Mechanical Engineer II, Special Projects

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.

Role Summary

This role is with the Special Projects Team based in Irvine, CA. Our department is responsible for component, system and full-vehicle prototypes and marketing/show vehicle builds s includes the ability to take almost anything from a sketch or rough concept and turn it into a physical product as quickly as possible. Our group features engineers, program managers, fabricators, technicians, and others focused on efficient design and high-quality, short-duration builds.

We support production development and manufacturing through our prototype development but are not release responsible for production parts. We also support an assortment of non-production related vehicle activities such as Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Van, Grey's Anatomy TV Show Ambulance, Also Mobile Service Van, and various first responder vehicles.

Our engineers need to understand production intent design and manufacturing processes but also the design requirements and limitations of quick build fabrication and one-off prototype processes. This can often mean simplifying a design so it can be bent, welded and created by hand or from a simple tool or fixture. It also means working very closely with the fabrication part of our team to understand what is possible and adapting the design to something built from off-the-shelf parts and supplies.

You will work on parts across every vehicle system and could start with a blank page or a complete production design. In all cases, it will be your responsibility to make sure we deliver amazing prototypes. We focus on building fast, learning lessons, quickly iterating on the design and making updates. Our projects range from several hours where we will have a request in the morning and a physical part to test by the end of the day to mules that take months to complete.

You will get to experience a variety of projects, will be expected to showcase our capability to the rest of the company and will work hard to make cool things happen.

A collaborative attitude and ability to work tirelessly on a design only to toss it out and start over as requirements change is key.

This role is in Irvine, CA and will require some travel to our other office locations including Plymouth, MI and Normal, IL.

Responsibilities

• Design components for vehicles including show cars, marketing vehicles and other non-production assets
• Support these vehicle builds from design through release, fabrication, assembly and in field usage
• Engineer components that pull ahead production design to support early build timelines while demonstrating production concepts
• Utilize Catia to design structures, parts, brackets and other components including generating 2d drawings
• Determine when and where to select off-the-shelf content based on timeline, maturity and vehicle function
• Interface with production engineers, purchasers, and suppliers to deliver products on time to a higher than expected level

Qualifications

• An understanding of vehicle systems
• Desire to be hands on for component/vehicle builds, diagnostics and repairs
• The ability to assess complex problems in unfamiliar systems
• The ability to quickly make tradeoffs and decisions to drive progress
• Knowledge of prototype process
  -low volume manufacturing and fabrication (milling, turning, welding, etc) - including quality, cost, and timing tradeoffs
• The ability to use CAD to design parts and generate drawings
• Strong team work skills, the ability to collaborate, and a positive attitude
• An open mind to challenge convention and work to create things in ways that haven't been done before
• A bachelor's degree in engineering or equivalent

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is…