Staff Software Engineer, Data, Autonomy
About Us:
As a company, we constantly challenge what’s possible, never simply accepting what has always been done. We reframe old problems, seek new solutions and operate comfortably in areas that are unknown. Our backgrounds are diverse, but our team shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it for future generations. Role Summary:
Rivian is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at candidateaccommodations@rivian.com.
Rivian may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian affiliates; and (iii) Rivian’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.
Rivian may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.
Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.
Rivian is on a mission to keep the world adventurous forever. This goes for the emissions-free Electric Adventure Vehicles we build, and the curious, courageous souls we seek to attract.
As a company, we constantly challenge what’s possible, never simply accepting what has always been done. We reframe old problems, seek new solutions and operate comfortably in areas that are unknown. Our backgrounds are diverse, but our team shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it for future generations.
The Autonomy organization at Rivian is seeking a highly skilled and hands-on Staff Data Engineer to join our Cloud and Data team. This role is ideal for an experienced engineer who thrives at the intersection of data architecture, distributed systems, and scalable engineering.
You will be responsible for designing and evolving critical data infrastructure to support the next generation of autonomous vehicle development. You will lead the technical direction for scalable, reliable, and secure data pipelines, while staying deeply involved in hands-on development. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who can work independently, lead complex projects end-to-end, and proactively drive cross-functional initiatives. You will also collaborate closely with engineering and product teams, mentor fellow engineers, and influence architectural decisions that support long-term platform growth.
Responsibilities: - Architect and build scalable, high-throughput data pipelines to process vehicle telemetry, sensor logs, and simulation outputs using Spark, Databricks, and AWS services.
- Design and evolve distributed data architecture across batch, streaming, and hybrid processing frameworks to support real-time and offline autonomy use cases.
- Independently lead the design, development, and delivery of complex data engineering projects, from requirements gathering to deployment.
- Partner with cross-functional teams including Perception, Simulation, QA, and Safety to deliver reliable and performant data infrastructure aligned with autonomy goals.
- Implement engineering best practices for CI/CD, monitoring, testing, and observability across all data workflows.
- Mentor and guide team members, providing technical leadership and growing expertise across the team in areas such as system design, software development, and distributed computing.
- Establish frameworks for privacy-aware data collection, geospatial enrichment, and high-volume data ingest and transformation.
- Evaluate and introduce new technologies and frameworks to optimize pipeline performance, reduce costs, and improve reliability.
- Take ownership of ambiguous problems, drive them to clarity, and implement practical, scalable solutions.
- Stay current with the evolving data engineering ecosystem and apply the latest tools and practices where appropriate.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
- 8+ years of experience in data engineering, software engineering, or distributed systems.
- Proven experience designing and operating large-scale data systems using Spark, Databricks, or equivalent tools.
- Strong knowledge of AWS services (e.g., S3, Lambda, EKS, DynamoDB, IAM) and data lake architecture.
- Hands-on experience with Kubernetes and container orchestration for managing scalable, resilient workloads.
- Proficiency in Python, Go and SQL, with a focus on writing modular, testable, production-grade code.
- Deep understanding of streaming and batch data processing paradigms, including data ingestion from edge devices.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently, self-direct, and lead projects without close supervision.
- Familiarity with data governance and access control frameworks such as Unity Catalog or AWS Lake Formation.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to influence through clear technical reasoning and collaboration.
- Experience working with geospatial data, vehicle telemetry, or IoT-scale pipelines is a plus.
Salary Range for California Based Applicants: $206,500.00 - $258,100.00 (actual compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law).
Benefits Summary: Rivian provides robust medical/Rx, dental and vision insurance packages for full-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26. Coverage is effective on the first day of employment.
Company Statements: Equal Opportunity
Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Rivian is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at candidateaccommodations@rivian.com.
Candidate Data Privacy
Rivian may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.
Rivian may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian affiliates; and (iii) Rivian’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.
Rivian may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.
Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.