Hardware Systems Architect

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.

In this position, you will lead efforts within the Hardware Systems Architecture team to develop a full understanding of product features and attributes, collaborate cross-functionally to translate and decompose them into technical requirements, and ultimately define their respective sub-system architectures - all within the vehicle's low voltage electrical (LVE) system. In later stages of development, you will leverage these insights to help define system performance criteria and methodology for validation of these systems against their requirements. This role spans sub-systems including infotainment, telematics, networking, camera systems, vehicle access/security, and more.

1. Work cross-functionally with hardware architecture, hardware design and software application teams to factor functional and performance requirements into their sub-systems, identify the key metrics and trade-offs, and optimize them using data and analysis, to distill clear system architecture requirements.
2. Model system-level trade-offs concerning distributed compute, network and other resources, considering dimensions like power efficiency, end-to-end latencies, compute/memory utilization, and scalability, to help produce optimal systems architectures.
3. Develop mock-ups or prototypes to study next-gen technologies, establish proofs-of-concept, test modelled assumptions, and/or serve as reference platforms for future bring up, system integration, or system-level validation.
4. Collaborate with system performance engineers, hardware design and software teams to create comprehensive validation plans that surface key system-level performance metrics, locate bottlenecks or chokepoints, and identify over-/under-design scenarios relative to system requirements.

1. Advanced degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a related field, and a track record of 10+ years of hands-on experience in relevant industries, including automotive, aerospace, or relevant consumer applications.
2. Experience designing and developing embedded systems to optimize for network performance, compute and network resource utilization, power moding states and efficiency, end-to-end latencies, and other system performance characteristics.
3. Hands-on experience with a variety of embedded hardware typical in automotive applications, including high-compute SoCs, MCUs, camera or other sensors, de-/serializers, transceivers, networking components, and/or related networking and peripheral interfaces.
4. Strong understanding of embedded computing platforms, and the methods for quantifying performance of their processors, including CPU, GPU, NPU, DSP, ISP, etc, as well as memory systems, networking and peripheral interfaces.
5. Conversant with high-speed automotive interfaces and networks, such as PCIe, GMSL, Ethernet, A2B, 10Base-T1S, CAN-FD, and how to characterize their utilization and performance.
6. Grasp the power related aspects of distributed embedded architectures, including efficient utilization of low-power states, wake propagation and sequencing.
7. Experience with camera sensors, and downstream processing pipelines, including ISPs, DSPs, GPUs and how to characterize key performance metrics, and resource allocation.
8. Some familiarity with automotive audio technologies including SDR, DSPs, i2s and a2b interfaces, amplifiers, mics and related peripherals.
9. Conversant with wireless technologies like GNSS, BLE, LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi, and/or UWB, and their performance evaluation at the protocol and systems integration levels.

Salary Range for California Based Candidates: $213,000.00 - $266,300.00 (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, and Rivian covers most of the premiums.

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.