Director - Infotainment and Connectivity Integration

Role Summary

As Director of Infotainment Connectivity Integration, you will own the end-to-end quality and integration strategy for the Infotainment platform - spanning wireless connectivity, software validation, system integration, and the in-vehicle experience. This is a senior leadership role responsible for setting the quality bar across a team of 60+ engineers and shaping culture across the entire Infotainment organization.

You'll lead through influence as much as authority, partnering with Engineering, Product, and Program leadership to proactively surface quality risks before they become production problems. This role requires equal parts domain depth, organizational courage, and the ability to drive alignment across a complex, fast-moving environment.

This is an opportunity to shape the quality culture of a high-visibility software platform at vehicle scale, with direct access and influence with executive leadership, on a mission-driven team building technology that matters. This role is onsite in our Palo Alto, CA office.

Responsibilities

• Own the overall quality strategy and standards for the Infotainment and Connectivity platform which spans vehicle applications, media, connectivity, wireless, cameras, audio and overall stability of the platform.
• Lead and expand a team of managers that include reshaping the org structure, skill mix, and automation roadmap to meet next-generation program needs.
• Drive systemic root cause analysis on high-severity quality escapes - you're accountable for understanding why issues happen, not just that they happened and drive the right processes across the entire organization.
• Set and enforce the quality culture across the Infotainment org and in cross-functional partnerships with VW Group and Rivian platform teams
• Build the automation strategy and testing infrastructure to scale coverage without scaling headcount linearly
• Partner with senior Engineering, Product, and Program leaders to influence roadmap decisions through a quality lens
• Represent quality in executive forums; communicate clearly on risk posture, reject rates, and remediation plans to executive leadership
• Define what 'done' means for quality and make that definition stick across the organization

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in software quality, system integration, or related technical leadership, with 5+ years managing large, senior engineering teams
• Deep expertise in consumer tech or gadget-focused environments - you know what world-class product quality feels like as a user, not just as a metric
• Technical depth to triage complex infotainment integration issues - you can get into the weeds alongside your engineers, not just direct from above
• Strong background in connectivity and/or software-defined systems; wireless protocol experience and working directly with embedded systems are strong pluses.
• Proven track record influencing peer leaders and executives - you don't just report quality; you drive decisions because of it
• Experience in high-pressure production environments with meaningful reject rate exposure - you've been in the fire and know how to build systems that prevent it
• Ability to lead through ambiguity and build structure where none exists
• You set a high bar, hold it, and bring your team with you

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or greater in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or related field
• Background with a consumer device company with rigorous quality culture
• Automotive software or embedded systems experience, particularly with EV platforms
• Familiarity with automotive software development lifecycle frameworks
• Experience standing up quality orgs or leading significant org transformations

Total Rewards

We build the exceptional - and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program.

Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements.

In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full-time employees - including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs. Offerings vary by country. Learn more about our global benefit programs.

External candidates can apply for this role through the Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies careers site (https://rivianvw.tech/#careers). If you are a current employee, please apply through our internal job board.