Sr. Quality Engineer - Product Excellence

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 the leader of cross-functional teams, a Product Excellence Senior Quality Engineer is responsible for identifying deviations from the standard for Rivian vehicles, including but not limited to acoustic issues (functional, aero-acoustic and structure and airborne noises), HVAC function, water-tightness, air-leak, steering and suspension performance, drivetrain function, etc.   In these teams they will compare performance both against established standards from within Rivian, and to benchmarks and customer expectations from the field.  They will be conducting analyses into the issues identified, and deep diving the root causes of deviations they and our process partners  from the other organizations in the plant have found.  To solve these defects and improve the vehicles’ quality, they will collaborate with product design and process engineering to define both immediate countermeasures and permanent corrective actions, delegate tasks to team members and drive these solution through the process to series implementation, and validate the effectiveness of the measure on the vehicle through a variety of test methods (including, but not limited to 4-post shaker, climate testing, road test, wind-tunnel testing, acoustic assessments and measurements, water test, air leakage, etc.).   They will regularly align with Field Warranty, Test & Development and Reliability Engineering to ensure the prioritization of the topics on which they are focusing.  They additionally work closely with setting standards for functions on the whole vehicle, and in collaboration with the Testing & Development team for generating test methods to be applied in the production environment.    Responsibilities Lead the analysis process utilizing proven quality tools to help develop immediate countermeasures (containments) and permanent (long-term) solutions in response to internal and external customer quality concerns. Drive development of methods to analyze product and process quality. Improve product quality/validation effectiveness by defining/implementing recommendations for improvements of current state, establishing best-practice methods for total vehicle testing, and aligning across the organization with other testing and development departments. Drive improvements to meet long-term Customer Quality Expectations. Analyze data (test results as well as internal quality and field warranty data) to define trends, capability, and functional improvements. Work together with relevant teams and departments to understand the needs regarding analysis and measurement systems. Conduct analyses of issues and validations of solutions. Lead brainstorming and ideation to develop solutions for observed problems. Formulate a strategic plan to develop systems and metrics that increase productivity in the business. Proactively identify testing and process improvements independent of quality issues (e.g. simplification, cost-down, durability improvements, sampling rates, tool improvement, etc.) Set goals for performance and deadlines in ways that comply with company’s plans and vision. Lead cross-functional problem-solving teams across all business units. Organize workflow and ensure that team participants understand their duties and delegated tasks.   Qualifications Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Demonstrated project management and cross-functional team leadership skills. High proficiency in analytical tools and equipment as typically used for total vehicle validation in the automotive development and production areas. Strong understanding of test and analysis methods in support of Customer Quality Metrics. Working knowledge of data analysis software like MiniTab or JMP.  Ability to write scripts and programs for these a plus. Advanced Excel skills.   Knowledge of Power BI or Tableau a plus Experienced in working with SharePoint. 5+ years design or vehicle test engineering experience in an automotive manufacturing environment. 5+ years whole vehicle analysis and problems solving experience.  NVH, Climate Functions and Comfort Evaluations experience preferred. 3+ years experience in data analytics in an automotive quality role. Results driven with a Quality Mindset. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Good electronic communication software skills (MS Office, Minitab, email, etc.). Good interpersonal skills with a focus on collaboration in cross-functional teams Desire to work in a strong cross-functional and collaborative environment While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; sit; use hands to grasp, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.  The employee is occasionally required to walk; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.  The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.  In the performance of the duties of this job the employee is required to travel (frequency), drive a motor vehicle, communicate using telephone and e-mail.   Education Requirements Engineering, Quality, or other Technical Bachelor’s-Degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience, or 10+ years’ experience in automotive/vehicle analysis, testing or manufacturing environment. 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.