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 position, you will lead efforts within the Hardware Systems Architecture team to develop a full understanding of product features and attributes, collaborate cross-functionally to translate and decompose them into technical requirements, and ultimately define their respective sub-system and constituent module architectures – all within the vehicle’s low voltage electrical (LVE) system. In later stages of development, you will leverage these insights to help define system performance criteria and methodology for validation of these systems against their requirements. This role spans sub-systems related to wireless connectivity, keyless vehicle access system (VAS), and other domains. Responsibilities Work cross-functionally with hardware architecture, hardware design and software application teams to factor functional and performance requirements into their sub-systems, identify the key metrics and trade-offs, and optimize them using data and analysis, to distill clear connectivity subsystem and RF module architecture requirements. Model system-level trade-offs concerning RF performance, distributed compute, network and other resources, considering dimensions like link budget, coverage, antenna design, power efficiency, end-to-end latencies, compute utilization, and scalability, to help produce optimal system architectures. Establish key vendor relationships to map the space of available and future hardware platforms and peripheral technologies, and use this to build out a scalable VAS architecture roadmap. Guide the development of mock-ups or prototypes to study next-gen RF technologies, establish proofs-of-concept, test modelled assumptions, and/or serve as reference platforms for future bring up, system integration, or system-level validation. Collaborate with system performance engineers, hardware design and software teams to create comprehensive validation plans that surface key system-level performance metrics, locate bottlenecks or chokepoints, and identify over-/under-design scenarios relative to requirements. Guide the development of hardware and software that enables characterization, testing and certification of wireless sub-systems using robotic automation to measure relevant RF system KPIs vs positional ground truth around the vehicle under test. Qualifications Advanced degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a related field, and a track record of 10+ years of hands-on experience in relevant industries, including automotive, aerospace, or relevant consumer applications. Strong familiarity with the landscape of wireless automotive technologies, e.g. WiFi, BT, BLE, LTE, 5G, especially those relevant to keyless vehicle access, including NFC, BLE, UWB, and their performance evaluation and/or certification at the RF, protocol and systems integration levels. Familiarity with system design and/or certification related to Connect Car Consortium (CCC) and/or Made for iPhone (MFi) keyless entry systems at the module and system levels. Foundation in RF and electrical engineering fundamentals, and hands-on familiarity with related test and measurement equipment, e.g., logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, DMMs, network analyzers, etc. Good grasp of the power related aspects of distributed embedded architectures, including efficient utilization of low-power states, wake propagation and sequencing. Hands-on experience with a variety of embedded hardware typical in automotive applications, including SoCs, DSPs, MCUs, camera or other sensors, de-/serializers, transceivers, networking components, and/or related connectivity and peripheral interfaces. Talent for working from first principles to develop out-the-box solutions to challenging engineering problems. 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 VW Group Technologies (“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) recordkeeping; (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. Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.