Automotive Program Manager Jobs in Athens, GA (NOW HIRING)

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. 

Rivian is seeking a highly organized and results-oriented Technical Program Manager to drive the successful execution of complex, high-impact programs, typically exceeding $50M. In this role, you will be instrumental in defining, maintaining, and delivering program scope, schedule, and budget, ensuring alignment across cross-functional teams and external partners. You will foster strong working relationships, proactively manage risks, and establish clear communication channels to ensure program success and contribute to Rivian's mission of redefining sustainable transportation and energy. This role is located at our Normal, IL/Plymouth, MI or Atlanta, GA facility and reports directly to a Director, Manufacturing Engineering.

• Program Management: Own and develop comprehensive program plans, including scope definition and maintenance, detailed schedules with critical milestones and gates (looking 1-3 years out for new product launches), and robust budget and resource planning for programs >$50M. Regularly report on program status, demonstrating measured success in schedule, budget, and scope delivery.
• Cross-Functional Leadership & Partnerships: Cultivate strong partnerships with internal engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and other relevant teams, as well as external vendors and suppliers. Proactively identify and document the needs and outputs of cross-functional teams to ensure seamless collaboration. Represent Rivian effectively in interactions with external partners, demonstrating autonomy and driving program success.
• Team Collaboration & Influence: Foster a collaborative and high-performing team environment, becoming a recognized leader and a vital part of the working team. Facilitate smooth interactions and effectively manage interpersonal dynamics to minimize disruptions. While working independently of people managers, you will often guide working teams to prioritize and focus on critical tasks and projects, leveraging the manufacturing plan of record to set expectations with cross-functional partners.
• Risk Management & Mitigation: Identify, document, and manage risks at the program level, developing and implementing mitigation strategies to ensure on-time and within-budget delivery.
• Program Planning & Execution: Create and maintain detailed program plans for new product launches with a 1-3 year horizon, clearly outlining critical milestones and gates.
• Organizational Tools & Communication: Establish and manage systems for action tracking (e.g., JIRA) and documentation (e.g., ACC, Google Drive) from the ground up. Develop and deliver clear and concise program status reports on a regular basis, ensuring accuracy and requiring minimal correction. Align the team around consistent methods of organization and communication.
• Agility & Problem Solving: Take ambiguous goals and translate them into specific, actionable tasks for firefighting and burn-down activities, assisting technical leads in prioritizing competing projects. Proactively identify areas where cross-functional support is needed and effectively leverage partnerships to secure the necessary resources for issue resolution.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 7+ years' experience managing complex programs with budgets exceeding $50M, demonstrating successful delivery within scope, schedule, and budget.
• Strong skills in defining and maintaining program/project scope throughout the project lifecycle.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong working relationships and partnerships with both internal and external teams.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Experience working effectively with external vendors and suppliers.
• Ability to work independently and drive results in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience setting up and utilizing program management tools for task tracking and documentation (e.g., JIRA, Confluence, or similar).
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to align teams around common processes and communication methods.
• Proven ability to take vague goals and develop specific action plans to address immediate challenges.
• Experience identifying and escalating cross-functional dependencies and resource needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the automotive or manufacturing industry.
• Familiarity with new product introduction (NPI) processes.
• Experience with risk management methodologies and tools.

The salary range for this role is $140,600-$175,800 for Illinois, Michigan or Georgia 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 10/1/2026.

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.

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.

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.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 7+ years' experience managing complex programs with budgets exceeding $50M, demonstrating successful delivery within scope, schedule, and budget.
• Strong skills in defining and maintaining program/project scope throughout the project lifecycle.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong working relationships and partnerships with both internal and external teams.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Experience working effectively with external vendors and suppliers.
• Ability to work independently and drive results in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience setting up and utilizing program management tools for task tracking and documentation (e.g., JIRA, Confluence, or similar).
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to align teams around common processes and communication methods.
• Proven ability to take vague goals and develop specific action plans to address immediate challenges.
• Experience identifying and escalating cross-functional dependencies and resource needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the automotive or manufacturing industry.
• Familiarity with new product introduction (NPI) processes.
• Experience with risk management methodologies and tools.