Contract Data Annotation Jobs in California (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. 

In this role, you will lead strategic planning and coordination of 3D/2D annotation

projects, working closely with both internal and external partners. A key responsibility is

rigorous vendor management, ensuring the quality of deliverables, resolving defects,

and facilitating feature enhancements. Furthermore, the role encompasses developing

policies, setting precise labeling protocols, executing accurate 3D sensor data

annotation, and conducting thorough quality control on all generated datasets. You will

partner closely with Annotation Operations, Perception, and Engineering teams to

ensure data readiness for model training and evaluation.

The ideal candidate is data-driven, detail-oriented, and execution-focused, with a strong

understanding of annotation workflows and a passion for improving data quality and

efficiency at scale. This role plays a critical part in enabling informed decision-making,

continuous process improvement, and scalable annotation operations across internal

teams and external vendors.

Analyzing Data Insights

Analyze large-scale 2D/3D annotation datasets to identify data gaps, quality
issues, coverage gaps, and inefficiencies impacting Perception and ML training.
Utilize dashboards and reports to monitor:
Annotation throughput, efficiency, and cost
Quality metrics (QA pass rates, error types, rework)
Vendor and annotator performance trends
Interpret complex annotation and perception data into clear, actionable insights
for engineering, annotation operations, and leadership.
Partner with Perception teams to align data readiness metrics with model training
and evaluation needs.
Effectively communicate data findings to business partners, bridging the gap
between technical data and strategic organizational goals.

Annotation Operations & Quality
Assess the level of effort for annotation projects and support end-to-end
execution, including in-house vs. vendor decisions.
Collaborate with stakeholders to gather labeling requirements and define,
maintain, and evolve labeling policies.
Manage relationships with various vendors, including contract and quote review,
for third-party annotation services and tools.
Define and track annotation quality, productivity, and certification metrics;
continuously refine benchmarks.
Conduct QA/QC analysis on annotated data, identify systemic issues, and
provide structured feedback to annotators and vendors.
Implement and measure labeling efficiency improvements, using data to validate
impact.

Process Improvement & Automation
Prepare technical reports and collaborate with cross-functional engineering
teams to ensure consistent process implementation, with the ability to automate
basic processes.
Identify opportunities to make data delivery and annotation workflows faster,
more accurate, and scalable.
Identify and propose enhancements to address deficiencies in existing tooling,
improving the efficiency and accuracy of annotation workflows.

Cross-Functional & Vendor Collaboration
Work closely with Annotation Ops, Perception, and Engineering teams to ensure
consistent process implementation.
Support vendor management by analyzing performance, cost, and quality metrics
across multiple annotation partners.
Prepare technical and operational reports to support planning, execution, and
decision-making.
Coordinate across teams and time zones to ensure alignment and timely delivery.

Required
BS degree in a technical or related field with 2+ years of relevant experience (or
5+ years equivalent industry experience).
2+ years supporting data annotation, ML data, or labeling-related projects.
Strong understanding of 2D/3D data annotation workflows for ML and Perception
use cases.

Experience with error taxonomy development and quality assurance (QA)
frameworks for data annotation.
Working knowledge of databases and/or data visualization tools.
Experience analyzing LiDAR point clouds, video, and image annotation data.
Ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize effectively, and deliver under tight
timelines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain project
insights to non-technical stakeholders.
Experience mentoring or guiding junior team members or offshore teams.

Nice to Have
Experience building or improving operational analytics for efficiency, cost, or
quality.
Comfort working in a fast-paced, cross-functional, and collaborative environment.
Hands-on experience with data analysis, metrics tracking, and dashboarding.

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.

Required
BS degree in a technical or related field with 2+ years of relevant experience (or
5+ years equivalent industry experience).
2+ years supporting data annotation, ML data, or labeling-related projects.
Strong understanding of 2D/3D data annotation workflows for ML and Perception
use cases.

Experience with error taxonomy development and quality assurance (QA)
frameworks for data annotation.
Working knowledge of databases and/or data visualization tools.
Experience analyzing LiDAR point clouds, video, and image annotation data.
Ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize effectively, and deliver under tight
timelines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain project
insights to non-technical stakeholders.
Experience mentoring or guiding junior team members or offshore teams.

Nice to Have
Experience building or improving operational analytics for efficiency, cost, or
quality.
Comfort working in a fast-paced, cross-functional, and collaborative environment.
Hands-on experience with data analysis, metrics tracking, and dashboarding.