Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies · San Francisco
Data & AITechnology and InnovationRemoteFullTimeposted 5w ago
Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world.
The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone.
About the Team
The 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.
Role
The 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.
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
Minimum 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
We 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.
Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. 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. We are also committed to ensuring compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status.
Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies” 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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) record keeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.
Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies affiliates; and (iii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies’ service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.
Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, 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.
If you provide a mobile telephone number as part of your application or during the recruitment process, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use that number to contact you via SMS text message for recruitment-related purposes, including scheduling, logistics, and status updates. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any text message you receive from us. Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of applying for or being considered for employment.
Please see our Candidate Data Privacy Notice (English) and Candidate Data Privacy Notice (Serbian) for more information.
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Please note this job posting represents an open, active vacancy. Additionally, we are not currently accepting applications from third party application services.