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 The Autonomy Software Systems team's deliverables include owning a feature - from the definition stage to the production stage, designing the system - from system architecture to subsystem requirements. In this role you will own the architecture and specification of platform services on Rivian's autonomy compute platform. Platform services are the foundational software components that manage application lifecycle, system state, health monitoring, inter-process communication, and fault management — the layer between the operating system/middleware and the autonomous driving applications. Responsibilities Own the architectural definition of platform services for the autonomy compute platform, including but not limited to: execution management, system state management, platform health and fault management, and communication management Author and maintain platform service specifications that serve as the authoritative source of truth for the software infrastructure implementation team Define interface contracts (service interfaces, configuration schemas) between platform services, between platform services and applications, and between ECUs Make and document architectural trade-off decisions with clear rationale, considering real-time performance, safety, and scalability Define system-level requirements for platform services, derived from vehicle-level needs, safety goals, and hardware constraints Establish and maintain traceability between requirements, architecture decisions, implementation artifacts, and verification evidence Collaborate with the team to improve requirements management practices and tooling ● Define acceptance criteria and verification strategies for platform services Author test specifications that can be executed at the device, bench, or HIL level to validate platform service behavior Work with the team to build automated verification capabilities for platform-level requirements Serve as the primary technical interface between the systems engineering team and the software infrastructure team for platform service topics Collaborate with the hardware engineering team on compute architecture, resource allocation, and platform topology decisions Support the diagnostics and sensor integration systems engineers by providing platform-level context and ensuring platform services meet their domain-specific needs ● Participate in design reviews for platform software implementations, providing architectural feedback grounded in the specifications you own Qualifications Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or a related field 10+ years of experience in embedded systems, automotive software platforms, or autonomous vehicle compute systems Deep understanding of platform software concepts: process/application lifecycle management, system state machines, health monitoring, inter-process communication, fault detection and response Experience with real-time operating systems (QNX, Linux with RT extensions) in automotive or safety-critical contexts Strong familiarity with service-oriented communication (SOME/IP, DDS) and automotive networking (Ethernet, CAN/CAN-FD) Experience writing system or software architecture documents, requirements specifications, and interface definitions Proficiency in C++ (sufficient to read and evaluate platform implementations, write reference or prototype code, and author verification tools) Proficiency in Python (for tooling, automation, data analysis) Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with implementation teams, translating architecture into actionable specifications Experience with Adaptive AUTOSAR concepts (execution management, state management, platform health management, communication management) Experience with automotive functional safety processes (ISO 26262) at the platform or system level Experience with requirements management tools (DOORS, Polarion, Jama, or similar) Background in performance analysis, timing analysis, or scheduling for real-time embedded systems Experience evaluating or integrating third-party middleware or AUTOSAR stacks Prior work at an OEM, Tier 1, or autonomy technology company on production vehicle compute platform Pay Disclosure The salary range for this role is $206,500-$258,100 for San Francisco Bay Area 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. 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. 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.
Staff Systems Engineer Autonomy
Staff Systems Engineer for Rivian's Autonomy Software Systems team, focusing on owning the architecture and specification of platform services on the autonomy compute platform. This includes managing application lifecycle, system state, health monitoring, inter-process communication, and fault management, bridging the gap between the OS/middleware and autonomous driving applications. The role requires deep understanding of embedded systems, real-time OS, service-oriented communication, and automotive functional safety.
What you'd actually do
- Own the architectural definition of platform services for the autonomy compute platform, including but not limited to: execution management, system state management, platform health and fault management, and communication management
- Author and maintain platform service specifications that serve as the authoritative source of truth for the software infrastructure implementation team
- Define interface contracts (service interfaces, configuration schemas) between platform services, between platform services and applications, and between ECUs
- Make and document architectural trade-off decisions with clear rationale, considering real-time performance, safety, and scalability
- Define system-level requirements for platform services, derived from vehicle-level needs, safety goals, and hardware constraints
Skills
Required
- embedded systems
- automotive software platforms
- autonomous vehicle compute systems
- platform software concepts
- real-time operating systems (QNX, Linux with RT extensions)
- service-oriented communication (SOME/IP, DDS)
- automotive networking (Ethernet, CAN/CAN-FD)
- system or software architecture documents
- requirements specifications
- interface definitions
- C++
- Python
- Adaptive AUTOSAR concepts
- automotive functional safety processes (ISO 26262)
- requirements management tools (DOORS, Polarion, Jama, or similar)
- performance analysis
- timing analysis
- scheduling for real-time embedded systems
Nice to have
- Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or a related field
- Experience evaluating or integrating third-party middleware or AUTOSAR stacks
- Prior work at an OEM, Tier 1, or autonomy technology company on production vehicle compute platform
What the JD emphasized
- automotive software platforms
- autonomous vehicle compute systems
- platform services
- real-time performance
- safety
- scalability
- ISO 26262