Role Summary

The Sr. Production Scheduler owns near-term Body & Paint production planning and execution across assigned vehicle programs. This role translates downstream General Assembly requirements, master production plan guidance, WIP conditions, material availability, capacity, and sequencing constraints into achievable daily, shift, and weekly build plans. The Sr. Production Scheduler maintains the live schedule through changing production conditions, analyzes plan-versus-actual performance, and leads cross-functional recovery actions when execution is at risk. The role partners closely with Production Operations, Material Planning, Logistics, Service Planning, Engineering Change Management, Manufacturing and Process Engineering, Quality, Launch, and Production Control stakeholders to protect throughput, material flow, sequence adherence, and vehicle build requirements. This is an onsite manufacturing role in Normal, Illinois. The position requires regular presence on the production floor, frequent interaction with cross-functional partners, and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced environment with changing production, material, engineering, and launch conditions.

Shift Schedule will be 5:30am - 2:30pm (Subject to change based on business needs)

Responsibilities

• Own the detailed Body & Paint schedule for the assigned scope across daily, shift, and weekly planning horizons.
• Develop executable Body & Paint build plans based on downstream requirements, WIP levels, material availability, capacity, shop constraints, and program priorities.
• Translate master production plan and model-mix requirements into executable shop schedules, planned starts, planned finishes, and sequence guidance.
• Maintain the live schedule using production actuals; identify misses, quantify downstream impact, and drive timely recovery plans with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate paint sequence across applicable programs to support the 98% General Assembly sequence-adherence target.
• Manage WIP, buffers, and downstream handoffs to maintain stable flow and protect General Assembly production requirements.
• Align SAP order dates, priorities, statuses, and releases with the approved source-of-truth schedule; coordinate order broadcast and execution readiness across SAP and MES/MARS.
• Maintain system and master-data discipline so production orders, material requirements, BOMs, routings, and execution statuses support accurate planning and material fulfillment.
• Coordinate with Service Planning, Operations, and Logistics on aftermarket replacement-parts planning, production priorities, and shipping requirements.
• Partner with Engineering Change Management to incorporate new products, configuration changes, and component revisions while minimizing disruption to production operations.
• Participate in new-program and launch activities, including build-plan development, material-planning readiness, content introduction, execution tracking, and recovery planning.
• Collaborate with Material Planning partners to identify material constraints, shortages, order exceptions, and risks to build execution.
• Perform regular GEMBA walks to strengthen product, process, WIP, and constraint understanding and build effective relationships with shop-floor partners.
• Develop and maintain KPI reporting for schedule attainment, sequence adherence, plan-versus-actual performance, WIP versus target, and system cleanliness.
• Use data analytics, automation, and AI-enabled tools where appropriate to improve decision-making, reduce manual effort, and create clear visualizations for leadership reporting.
• Maintain approved scheduling workbooks and trackers during the transition to system-based planning, ensuring data accuracy and minimizing duplicate offline processes.
• Drive continuous improvement using lean principles to reduce manual handoffs, improve schedule stability, manage changeovers, reduce WIP risk, and eliminate wasted time.
• Communicate schedule risks, decisions, trade-offs, recovery actions, and next steps clearly to production and leadership audiences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in operations, supply chain, engineering, business, or a related field, plus at least five years of relevant experience in production scheduling, production control, material planning, or a related function, including live-schedule ownership and plan-to-build execution in a high-volume manufacturing environment; equivalent experience in lieu of the degree requires at least seven years of progressively responsible automotive or complex discrete manufacturing experience, including at least five years in scheduling, production control, or material planning.
• Experience using SAP in a production-planning or production-scheduling environment, including production orders, dates, priorities, material availability, or order status management.
• Working knowledge of MES and the interface between ERP planning systems and shop-floor execution systems.
• Understanding of inventory management, WIP control, material requirements, production flow, and downstream fulfillment.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills in a high-pressure manufacturing environment.
• Strong Microsoft Office and/or Google Workspace skills, including advanced spreadsheet-based analysis and reporting.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing, verbally, and in cross-functional operating forums.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and align stakeholders around schedule risks, priorities, and recovery actions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with takt-based scheduling, mixed-model sequencing, changeover management, finite-capacity planning, or lean manufacturing.
• Experience supporting engineering changes, new product introduction, validation builds, or production launches.
• Experience building dashboards, data models, or visualizations for manufacturing performance and leadership reporting.
• Comfort presenting schedule status, risks, recommendations, and recovery plans to leadership groups.
• Demonstrated record of improving scheduling processes, system adoption, data quality, or operational efficiency.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $79,700 - $99,600 for Illinois 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 Sept 9th 2026.