matter expert who owns major portions of Rivian's test strategy, methods, and infrastructure for powertrain and drivetrain systems. They translate ambiguous customer and program needs into scalable test solutions, lead resolution of the most complex issues on our test assets, and act as a go-to escalation point for engineers and technicians across multiple labs and programs.

This role operates at multi-program, multi-stand scope: defining test approaches, improving systems and processes, and mentoring the broader test engineering organization to raise the standard of how we design, execute, and interpret tests.

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Test Strategy
Own the end-to-end test strategy for a significant domain (e.g., powertrain durability, system thermal, NVH, or rig-based validation), ensuring alignment with vehicle and subsystem requirements, program timelines, and safety constraints.
Translate high-level attribute and DVP targets into concrete test methods, profiles, and acceptance criteria that can be executed repeatably across multiple test areas and sites.
Define and maintain standards, templates, and playbooks for test requests, procedures, instrumentation, data quality, and reporting, and drive their adoption across the test organization.
Identify gaps in current capabilities (rig hardware, control systems, measurement chains, data workflows) and lead roadmaps to close them through new rigs, upgrades, or process changes.

Test System Design, Development & Ownership
Architect and lead the implementation of complex test systems (e.g., multi-axis drivetrain rigs, shaker + thermal + humidity combinations, custom HIL or RTCS setups), working with controls, software, facilities, and safety.
Define technical requirements for testbed hardware and software (dynos, gearboxes, power electronics, DAQ, safety interlocks, automation scripts), and ensure they are validated, documented, and maintainable.
Serve as the technical owner for selected high-value rigs or test areas, accountable for uptime, fidelity, and suitability to current and future test needs.
Develop and review automation and data-processing approaches (test scripts, health checks, dashboards, KPIs) to improve repeatability, coverage, and engineer productivity.

Test Planning, Execution & Data Interpretation
Lead test planning for complex or first-of-a-kind campaigns, including sequence design, boundary conditions, instrumentation plans, and risk assessments.
Provide hands-on technical support for critical tests: bring-up, debug, fault triage, and correlation against models or vehicle-level behavior.
Review and synthesize test results at a system level, providing clear engineering conclusions, trade-offs, and recommendations to design, attributes, and program teams.
Champion data quality and traceability: ensure that test configurations, calibrations, and deviations are captured such that results can be trusted and reused for future analysis.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Influence
Act as the primary technical counterpart for your domain with Design Engineering, Attributes, Systems, DREs, Controls, Reliability, and Manufacturing/Service partners.
Drive cross-functional problem solving on high-impact issues (e.g., durability failures, correlation gaps, unexpected NVH or thermal behavior), ensuring robust root cause, containment, and validated corrective actions.
Provide executive-ready communication on test status, risks, and options: distill complex technical detail into concise, decision-oriented narratives for managers and senior leadership.
Influence future product and test strategies by connecting lab findings to design guidelines, validation approaches, and test system investments.

People, Culture & Mentorship
Mentor and coach RIV-5/6 test engineers and lead technicians, modeling high standards for technical depth, documentation quality, safety, and ownership.
Set the bar for how test engineering operates: structured problem definition, evidence-based decisions, disciplined change management, and continuous improvement.
Lead by example on safety and quality in the lab, ensuring test methods, rig operations, and work practices meet or exceed Rivian standards.
Contribute to capability building via training sessions, best-practice guides, reviews, and informal mentorship that raise the collective skill level of the test organization.

Qualifications

Required
Bachelor's or…