Battery Cell Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

About Rivian
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.
Responsibilities

• Build and Lead world class cell development team
• Develop strong collaboration with cross functional teams
• Develop technical roadmap and cell strategy for Rivian 's current and future products
• Lead cross functional teams to decompose requirements from vehicle and pack to cell requirements/specifications.
• Develop strategic relationship with cell vendors
• Lead technical evaluation and selection for new cell and/or new supplier
• Lead cell development from design concept to mass production.
• Lead the team to design test methods to validate and characterize electrodes/cell components, cell, module and pack and vehicle level. Coordinate resources for internal and external testing.
• Work with Rivian pack design to optimize cell performance, durability and safety in pack
• Work with cross functional team to identify cell degradation mechanisms and failure modes and propose solutions to mitigate the risk while maximize cell capability.
• Use cell validation data to define boundary conditions for battery/vehicle operation and support control/estimation algorithms used in battery management system.
• Work with internal teams and external institute to advance Rivian' battery cell technology.
• Develop intellectual property for Rivian's battery cell technology.

Qualifications
Must have:

• MS degree in chemistry/chemical engineering/materials science with 5+ years of experience with hands-on testing of lithium-ion batteries. (PhD preferred)
• 3+ years' experience in management. Strong record of leadership. Launch at least one product.
• Demonstrated experience in characterizing lithium ion cell and/or cell development
• Strong understanding about electrochemistry properties of lithium ion batteries
• Strong understanding about cell components and their interactions inside the cell.
• Excellent knowledge of development trends of lithium ion battery.
• Problem solving skills.
• Passionate about research/work in lithium ion batteries, especially in EV.
• Excellent communication.

Nice to have:

• Experience in cell development and/or cell manufacturing
• Having hands on experience/knowledge in electrochemical techniques such as EIS, GITT, CV, PITT...
• Familiar with dQdV, dVdQ.
• Good knowledge about fast charge development.
• Experience in estimate lifetime of lithium ion battery.
• Experience in data analysis tool such as Python is a plus.
• Understanding of how battery cells are integrated into automotive (HEVs/PHEVs/EVs), or consumer electronics applications.
• Working knowledge of SAE, FMVSS, ECE, GBT/QCT standards and regulations relating to automotive traction batteries.

Pay Disclosure
The salary range for this role is USD 176,200 - 220,300 for California 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 May 20, 2026.
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
Candidate Data Privacy and Technology
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.
AI does not make hiring decisions: Qualified candidate applications are reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate.
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.