Senior Program Manager, Procurement - Strategic Initiatives

Rivianis 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 Rivian Purchasing & Supply Chain team is looking for a highly analytical and results-driven Senior Program Manager to drive critical strategic initiatives that shape our purchasing and commercial strategies. Reporting directly to the Director of Global Supply Management, you will pivot away from traditional part procurement to lead complex, cross-functional programs focused on financial optimization, cross-commodity data analysis, and commercial strategy enhancement.

In this role, you will serve as a strategic partner to purchasing leadership and global supply managers. You will build and leverage advanced data models to conduct robust cost estimate analyses, synthesize complex supplier quotes, and construct data-backed negotiation strategies. Your work will directly impact Rivian’s bottom line, driving visibility into  should-cost  models and refining how our purchasing organization evaluates commercial opportunities.

This onsite position is located onsite in Irvine, California and reports to the Director of Global Supply Management (Interiors & Exteriors).

• Strategic Initiative Program Management: Concurrently manage high-impact, cross-functional purchasing initiatives reporting directly to the Purchasing Director. Drive execution on key strategic milestones, process improvements, and executive-level reporting across vehicle programs.
• Cost Estimate & Financial Analysis: Conduct deep-dive cost estimate analyses and build analytical models to evaluate supplier quotes, cost breakdown structures (CBDs), and raw material cost drivers. Translate complex financial inputs into actionable commercial insights.
• Negotiation Strategy & Should-Cost Modeling: Partner with Global Supply Managers to develop data-driven negotiation strategies. Utilize should-cost outputs, market trends, and parametric cost models to identify commercial gap opportunities and equip teams for high-stakes supplier negotiations.
• Supplier Quote Synthesis & RFQ Frameworks: Standardize and optimize the RFQ data analysis process. Benchmark supplier proposals across commodities to identify pricing anomalies, cost-reduction leverage points, and total cost of ownership (TCO) impact.
• Systems & Data Analytics: Build, refine, and maintain analytical tools, dashboards, and databases to track program progress, cost-saving initiatives, and spend metrics. Identify gaps in system functionality and improve data accuracy across purchasing systems.
• Stakeholder & Leadership Alignment: Act as the strategic connective tissue between Purchasing, Finance, Cost Engineering, and Vehicle Systems Engineering. Regularly present initiative statuses, commercial risk assessments, and financial trade-off proposals to executive leadership.
• Risk Mitigation & Benchmarking: Monitor automotive macroeconomic trends, technology landscapes, and supply market dynamics. Proactively identify financial and commercial risks, developing analytical frameworks to mitigate cost exposure.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Supply Chain Management, Economics, Data Analytics, or a related quantitative field required.
• Automotive Domain Expertise: 3+ years of technical program management, supply chain, or strategic procurement experience within the automotive industry (OEM or Tier 1 supplier).
• Data & Financial Analysis: Proven background in advanced data analytics, financial modeling, and cost structure breakdown. Demonstrated skill in turning raw commercial data into strategic negotiation insights.
• Strategic Sourcing Knowledge: Strong foundational knowledge of purchasing processes, supplier quote evaluation, RFQ/RFP structures, and commercial negotiation mechanics.
• Technical & Tools Proficiency:
  • Advanced proficiency in data analysis and visualization tools (e.g., Excel/VBA, Power BI, Tableau, SQL, or Python).
  • High efficiency in leveraging modern AI tools and data platforms (e.g., Gemini, Claude, Glean, and Databricks) to accelerate analytical workflows and…