Subject Matter Expert, Crash Structures

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 SME – Structural Crash is a senior system‑level engineering role responsible for defining, executing, and validating vehicle strategies to achieve superior crash performance in compliance with FMVSS, UNECE, US NCAP, and Euro NCAP regulations. This role combines technical expertise, strategic vision, and cross‑functional influence to optimize vehicle safety, energy management, and HW domains. The SME leads concept development, designs validation methods, oversees vehicle build‑up, and ensures robust execution of crash performance strategies.

• Lead strategy, concept, and execution for crash performance, influencing vehicle architecture and program decisions.
• Design, evaluate, and implement multiple validation methods, leveraging first principles, physical testing, CAE guidance, and cross‑domain integration to optimize predictive accuracy and program efficiency.
• Develop vehicle‑level integration plans, coordinating structures, and related domains.
• Utilize first principles, test, and CAE guidance to predict system‑level behavior and evaluate design alternatives.
• Oversee component-, subsystem- and vehicle‑level testing, ensuring proper build‑up, instrumentation, and correlation with CAE predictions.
• Creation, review and management of safety hard points across all design phases.
• Define, execute, and refine test plans aligned with DVP and regulatory requirements and consumer protocol targets.
• Identify potential performance gaps, provide solutions, and balance trade‑offs across safety, cost, HW domains, and program timelines.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to ensure system‑level optimization.
• Serve as technical authority for crash on all programs.
• Mentor engineering teams on system‑level integration, method development, and crash strategy.
• Monitor global crash standards (FMVSS, UNECE, NCAP, IIHS) and integrate best practices into programs.
• Track and report program‑level metrics, including first‑pass performance, correlation accuracy, and method effectiveness.
• Deep expertise in vehicle crash performance, including load path design, energy management, and system interactions.
• Proven experience in system‑level engineering and integration, connecting multiple vehicle domains for optimized crash performance.
• Strong background in vehicle build‑up, testing, validation, and method design, leveraging CAE, first principles, and physical tests.
• Ability to innovate and develop new methods for validation, integration, and predictive modeling of crash performance.
• Strong problem‑solving and trade‑off analysis skills, balancing safety, performance, cost, and HW domains.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, able to present complex technical trade‑offs to leadership and cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional teams, drive decisions without direct authority, and manage multiple priorities.
• Proactive, results‑driven, with a strategic mindset to anticipate challenges and ensure successful program outcomes.
• Strategic Thinking:
  Ability to think long‑term and align integration efforts with broader company objectives and strategies.
• Influence:
  Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build consensus and advocate for the needs of the team and the business.
• Decisiveness:
  Capable of making high‑impact decisions under pressure, balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Resilience:
  Able to navigate challenges and setbacks with composure, ensuring continued progress toward goals.
• Leadership:
  Motivated by high‑quality delivery and capable of driving change and continuous improvement in integration processes.

• Bachelor’s degree in…