Sr. Manager Durability CAE

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.

We are seeking a highly technical and experienced Senior Manager, Durability CAE to spearhead our structural simulation department. In this pivotal leadership role, you will direct a multidisciplinary engineering team performing high‑fidelity CAE across Explicit Dynamics (e.g., high‑energy chassis impacts, underbody strikes) and the Implicit Domain (e.g., static strength, fatigue, vibration). As the technical anchor for virtual structural sign‑offs, you will ensure our vehicle architectures achieve world‑class durability and safety standards long before the first physical prototype is built.

The ideal candidate brings a “master‑level” background in Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and a proven track record of scaling high‑performing teams within an OEM or high‑growth EV environment.

• Technical Leadership & Strategic Oversight
  • Virtual Validation Authority:
    Lead the structural durability and fatigue sign‑offs for all critical systems, including Body‑in‑White (BIW), chassis, frames, and EV‑specific battery structures.
  • Advanced Simulation Management:
    Oversee complex, full‑vehicle explicit simulations—including sand dune impacts, rock scrapes, and lateral curb strikes—while ensuring numerical stability through rigorous analysis of energy plots and mass scaling.
  • Methodology Innovation:
    Drive the development of next‑generation CAE workflows, focusing on advanced material failure modeling, in‑house fatigue S‑Ncurve generation, and the integration of AI/Machine Learning for automation.
  • Test‑to‑Simulation Correlation:
    Lead correlation efforts using data from proving grounds and lab‑based test rigs to ensure virtual models achieve high‑fidelity replication of real‑world physics.
• Team Management & Organizational Growth
  • Mentorship & Directing:
    Lead and grow a large team of CAE engineers, providing deep technical coaching and defining professional development pathways.
  • Resource & Budget Strategy:
    Manage manpower allocation, project timelines, and software budgets to align CAE deliverables with aggressive vehicle program milestones.
  • Cross‑Functional Synergy:
    Partner closely with Design, Physical Testing, Materials, and Program teams to ensure structural integrity is prioritized during the earliest architectural phases.
  • Quality & Standards:
    Establish robust simulation and reporting standards to ensure all technical presentations provide clear, actionable design recommendations to executive stakeholders.

• Education:
  
  Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Automotive Engineering (Master’s or Ph.D. strongly preferred).
• Experience:
  
  10+ years in automotive CAE, including 3–5 years in a formal leadership or managerial role.
• Solver Mastery:
  Advanced proficiency in LS‑DYNA (Explicit) and Abaqus, Nastran, or Opti Struct (Implicit). Understanding of multi‑body dynamics and experience is a plus.
• Fatigue & Joining:
  Deep expertise in fatigue life prediction software (e.g., nCode Design Life or FEMFAT) and the durability of metal joining methods.
• Software Stack:
  Expert‑level command of pre/post‑processing tools such as ANSA, Hyper Mesh, Hyper View, or Meta/Post.
• Executive Presence:
  Ability to translate complex technical data into high‑level insights that drive rapid, multi‑domain design decisions.

The salary range for this role is $196,000 – $245,000 for Southern California based applicants. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. The employee’s position within the range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications,…