Powertrain Validation Engineer Jobs in Michigan (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.

The Staff Powertrain NVH Engineer is part of the NVH Attributes team and plays a critical role in driving the noise, vibration refinement of Rivian electric powertrains. The position is responsible for leading powertrain‑focused NVH development, spanning electric motors, gearboxes, bearings, differentials, pumps, mechanical disconnect systems, mounts, and full drive unit assemblies. This engineer will collaborate closely with powertrain design, controls, CAE, manufacturing, and vehicle integration teams to execute component, subsystem, and vehicle‑level NVH testing, diagnose root causes, and drive design improvements that elevate Rivian’s refinement, sound quality, and customer experience.

This role requires a high degree of hands‑on agility and physical engagement, including the ability to install and remove sensors and powertrain hardware, manipulate test setups, and support vehicle and dynamometer testing. It requires the ability to lift, move, and handle test equipment and powertrain components, work in confined or industrial spaces, and stand or move for extended periods during test execution.

The role will be located at Rivian’s Plymouth, MI engineering offices, with expected travel to testing and development facilities across the U.S. (Arizona, Michigan, Illinois, Atlanta, Texas, etc.).

• Lead powertrain NVH development across electric drive units, including electric motors, gearboxes, bearings, differentials, pumps, mechanical disconnect solenoids, housings, mounts, and vehicle integration.
• Plan and execute component, subsystem, and vehicle‑level NVH testing in both laboratory and on‑road environments with a focus on electric powertrain sources and their interactions.
• Perform sound power measurements for motors, gearboxes, pumps, and complete drive units to support target setting, benchmarking, and design validation.
• Lead and apply Blocked Force Transfer Path Analysis (TPA) and traditional TPA methods to quantify source strengths from motors, gears, bearings, pumps, and disconnect mechanisms, and identify dominant NVH paths into the vehicle.
• Generate in‑depth diagnostics using FRFs, modal analysis, and operating deflection shape (ODS) analysis to isolate structure‑borne and airborne noise mechanisms across rotating and actuated powertrain components.
• Analyze and influence electric motor NVH, including Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM) and induction motors, electromagnetic excitation, torque ripple, rotor–stator interactions, rotor construction, skew strategies, and mechanical‑electromagnetic coupling.
• Investigate and resolve NVH concerns related to bearings, gear meshes, differentials, pumps, and mechanical disconnect solenoids, including tonal noise, broadband noise, transient events, and order‑related phenomena.
• Lead NVH development of powertrain mounting systems, including rubber and elastomeric mounts, and evaluate mount tuning effects on system and vehicle NVH.
• Plan and conduct NVH tests to correlate and validate CAE models, enabling predictive powertrain NVH development and robust design decisions.
• Partner closely with design, controls, CAE, manufacturing, and vehicle integration teams to implement NVH‑driven design changes efficiently and pragmatically.
• Translate complex NVH data into clear, concise, and actionable technical reports and recommendations for engineering leadership and cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Develop and standardize robust NVH test procedures, data processing workflows, and automation tools to improve efficiency, repeatability, and scalability across programs.
• Actively contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, fostering a culture of innovation, technical rigor, and execution excellence within Rivian’s NVH organization.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field (advanced degree preferred).
• 10+ years (Staff) or 12+ years (Senior Staff) of experience in powertrain NVH, with demonstrated ownership of electric drive unit NVH development.
• Strong, hands‑on background in NVH testing, including sound power, TPA, FRFs, modal analysis, and vehicle‑level diagnostics.
• Proven ability to lead NVH development programs, not just execute tests.
• Deep understanding of electric motor NVH, including PMSM and induction motor architectures.
• Demonstrated experience diagnosing NVH related to bearings, gears, differentials, pumps, and mechanical disconnect systems.
• High confidence in vehicle subjective assessments and the ability to correlate customer perception with objective engineering data.
• Proficiency with modern NVH tools and data analysis environments, including Testlab, Artemis, MATLAB, and Python.
• Strong technical judgment, ownership mindset, demonstrated ability to collaborate cross‑functionally and drive complex problems to closure in fast‑paced development environments.
• Experience with rubber isolation systems and powertrain mounts and their impact on vehicle NVH performance.
• Excellent technical communication skills, with the ability to influence design decisions using data‑driven insights.

The salary range for this role is $154,000 – $192,500 for Southern 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 and long‑term disability insurance to eligible employees. 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.

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 or domestic partner status, age, military or 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 that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email 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.

We are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.