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’s Body Manufacturing Engineering team designs, launches, and continuously improves world-class manufacturing systems that produce safe, high-quality vehicles at scale. As a Senior Manufacturing Engineer, you will support body manufacturing programs by owning and driving projects across process design, equipment specification, supplier development, installation, commissioning, validation, and production ramp-up. You will partner cross-functionally with Product Design, Manufacturing, Quality, Controls, and external suppliers to develop robust body manufacturing processes and equipment. Your responsibilities will include participating in design reviews and workshops, supporting design-for-manufacturability activities, developing process documentation and work instructions, contributing to PFMEA, managing equipment installations, leading FAT/SAT activities, and ensuring manufacturing systems achieve exceptional quality, efficiency, reliability, and throughput. This role is based at Rivian’s Normal, Illinois plant - the home of R1 and EDV production and the R2 industrialization effort. You will also lead major program changes to legacy products and processes across the Normal plant’s body lines, with future responsibilities supporting the relocation of these operations to Georgia. This position reports directly to a Manager, Manufacturing Engineering. Responsibilities Own Body Process & Equipment Strategy: define manufacturing concepts for lines, including layout, process, equipment selection & joining methodology to meet dimensional, throughput, cost, and safety targets on new underbody line & existing shops. Lead Concept-to-Launch Execution: manage the design procurement, installation & validation of production equipment, tooling, robotics, joining & conveyance Product collaboration: act as principle point of contact for all manufacturing needs of the PD team to ensure the product is feasible for high volume production Oversee the installation, acceptance testing and ramp up of manufacturing equipment/lines Continuous improvement: apply lean manufacturing principles, bottleneck relief, analyze process data, review performance & identify opportunities for improvements Problem solving: troubleshoot technical issues & mediate between competing technical requirements to ensure process stability & quality Project management: manage multiple high value projects concurrently, develop & adhere to schedules, co-ordinate with internal & external stakeholders to meet project objectives Standards & Specifications: Author/maintain Rivian body equipment/process specs & templates for use across all programs Cross-Functional Communication: Provide clear, concise, regular status on risk, cost, schedule, headcount, and mitigations to leadership Design and develop automated production lines for product flow, ergonomics and efficiency, scalability, standardization, and continuous quality monitoring Provide Design for Manufacturing feed-back to Product Design Engineering team Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in engineering or similar technical field 3-5+ years of manufacturing engineering experience leading and executing programs in body shops from concept to launch (or relevant experience). Strong problem solving skills and aptitude for learning systems quickly Experience managing large ($1m+) automation projects with multiple stakeholders. Substantial knowledge of automotive body assembly processes (welding, bonding, riveting etc.) Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles + continuous improvement methodologies Excellent communication, collaboration & project management skills Experience with data analysis, process monitoring & quality systems - ideally in bodyshop Well versed in current and emerging technologies and digitization trends relevant to industrial manufacturing Experience with 2D & 3D software (AutoCAD, Solidworks, and Catia) Understand GD&T principles Pay Disclosure The salary range for this role is $98,500-$123,000 for Illinois 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). This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than 12/1/2026. 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 and Technology 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. How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process: To ensure transparency, we want candidates to know that Rivian uses iCIMS Talent Cloud Artificial Intelligence (TCAI) and AI-enabled tools to assist with screening, reviewing, organizing and highlighting profiles and applications that match the key requirements for each role. AI does not make hiring decisions: Qualified candidate applications are reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate. Participation in AI profile matching is entirely voluntary. If you prefer that your profile not be used in this process, you can opt out at any time. Opting out means your profile will be excluded from automated matching and will not be surfaced for additional roles through this system. Your current application remains active and will not be affected in any way. Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services. Own Body Process & Equipment Strategy: define manufacturing concepts for lines, including layout, process, equipment selection & joining methodology to meet dimensional, throughput, cost, and safety targets on new underbody line & existing shops. Lead Concept-to-Launch Execution: manage the design procurement, installation & validation of production equipment, tooling, robotics, joining & conveyance Product collaboration: act as principle point of contact for all manufacturing needs of the PD team to ensure the product is feasible for high volume production Oversee the installation, acceptance testing and ramp up of manufacturing equipment/lines Continuous improvement: apply lean manufacturing principles, bottleneck relief, analyze process data, review performance & identify opportunities for improvements Problem solving: troubleshoot technical issues & mediate between competing technical requirements to ensure process stability & quality Project management: manage multiple high value projects concurrently, develop & adhere to schedules, co-ordinate with internal & external stakeholders to meet project objectives Standards & Specifications: Author/maintain Rivian body equipment/process specs & templates for use across all programs Cross-Functional Communication: Provide clear, concise, regular status on risk, cost, schedule, headcount, and mitigations to leadership Design and develop automated production lines for product flow, ergonomics and efficiency, scalability, standardization, and continuous quality monitoring Provide Design for Manufacturing feed-back to Product Design Engineering team Bachelor’s degree in engineering or similar technical field 3-5+ years of manufacturing engineering experience leading and executing programs in body shops from concept to launch (or relevant experience). Strong problem solving skills and aptitude for learning systems quickly Experience managing large ($1m+) automation projects with multiple stakeholders. Substantial knowledge of automotive body assembly processes (welding, bonding, riveting etc.) Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles + continuous improvement methodologies Excellent communication, collaboration & project management skills Experience with data analysis, process monitoring & quality systems - ideally in bodyshop Well versed in current and emerging technologies and digitization trends relevant to industrial manufacturing Experience with 2D & 3D software (AutoCAD, Solidworks, and Catia) Understand GD&T principles
