Role SummaryThe Director of Supplier Development, Industrialization & Quality will lead a team responsible for end-to-end supplier execution, capability building, tooling industrialization and quality assurance across Rivian's global supply base. Merging pre-PPAP development engineering with post-PPAP quality management, this role establishes a single point of accountability for parts and systems from concept and tooling kickoff through ramp-up and serial production.
The ideal leader brings deep automotive or EV industrialization experience, combining technical rigor with a "boots on the ground" problem-solving methodology to ensure flawless program execution, capacity realization and zero-defect quality across launch and current production vehicles.
Responsibilities- Strategic Organization Leadership: Build, lead and mentor a high-performing global team of Supplier Development, Industrialization & Quality Engineers across major commodity sectors (e.g. Chassis, Battery, Drive Unit, Thermal, Interior, Exterior and Power Distribution).
- Cradle-to-Grave Part & Supplier Ownership: Oversee end-to-end component ownership, streamlining supplier communications and cross-functional alignment across both pre-PPAP development and post-PPAP production quality.
- Upstream Quality Prevention: Engage early in program development cycles alongside Engineering and Purchasing to conduct DFM, DFMEA and PFMEA reviews, resolving downstream ramp and quality constraints long before Start of Production (SOP).
- Tooling & Capacity Industrialization: Oversee supplier industrialization timelines, tool kickoffs, tooling audits and station-by-station capacity mapping (JPH / throughput modeling, sensor checks and Poka-Yoke validations) to resolve yield bottlenecks and secure confirmed production volumes.
- Rigorous PPAP & Launch Gatekeeping: Enforce strict APQP/PPAP gatekeeper discipline, executing Safe Launch containment protocols, Rate-at-Rate verifications and mandatory recovery glide paths for supplier milestones.
- Rapid Problem Solving & On-Site Triage: Deploy resources directly to supplier facilities during critical ramps to perform root-cause analyses (5-Why, 8D, PFMEA updates) and drive immediate yield and quality recovery.
- Supplier Performance & Governance: Establish and track global supplier scorecards, quality metrics, and audit schedules, driving corrective action plans and ongoing continuous improvement initiatives across the supply chain.
- Cross-Functional Executive Partnership: Collaborate closely with Procurement, Hardware Engineering, Manufacturing Operations and Program Management to escalate risks, present recovery models and align sourcing strategies.
Qualifications- Education: Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or Manufacturing), Supply Chain Management or a related technical field. Master's degree preferred.
- Experience: 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in supplier development, supplier quality or manufacturing industrialization within the automotive or high-growth EV sector.
- Cradle-to-Grave Domain Expertise: Proven track record of managing components through the entire lifecycle - from early engineering design reviews, APQP and PPAP approval to serial production quality management.
- Technical Mastery: Deep proficiency in core quality and manufacturing tools such as APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, SPC, 8D, 5-Why, Poke-Yoke systems and Lean Manufacturing.
- Operational & Analytical Discipline: Demonstrated experience in hands-on bottleneck resolution, capacity modeling, line-walk audits and data-driven root-cause problem solving.
- Leadership & Change Management: Experience building, restructuring or scaling global technical teams, instilling operational discipline and metric accountability while maintaining startup agility.
- Communication & Negotiation: Exceptional interpersonal and executive presentation skills; capable of holding supplier C-suite leadership accountable to Rivian performance expectations.
- Willingness to Travel: Ability to travel up to 50% (domestic and international) to engage suppliers directly on-site.
Pay DisclosureThe salary range for this role is USD $183,000.00-$262,000.00 for Normal, IL and Plymouth, MI based applicants and $201,000-$287,000 for Irvine, CA. 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 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 participate in Rivian's 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program if you meet certain eligibility requirements. Full-time employee coverage is effective on their first day of employment. Part-time employee coverage is effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment. More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com.
You can apply for this role through careers.rivian.com (or through internal-careers-rivian.icims.com if you are a current employee). This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than 06/27/2026
Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services. 
