Rivian

Staff Technical Program Manager

Rivian$154K — $192K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7+ years of experience in technical program management in Automotive, Tier 1, OEM, or a related engineering field.
  • Bachelor's degree in Industrial/Mechanical Engineering, Business, Operations, or Finance.
  • Experience with commercial fleets or vehicles, preferably in B2B projects.
  • Proficiency in Jira and Databricks; must use AI tools for data analysis.
  • Experience with strategic process redesign initiatives for operational improvement.
  • Ability to work autonomously and seek innovations.
  • Knowledge of upfitting and aftermarket product development is a plus.

Responsibilities

  • Drive strategic upfit initiatives and future product roadmap planning.
  • Lead change management and continuous improvement for the commercial van program.
  • Utilize analytics tools to support data-driven decision-making across the business.
  • Adapt and thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced work environment.
  • Build partnerships across teams to translate requirements into actionable milestones.
  • Manage integration with upfit partners to align with Rivian’s systems and values.
  • Communicate effectively through high-impact business updates and risk assessments.

Benefits

  • Paid vacation and sick leave.
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance benefits.
  • Life insurance and short/long-term disability insurance.
  • 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program eligibility.
  • Comprehensive benefits package for employees and their families, effective on the first day for full-time employees.
Full Job Description
Role Summary

As a Sr. Technical Program Manager (TPM) on the Upfit Team, you will serve as the strategic engine driving Rivian's upfitting initiatives, future roadmap planning, and comprehensive product plan. Beyond standard execution, this role requires a visionary leader who will also play a critical part in supporting Rivian's commercial van programs, with an emphasis on driving change management for continuous improvement designs. This is a highly dynamic and fluid environment where priorities shift rapidly. We are seeking a proactive self-starter who doesn't wait for direction, but rather identifies opportunities, defines the work, and drives cross-functional alignment. By leveraging strong data analytics and strategic problem-solving, you will collaborate closely with Product Development, Engineering, Operations, and business partners to evaluate, implement, and scale new solutions for Rivian's commercial vehicle portfolio.

Responsibilities
• Technical Program Leadership: Act as the primary TPM driving strategic upfit initiatives, future product roadmap planning, and comprehensive product and upfit validations.
• Commercial Van Program Management: Lead key aspects of the commercial van program, taking ownership of change management for continuous improvement designs to optimize vehicle performance, utility, and partner integration.
• Data-Driven Strategy & Analytics: Leverage tools like Databricks, Jira, and emerging AI technologies to build robust analytics reporting, track KPIs, and drive informed, first-principles decision-making across the business.
• Agile Execution in a Dynamic Environment: Navigate and thrive in a fast-paced setting where priorities shift frequently. Proactively identify operational gaps, define project scopes, and pioneer process redesigns without waiting for top-down direction.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Foster operational partnerships with Engineering, Purchasing, Demand Planning, Logistics, and Finance to translate complex vehicle-level requirements into seamless, actionable milestones.
• Partner Integration & Alignment: Oversee the end-to-end integration of Authorized and Preferred Upfit partners, ensuring seamless alignment with Rivian's internal systems, service requirements, and core values.
• Strategic Communication: Lead business reviews by providing exceptionally organized, high-impact updates, clearly articulating project status, risks, and actionable recommendations to leadership and external stakeholders.

Qualifications
• 5-7+ years of experience in technical program management within the Automotive, Tier 1, OEM, or a closely related technical field.
• Bachelor's degree with an emphasis in Industrial/Mechanical Engineering, Business, Operations, or Finance.
• Commercial Experience: Strong preference for candidates with a background in commercial fleets, commercial vehicles, or B2B enterprise projects.
• Technical Stack: Proficiency in Jira and Databricks is essential. Must be fluent in utilizing modern AI tools to accelerate workflows and data analysis. Experience with CAD/Catia/Enovia/PLM is highly preferred.
• Strategic Problem Solver: Broad experience defining, launching, and driving strategic process redesign initiatives to improve both internal and external operations.
• Self-Starter Mentality: Proven ability to operate autonomously, seeking out innovations and presenting new strategies to continuously improve the organization.
• Knowledge of upfitting and general aftermarket product development is a strong plus.
• Work Environment: This role requires working onsite at our Rivian facility in Irvine, CA, with the ability to travel occasionally as needed to support business objectives.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $154,000- 192,500 for Southern 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).

Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.

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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