Senior Strategy Engineer

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.

We are seeking a Sr. Strategy Engineer to serve as a critical bridge between Rivian, Volkswagen Group Technologies (RVTech) software/electrical/program teams, and VW Group organizations. The Sr. Strategy Engineer develops strategies and execution plans that improve how we commission, launch, and scale software‑driven systems across VW Group brands, including manufacturing, diagnostics, secondary ECU compliance, and end‑to‑end integration and testing, while operating with a high degree of autonomy and ownership over results.

You will ensure seamless communication, alignment, and execution of commissioning, diagnostics, and compliance activities, with a focus on optimizing processes and integrating cutting‑edge technologies from Rivian and VWGT into VW Group brand vehicle and manufacturing ecosystems.

• Define integration strategy and roadmaps for manufacturing, diagnostics, and ECU software across VW Group brands, aligning commissioning activities, build events, test campaigns, and production launch milestones with Rivian and VWGT software delivery plans.

• Act as a primary liaison between VW Group brand manufacturing and engineering teams and Rivian/VWGT engineering, deeply understanding commissioning, diagnostics, and compliance needs and translating them into clear technical requirements and timelines.

• Provide internal teams with a holistic view and technical breakdown of brand requirements before builds and key test events, ensuring readiness for smooth execution and minimizing late‑stage surprises.

• Analyze and optimize manufacturing and diagnostic process flows for software‑enabled operations; identify pain points, quantify impact, and drive structured resolution plans with the appropriate internal teams.

• Collaborate with software and diagnostics teams to track, triage, and resolve integration issues, ensuring the right software packages, configurations, and diagnostic capabilities are delivered to each brand, ECU, and manufacturing site.

• Lead or coordinate integration and test activities (e.g., SIL/HIL, subsystem, and vehicle‑level validation) for secondary ECUs and related features, ensuring proper coverage, traceability to requirements, and clear defect feedback loops.

• Chair regular syncs with brand manufacturing and engineering counterparts to gather requirements, review risks, and communicate integration, diagnostics, and compliance status and deliverable timelines back to Rivian and VWGT teams.

• Facilitate integration of new technologies (tooling, diagnostics, automation, analytics, etc.) into manufacturing and test environments across brands, ensuring consistency where it matters and alignment with brand‑specific goals where it differs.

• Identify common components, platforms, and patterns across brands to standardize and reuse wherever possible, optimizing resource utilization, reducing redundancy, and improving efficiency across manufacturing, diagnostics, and ECU integration.

• Partner with onsite Factory Software Integration and test teams to oversee implementation on the line and in labs, rapidly address issues encountered during upgrades or test runs, and ensure lessons learned feed back into strategy and standards.

• Use data and KPIs (e.g., commissioning throughput, first‑time pass rate, software deployment and diagnostic success rates, defect escape metrics) to measure performance of integration strategies and continuously improve workflows.

• Influence cross‑functional stakeholders (manufacturing, software, diagnostics, compliance, program management)…