Staff Polymers Engineer - Plastics

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: As a Polymers Materials Engineer in the broader Reliability organization, your work is critical to enabling Rivian’s electric vehicles in their mission to keep the world adventurous forever. Your colleagues will seek your insight and leadership in polymer science & sustainability as you investigate new polymer grades and applications, author specifications and test methods, all while improving product reliability through failure analysis investigations. You will be a key technical interface for Rivian’s polymer raw material and component suppliers, where your knowledge of polymer processing and tooling design comes together with stakeholders Supply Chain and Quality to continually improve the quality, price and sustainability of plastic components. Responsibilities: Maintain key raw material and part supplier relationships, using your expertise in polymer processing methods and polymer chemistry to perform supplier audits and qualification activities as well as assess and approve supplier-driven process change requests. Act as a polymer subject matter expert for internal customers: support their activities in material selection, qualification, standardization and sourcing by using data and your expertise in polymer performance and failure modes to meet design requirements. Lead innovations in polymer performance, cost and sustainability with internal research projects and partners in industry and academia. Partner with and educate other engineering teams on best-practices in polymer engineering as well as existing and future laboratory capabilities. Participate in failure analysis activities on incidents involving polymers, combining polymer science and materials engineering fundamentals and empirical data to define failure root cause and corrective actions. Define test plans and methods for characterizing polymeric materials, resulting in design-quality data sets and specifications for broader consumption by engineering and CAE teams. Lead executive reviews of projects in the polymers technical domain. Qualifications: PhD. or Masters in Materials Science/Engineering, Polymer Science/Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry or other relevant discipline. 5+ years of experience in the development and/or evaluation of polymeric materials – primarily plastics, utilizing strong fundamental knowledge of polymer chemistry, structure-processing-property correlations and failure modes. Experience applying plastic materials to an engineered product; demonstrated ability to influence design and recommend appropriate polymer materials and manufacturing methods (eg. injection molding, thermos forming, casting, lamination, extrusion, etc) Experience with elastomer compounds and soft goods is a plus. Hands on experience and working knowledge of key polymer characterization techniques, such as FTIR, DSC, TGA, DMA and rheology. Experience with Raman spectroscopy, XRD, GC-MS and NMR is a plus. General knowledge of common materials laboratory techniques such as optical microscopy, SEM, EDT and x-ray techniques (2D and 3D). CAD experience (specifically CATIA) is a plus. Experience in drafting material specifications and supporting them through their lifecycle with a variety of customers, including suppliers seeking qualifications and internal customers performed FMEA activities General project management skills and the ability to maintain multiple work streams ranging from long-term research initiatives to urgent production support Strong written and oral communication skills (including visualizations); demonstrated ability to influence technical and non-technical audiences A desire to create a respectful, fun, inclusive and inspiring company culture is a must! Salary range for California Based Applicants: $150,000-$173,000 (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.  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.