Technical Program Manager - Manufacturing Engineering

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.

The Early Career Technical Program Manager – Manufacturing Engineering will support overall program health for the Manufacturing Engineering (ME) organization. This role is ideal for an early‑career engineer who enjoys systems thinking, organization, and working across functions. You will help standardize tools and processes, drive visibility to status and risk, and support ME leaders with the routines and data they need to execute.

You’ll work closely with ME sub‑teams (Body, GA, Paint, Battery, DU, Plastics, Stamping, etc.), Launch, Operations, Product Development, Supply Chain, and Finance to ensure information flows smoothly and issues are surfaced and tracked to closure.

• Support development and maintenance of integrated ME schedules, key milestones, and dependencies across shops and cross‑functional partners.
• Coordinate regular cadences (open issue reviews, risk reviews, readiness reviews), including agendas, notes, action tracking, and follow‑through.
• Maintain clear status reporting for ME leadership (dashboards, weekly summaries, issue/risk lists, health metrics).
• Help drive timely closure of issues by coordinating owners, due dates, and cross‑functional inputs.

• Help standardize ME program management tools and workflows (e.g., action trackers, issue logs, dashboards, templates) to ensure consistency across shops.
• Partner with senior TPMs and ME leaders to document best practices, playbooks, and “how‑to” guides for recurring program activities.
• Support configuration, cleanup, and continuous improvement of existing tools (Jira/issue tracking, Hex, spreadsheets, Confluence, etc.), with an eye toward usability and data quality.
• Contribute to metrics and KPIs that measure ME readiness, risk, and execution quality; ensure data is regularly updated and consumable.

• Serve as a connector between Manufacturing Engineering and partners in Launch, Operations, Product Development, Supply Chain, Facilities, Safety, and Finance.
• Help prepare content for cross‑functional reviews (deck building, data pulls, visuals) and ensure prereads, follow‑ups, and decisions are clearly captured.
• Support alignment on scope, changes, and priorities, helping to reduce surprises for ME and its stakeholders.

• Identify opportunities to streamline program routines and communication flows; propose and pilot improvements.
• Seek feedback from ME and cross‑functional teams on tool/process changes and iterate based on what works in the plant and in development.
• Develop a strong understanding of Rivian’s Development Process (RDP), Manufacturing Engineering lifecycle, and launch readiness expectations, and help reinforce these within ME.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical field (e.g., Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, Electrical, Systems).
• 0‑3 years of experience in engineering, operations, manufacturing, or technical program/project coordination (internships, co‑ops, or full‑time).
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; comfortable managing multiple work streams with different stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data (Excel/Sheets or similar) and present clear, concise summaries (tables, charts, dashboards).
• Solid written and verbal communication skills; able to translate complex topics into clear next steps and status updates.
• Comfortable working in fast‑paced, ambiguous environments and taking initiative to bring structure where it doesn’t yet exist.
• Collaborative mindset and willingness to learn manufacturing processes…