Role SummaryAbout the TeamThe Connectivity & Telematics team is the central nervous system between Rivian vehicles and the cloud - responsible for real-time vehicle-to-cloud communication, remote command execution, telemetry pipelines, and system-level diagnostics across a fleet of 100,000+ vehicles. We sit at a rare intersection: close enough to the hardware to debug kernel behavior, and close enough to the cloud to trace a failure end-to-end.
RoleThe Connectivity & Telematics team is the central nervous system between Rivian vehicles and the cloud - responsible for real-time vehicle-to-cloud communication, remote command execution, telemetry pipelines, and system-level diagnostics across a fleet of 100,000+ vehicles. We sit at a rare intersection: close enough to the hardware to debug kernel behavior, and close enough to the cloud to trace a failure end-to-end.
This role is fundamentally about investigation. You'll work on some of the most complex, cross-cutting problems on the platform - the kind that don't live cleanly in one layer or one discipline's mental model. A single investigation might span embedded Linux behavior, networking internals, firmware interfaces, and cloud-connected services before the full picture comes together. Investigation here runs in both directions: reactive root cause when something breaks in the field, and proactive interrogation of fleet data to catch regressions before a release ships.
What makes this role distinct is that investigation happens at fleet scale. The strongest work pairs systems understanding with data: querying fleet-wide telemetry to find a pattern and quantify its impact, then dropping down to device logs and on-vehicle testing to explain it. The best investigations don't end at a root cause - they end with what you learned encoded into automated detection, so the fleet flags the next one on its own. We're looking for an engineer with strong software and systems fundamentals who either brings - or is motivated to build - the data analysis skills (SQL, PySpark) to reason about the fleet as a whole.
Responsibilities- Investigate and root-cause cross-stack issues spanning embedded Linux, networking, firmware interfaces, and cloud-connected services on production vehicles
- Analyze fleet telemetry and logs (SQL, PySpark, Databricks) to detect emerging issues, quantify scope and impact, and validate that fixes hold up in the field
- Gate software releases with fleet data: define health criteria, monitor rollouts, and inform go/no-go decisions for software shipping to 100,000+ vehicles
- Build and maintain automated telemetry monitoring, dashboards, and alerting that surface fleet-level health patterns and catch regressions early
- Drive data-driven root cause analysis end-to-end: form hypotheses, design controlled experiments, collect evidence, and document findings
- Perform on-vehicle testing and diagnostic work to reproduce and validate behavior
- Partner with firmware, platform, cloud, and vendor teams to trace issues across system boundaries and land durable fixes
- Communicate findings in clear written investigation summaries accessible to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
QualificationsMinimum Qualifications:
- B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field - or equivalent practical experience
- 2+ years of experience building, debugging, or operating software systems
- Strong programming ability in Python and/or C/C++, including the ability to read, understand, and debug complex embedded code that you didn't write
- Working knowledge of Linux (processes and services, networking fundamentals, logs) and a demonstrated ability to learn how large, multi-layer systems interact
- Experience with - or clear aptitude and strong willingness to learn - SQL and PySpark for large-scale data analysis
- Strong analytical reasoning and written communication skills
Minimum Qualifications:
- Hands-on experience analyzing large-scale telemetry or log data with PySpark, Databricks, SQL, or Python/pandas
- Experience with embedded Linux internals: kernel, drivers, networking stack, and how userspace interacts with hardware
- Experience with Linux system debugging and network analysis tools: perf, ftrace, strace, tcpdump, Wireshark/PCAP
- Familiarity with vehicle networking and connectivity protocols: CAN, Automotive Ethernet, LTE/cellular modem management
- Familiarity with hardware diagnostic tools such as CANalyzer or oscilloscopes for ECU communication analysis
- Experience building dashboards, monitoring, or alerting for production system or fleet health
- Comfort writing automation or analysis scripts to accelerate investigation workflows
- Prior work in automotive, robotics, IoT, or connected hardware products
Total RewardsWe 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. 
