Sr. Antenna​/Wireless Engineer

About Us

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.

In this role, the hardware design engineer will own electrical system design, bring‑up, and validation for the current and next generation of Rivian electric vehicles. This would be a highly visible role working cross‑functionally to influence design, contribute to solving HW/SW system integration challenges, and experience complete prototyping to manufacturing product development cycle.

• Design/Test/Release antennas for Rivian programs with best‑in‑class performance, cost, and quality.
  • Design – Analyse and document design trade‑offs, create antenna designs. Key areas to be considered:
    Antenna pattern (coverage), efficiency, gain, isolation requirements, OTA performance, desense, antenna coexistence, other system‑level parameters (throughput, range, etc.), and cost. Responsible for DFMEA and DFM with suppliers.
  • Test – Responsible for test plans, conducting bench, chamber, and vehicle‑level testing. Characterize antenna performance on the component/subsystem level and the end‑to‑end performance of the wireless products the antennas are associated with. Process and document the results to validate/visualize and compare the performance of different designs.
  • Release – Drive product delivery and validation schedule/processes/completion. Release designs into product life management (PLM) and documentation systems.
  • Types of antennas the candidate will work on:
    Cellular (LTE, 5G, etc.), Wifi, BT, BLE, GPS, Vehicle Access (IoT devices).
• Design Release Engineer for modules and/or ECUs utilizing wireless technologies, such as TPMS.
• Participate in antenna and wireless product technology roadmap and novel technology investigations with internal antenna and cross‑functional teams.

• BS or higher in Electrical engineering or related field, or equivalent experience
• Knowledge of measurement equipment for antenna/wireless characterization, as well as system performance validation, e.g., VNA, SA, and other EE measurement systems
• Knowledge of antenna simulation tools (e.g., HFSS, CST, FEKO, XFDTD), MATLAB, and programming languages (e.g., C, Python)
• Knowledge of PLM, scheduling, and MPL tools
• Strong communication skills
• Excellent skills in data analysis, record‑keeping, report writing, and presentation, with a desire to work in a fast‑paced environment
• Occasional domestic travels to suppliers’ facilities and Rivian factories
• Besides antenna knowledge, it is desirable for candidates to have an understanding of the total end‑to‑end performance of RF systems, such as:
  Impedance matching, link budget calculation, TIS/TRP, ECC, theoretical knowledge of OTA parameters, as well as hands‑on experience

The salary range for this role is $167,000 - $209,000 for Irvine, CA‑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. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors, including but not limited to specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, shift, and organizational needs.

The successful candidate may be eligible for an annual performance bonus and equity awards.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits for full‑time and part‑time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26, including but not limited to paid vacation, paid sick leave, and a competitive portfolio of insurance benefits, including life, medical, dental, vision, short‑term disability insurance, and long‑term disability insurance to eligible employees. You may also have the opportunity to…