Location

Irvine, California

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

Hybrid

Department

Technology and InnovationElectronic Design

Compensation

• $96.7K – $145.1K • Offers Equity • Offers Bonus • This role has an annual bonus target of 5%

About Us

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world.

The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone.

Role Summary

In this role, you will be part of the team that develops automated test systems for RVTech's zonal controllers and battery management electronic control units (ECUs) — including zonal/body controllers, power distribution and e-fuse modules, battery management controllers, cell monitoring units, and battery junction boxes. These ECUs are defined by high-density I/O and power switching on the zonal side, and by precision measurement, high-voltage safety, and functional safety requirements on the BMS side. Validating them requires test solutions that span high-channel-count load emulation, cell simulation, precision instrumentation, embedded firmware, and high-volume manufacturing.

Our team's solutions include internal-facing software, low-level firmware, data management platforms, and custom electromechanical and power test hardware. These solutions get deployed internally within RVTech, at contract manufacturing facilities, and at the brand's vehicle factories.

You will be an individual contributor with a multi-disciplinary role leading the implementation of vertical test solutions for design characterization, reliability, validation, and manufacturing. The primary responsibility of this role is to own the technical aspects of one or more test automation projects, from requirements gathering through deployment and sustaining.

Our team's solutions include internal-facing software, low-level firmware, data management platforms, and custom electromechanical and power test hardware. These solutions get deployed internally within RVTech, at contract manufacturing facilities, and at the brand's vehicle factories.

You will be an individual contributor with a multi-disciplinary role leading the implementation of vertical test solutions for design characterization, reliability, validation, and manufacturing. The primary responsibility of this role is to own the technical aspects of one or more test automation projects, from requirements gathering through deployment and sustaining.

Our team's solutions include internal-facing software, low-level firmware, data management platforms, and custom electromechanical and power test hardware. These solutions get deployed internally within RVTech, at contract manufacturing facilities, and at the brand's vehicle factories.

You will be an individual contributor with a multi-disciplinary role leading the implementation of vertical test solutions for design characterization, reliability, validation, and manufacturing. The primary responsibility of this role is to own the technical aspects of one or more test automation projects, from requirements gathering through deployment and sustaining.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of automated test solutions for zonal and BMS ECUs, from test requirements through deployment at RVTech labs and at contract manufacturers.

• Design and build automated test equipment for high-channel-count I/O: high-side drivers (HSD), low-side drivers, PWM and H-bridge outputs, analog and digital inputs, resistive/inductive/lamp load emulation, current sense verification, e-fuse and short-circuit protection behavior, wetting current, and open-load/over-current diagnostic feedback.

• Design and build automated test equipment for battery management functions: cell voltage measurement accuracy across temperature, cell balancing, pack current sensing and shunt calibration, daisy-chain cell monitoring links, etc.

• Work with the electronics, power electronics, and BMS design teams to define test requirements and agree on testing strategies for output driver characterization, quiescent/sleep current, wake and sleep behavior, thermal derating, measurement accuracy budgets, and fault injection coverage.

• Provide system requirements to the software and hardware automation teams based on the specifications of a given ECU, including channel count and load budgets, switching topology, measurement uncertainty budgets, high-voltage safety architecture, and fixture design.

• Develop custom test sequences in Python following software engineering best practices and our standard automation framework, using AI coding agents to accelerate development while owning code quality, review, and validation.

• Integrate firmware, hardware, and software end-to-end — DUT board bring-up, bootloaders and flashing flows, UDS/diagnostic services, calibration routines, production test modes, and instrument control layers.

• Design and implement fault injection coverage: open circuit, short to battery, short to ground, pin-to-pin shorts, over-current, over-voltage, load dump, reverse polarity, sensor open/short, and HVIL breaks — and verify the ECU's diagnostic response (DTCs) to each.

• Build test solutions for reliability lab settings (HALT/HASS, thermal, vibration, life test, long-duration soak, power cycling) as well as high-volume manufacturing (cycle time, parallel test, station replication).

• Create well documented test cases, calibration procedures, and operating procedures for test systems, including high-voltage lockout/tagout and safe-work procedures where applicable.

• Lead the deployment process of test equipment using GR&R, CPK, stress test, and fault injection at contract manufacturers and at RVTech.

• Work with validation, reliability, EMC, functional safety, and product launch teams to ensure test solutions meet their requirements.

Required Qualifications

• BS/MS or equivalent work experience in Electrical, Electronics, or Power Electronics Engineering.

• 5+ years of relevant working experience designing automated test equipment (ATE) for electronics, with meaningful time spent on high-I/O, power switching, or battery management products.

• Hands-on experience testing at least one of: zonal/body controllers, power distribution or e-fuse modules, motor/actuator drivers, or battery management systems.

• Experience with test instrumentation such as programmable DC power supplies and electronic loads, source measure units, precision DMMs, high-channel-count relay and switch matrices, oscilloscopes and current probes, arbitrary waveform generators, and multifunction DAQ (digital and analog).

• Experience with battery cell simulation and emulation equipment (Chroma, Keysight, NI/Bloomy, or equivalent) and an understanding of the measurement accuracy and isolation challenges involved.

• Practical understanding of automotive power fundamentals: load dump and transient immunity inrush and inductive kickback, thermal derating, current sensing methods, grounding and return path design, and measurement uncertainty.

• Ability to read electrical circuits and schematics, navigate PCB layouts (including power planes, current paths, and creepage/clearance on high-voltage designs), and understand manufacturer's product data sheets.

• Experience working in the automotive, industrial power, energy storage, semiconductor, or aerospace industries.

• Familiarity with vehicle communication protocols (CAN, CAN-FD, DoIP, Automotive Ethernet, LIN, SENT, etc.) and diagnostic protocols (UDS, XCP).

• Experience with industrial buses and protocols (USB, VISA, GPIB, Ethernet, Serial, RS-485, SPI, I2C, etc.).

• Experience supporting deployment of automated test equipment in manufacturing environments.

• Solid experience programming in Python.

• Demonstrated use of AI coding agents (Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor, or similar) to write, refactor, and test automation code, with sound judgment about where AI-generated code needs human verification.

Preferred Qualifications

• High-voltage safety training and hands-on experience working with HV battery systems (400V/900V), including HVIL, isolation monitoring, and contactor/pre-charge validation.

• Firmware or embedded development experience (C/C++), including production test modes and vendor toolchains.

• Experience designing custom PCBAs, load emulation boards, or high-current test fixtures.

• Experience with cell balancing characterization, SOC/SOH algorithm validation, or pack-level integration testing.

• Experience with databases and data management tools like SQL, Databricks, or Apache Superset.

Total Rewards

We build the exceptional — and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program.

Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements.

In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full-time employees — including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs. Offerings vary by country. Learn more about our global benefit programs.

External candidates can apply for this role through the Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies careers site (https://rivianvw.tech/#careers).

Equal Opportunity

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. 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, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are also committed to ensuring compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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 candidateaccommodations@rivian.com.

Candidate Data Privacy

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies” 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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) record keeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies affiliates; and (iii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies’ service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, 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.

If you provide a mobile telephone number as part of your application or during the recruitment process, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use that number to contact you via SMS text message for recruitment-related purposes, including scheduling, logistics, and status updates. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any text message you receive from us. Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of applying for or being considered for employment.

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Please note this job posting represents an open, active vacancy. Additionally, we are not currently accepting applications from third party application services.