Rivian

Lead Staff Software Engineer, Embedded, Autonomy

Rivian$206K — $258K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
  • 8+ years of relevant experience in embedded software development.
  • Proficient in C and C++ programming.
  • Experience with high compute embedded software and hardware integration.
  • Developed and optimized code for multi-core embedded Linux systems.
  • Familiar with Linux device drivers and automotive communication protocols.
  • Proven experience in mentoring engineers and leading technical teams.

Responsibilities

  • Architect, design, and maintain software applications and drivers for embedded platforms.
  • Lead cross-functional teams through the software development lifecycle.
  • Collaborate with hardware engineers for hardware bring-up and software integration.
  • Optimize system performance, memory use, and power efficiency.
  • Conduct code reviews to ensure quality and adherence to standards.
  • Document software designs and testing procedures comprehensively.
  • Develop test plans for software functionality and reliability.

Benefits

  • Paid vacation and sick leave.
  • Comprehensive insurance benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
  • 401(k) plan participation and employee stock purchase opportunities.
  • Coverage effective on the first day for full-time employees and after 90 days for part-time employees.
Full Job Description
Role Summary

In this position, you will be a Lead Staff Engineer developing embedded software for Rivian's next-generation autonomy driving platform. You will architect, design, develop, and test platform software to support Rivian's cutting-edge autonomy stack. You will lead feature development involving cross-functional teams and oversee features from concept to deployment. Focus areas will include application development, driver development, hardware bring-up, and simulation.

Responsibilities

  • Architect, design, develop, and maintain applications, drivers, and frameworks on high compute embedded platforms.
  • Lead feature development involving cross-functional teams through multiple phases of the SDLC.
  • Collaborate with hardware engineers to bring-up hardware and integrate software with various vehicle components and systems.
  • Identify and implement optimizations to enhance system performance, memory utilization, and power efficiency.
  • Participate in and conduct code reviews to maintain code quality, adherence to coding standards, and knowledge sharing within the team.
  • Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for software designs, interfaces, and testing procedures.
  • Develop and execute test plans to validate software functionality, safety, and reliability in compliance with automotive standards.
  • Keep up with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to contribute to continuous improvement within the team.
  • Mentor and coach junior and senior engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and potentially overseeing a dedicated sub-team of embedded developers.
  • Drive the technical roadmap for the Autonomy platform and assist in resource planning, hiring, and team growth strategy.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
  • 8+ years of related work experience.
  • Experience programming with C and C++ languages.
  • Experience with bleeding-edge embedded software development and hardware bring-up.
  • Experience developing, profiling, and optimizing code running on a multi-core embedded Linux target.
  • Experience with Linux device drivers for hardware blocks such as Camera Serial Interface (CSI), Image Signal Processor (ISP), Ethernet, I2C, SPI, UART, UFS, or PCIe.
  • Proven track record of mentoring engineers or leading small-to-medium technical teams.
  • Experience in project management, sprint planning, or defining engineering processes within a high-growth environment.
  • Experience working with embedded development tools and debuggers.
  • Experience working with version control systems (e.g., Git) and issue tracking tools.
  • Strong understanding of modern SoC architectures, operating system fundamentals, hardware/software interfaces, and abstractions.
  • Strong communication, debugging, problem-solving, and teamwork abilities.
  • Experience with automotive communication protocols such as CAN, UDS, and DOIP is a plus.
  • Experience with any RTOS (e.g., FreeRTOS, QNX, GreenHills, etc.) is a plus.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $206,500.00 - $258,100.00 for California 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 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 April 6, 2026.

About Rivian

Rivian is an American automaker and automotive technology company. Founded in 2009, the company develops vehicles, products and services related to sustainable transportation. Rivian has raised over $10.5 billion since 2019, with investments from Amazon, Ford, and Cox Automotive. The company's first two vehicles, the R1T and R1S, are electric vehicles that are expected to be released in 2021. Rivian has also announced plans to produce electric delivery vans for Amazon. The company has received praise for its focus on sustainability and its commitment to using recycled materials in its vehicles.
Learn more about Rivian
Size
10,000 employees
Market Cap
$16.8 billion
Industry
Founded
2009
NASDAQ

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