Sr. Manager, Autonomy Data Collection and Prototyping Systems

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 Autonomy Data Collection and Prototyping Systems team is part of the Autonomy Systems team and is responsible for designing, building, and operating the Autonomy team's fleets of ground truth data collection and prototyping vehicle platforms in support of Rivian's autonomy development efforts. The team is located in Rivian's Palo Alto office and currently consists of 10 engineers.

In this role, you will be responsible for leading the Autonomy Data Collection and Prototyping Systems team. You will work closely together with stakeholders, both internal and external to the Autonomy team, to ensure that data for training and validation of Rivian's autonomy stack is available on time and with the right quality. You will also be responsible for the strategic direction for this area and ensure that the team and its members are set up for long term success.

In this role, your work will have a critical impact on Rivian's mission to deliver world leading safety and convenience experiences for our customers.

• Lead the strategic direction, planning, design, and implementation of scalable and reliable data collection and prototyping systems, including both hardware and software, for Rivian's Autonomy team.
• Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure and continuously improve the effectiveness of both data acquisition and prototyping efforts.
• Work cross functionally with stakeholders to define requirements on data quality, volume, and diversity and ensure these requirements are met.
• Drive optimization of the complete data pipeline from vehicle to data consumption together with key stakeholders.
• Ensure data quality, integrity, and security through robust validation and governance processes.
• Stand up and lead prototyping initiatives from concept to delivery.
• Plan budget and resource allocation for data collection fleets and prototyping labs.
• Manage in‑house prototyping labs and equipment as well as relationships with internal partners and external vendors.
• Lead technical teams and mentor team members, both individual contributors and people managers, championing best practices, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics or a related field.
• 10+ years (Bachelor's)/8+ years (Master's) of professional experience with building autonomous systems or similarly complex robotics systems.
• Strong track record of leading high performing teams.
• Excellent system level understanding of state‑of‑the‑art multi‑sensor autonomy stacks, both from a hardware and software perspective.
• Strong problem solving and coordination skills and an ability to operate effectively in a highly cross functional and fast paced environment.
• Excellent team player with strong communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to work out of Rivian's Palo Alto office 5 days per week.

Salary Range for California Based Applicants: $213,000- $266,300 (actual compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law).

Rivian provides robust medical/Rx, dental and vision insurance packages for full‑time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26. Coverage is effective on the first day of employment.

Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual…