About Rivian 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. Role Summary Rivian is seeking a Sr. Manager, Powertrain Production Programs to lead series program execution across the powertrain organization. This role is responsible for driving the implementation of series program activities, including variant introductions, cost reduction initiatives, product and supply base re-qualification, issue escalation, and cross-functional problem solving. The ideal candidate brings strong program leadership, operational rigor, and the ability to clearly communicate priorities, risks, KPIs, and business impact to senior leadership. This role will lead the team responsible for driving and directing plant and operations teams through structured problem solving, ensuring rapid issue containment, clear ownership, cross-functional alignment, and durable corrective action. Responsibilities Role Responsibilities: ● Own execution of the series program roadmap for the powertrain organization, including variant introductions, cost reduction initiatives, and product or supply base re-qualification. ● Lead the cross-functional teams in Normal (including Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, etc.) to resolve production, quality, and ramp issues. ● Lead and develop direct reports within the Powertrain Production Programs team. ● Communicate top issues, KPIs, risks, and recovery plans to Rivian leadership with clear linkage to business impact. ● Drive strong accountability across engineering, operations, and plant functions, ensuring issues have clear ownership, decision-making support, execution urgency, and closure. ○ Providing day-to-day direction to operations teams during issue investigation and resolution, ensuring actions are prioritized, coordinated, and executed in line with program and business needs. ● Serve as the connection point between the powertrain engineering organization and program development teams. ● Support new program launches during industrialization at Rivian plants, ensuring readiness and cross-functional alignment. ● Support field issue triage and help ensure ownership is assigned and actions are driven to resolution. ● Build a team culture grounded in urgency, rigor, transparency, and relentless follow-through. The Powertrain Production Program team is responsible for: ● Leading implementation and execution of series program activities across the powertrain portfolio. ● Serving as the team that leads and directs operations during product and production problem solving, mobilizing the right cross-functional teams, setting priorities, and driving actions to closure. ● Tackling issues with urgency and persistence, while ensuring the right owners are engaged and closure is achieved. ● Connecting powertrain engineering, program development, operations, plant teams, and field teams to drive aligned execution. ● Supporting new program launches during industrialization and helping ensure smooth transition into series production. ● Supporting field issue triage and escalation to enable fast, effective decision-making and action. ● Directly lead variant program development and implementation. ● Lead tear down analysis for engineering study units including tear down management, analyze, report the results of trials/DOE. Qualifications ● Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, operations, or a related technical field. ● 8+ years of experience in engineering, program management, manufacturing, product development, or operations within automotive or a similarly complex industry. ● 3+ years of people leadership experience managing technical or program teams. ● Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced production environment. ● Experience managing issue escalation, risk tracking, and execution against program milestones. ● Strong communication skills with the ability to synthesize complex issues into clear leadership updates. ● Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to drive decisions across multiple stakeholders. ○ Hands-on experience with structured problem solving using 8D/A3/5-Why disciplines, with clear action tracking, owner assignment, and leadership visibility. ○ Experience driving cross-functional recovery rooms / escalation cadences with manufacturing, quality, product engineering, supply chain, supplier development, launch, and plant operations teams. Preferred Qualifications ● Experience in powertrain systems, automotive launch, or series production support. ● Experience working closely with plant operations, quality, supply chain, and product engineering teams. ● Proven track record leading cost reduction, re-qualification, or variant introduction initiatives. ● Strong understanding of industrialization, launch readiness, and issue management in a manufacturing environment. ● Ability to operate effectively from executive-level reviews down to day-to-day issue resolution. ● Demonstrated ownership of series production issue resolution in a high-volume manufacturing environment, including containment, root cause, corrective action,validation, and closure of production disruptions and quality escalations. ● Experience understanding manufacturing KPIs such as FPY, DPU, OEE, scrap, MTTR/MTBF, throughput, takt adherence, and test fallout, with ability to assess and execute engineering activities into business-prioritized actions. ● Experience leading issue resolution at the plant floor level, including directing daily priorities for operations teams during abnormal conditions and ramp constraints. ● Experience with launch-to-series handoff management, including readiness reviews,risk retirement, and closure of open quality/process/manufacturing deliverables beforehand. Pay Disclosure Salary Range Illinois-Based Applicants: $161,00-$201,200 (actual compensation will be determined based on experience, 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. 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.
Sr. Manager, Powertrain Production Programs
This role is for a Sr. Manager, Powertrain Production Programs at Rivian, focusing on leading series program execution within the powertrain organization. Responsibilities include driving variant introductions, cost reduction initiatives, product/supply base re-qualification, issue escalation, and cross-functional problem-solving in a fast-paced production environment. The role requires strong program leadership, operational rigor, and people management skills, with a focus on resolving production and quality issues through structured problem-solving and clear communication to senior leadership.
What you'd actually do
- Own execution of the series program roadmap for the powertrain organization, including variant introductions, cost reduction initiatives, and product or supply base re-qualification.
- Lead the cross-functional teams in Normal (including Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, etc.) to resolve production, quality, and ramp issues.
- Lead and develop direct reports within the Powertrain Production Programs team.
- Communicate top issues, KPIs, risks, and recovery plans to Rivian leadership with clear linkage to business impact.
- Drive strong accountability across engineering, operations, and plant functions, ensuring issues have clear ownership, decision-making support, execution urgency, and closure.
Skills
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, operations, or a related technical field.
- 8+ years of experience in engineering, program management, manufacturing, product development, or operations within automotive or a similarly complex industry.
- 3+ years of people leadership experience managing technical or program teams.
- Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced production environment.
- Experience managing issue escalation, risk tracking, and execution against program milestones.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to synthesize complex issues into clear leadership updates.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to drive decisions across multiple stakeholders.
- Hands-on experience with structured problem solving using 8D/A3/5-Why disciplines, with clear action tracking, owner assignment, and leadership visibility.
- Experience driving cross-functional recovery rooms / escalation cadences with manufacturing, quality, product engineering, supply chain, supplier development, launch, and plant operations teams.
Nice to have
- Experience in powertrain systems, automotive launch, or series production support.
- Experience working closely with plant operations, quality, supply chain, and product engineering teams.
- Proven track record leading cost reduction, re-qualification, or variant introduction initiatives.
- Strong understanding of industrialization, launch readiness, and issue management in a manufacturing environment.
- Ability to operate effectively from executive-level reviews down to day-to-day issue resolution.
- Demonstrated ownership of series production issue resolution in a high-volume manufacturing environment, including containment, root cause, corrective action,validation, and closure of production disruptions and quality escalations.
- Experience understanding manufacturing KPIs such as FPY, DPU, OEE, scrap, MTTR/MTBF, throughput, takt adherence, and test fallout, with ability to assess and execute engineering activities into business-prioritized actions.
- Experience leading issue resolution at the plant floor level, including directing daily priorities for operations teams during abnormal conditions
What the JD emphasized
- 8+ years of experience in engineering, program management, manufacturing, product development, or operations within automotive or a similarly complex industry.
- 3+ years of people leadership experience managing technical or program teams.
- Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced production environment.
- Experience managing issue escalation, risk tracking, and execution against program milestones.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to drive decisions across multiple stakeholders.
- Hands-on experience with structured problem solving using 8D/A3/5-Why disciplines, with clear action tracking, owner assignment, and leadership visibility.
- Experience driving cross-functional recovery rooms / escalation cadences with manufacturing, quality, product engineering, supply chain, supplier development, launch, and plant operations teams.
- Experience in powertrain systems, automotive launch, or series production support.
- Proven track record leading cost reduction, re-qualification, or variant introduction initiatives.
- Strong understanding of industrialization, launch readiness, and issue management in a manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated ownership of series production issue resolution in a high-volume manufacturing environment, including containment, root cause, corrective action,validation, and closure of production disruptions and quality escalations.