Strategic Communication Internship Program Jobs in Champaign, IL

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.

Role Summary

Internship Term: Fall 2026

Rivian internships are experiences optimized for student candidates. To be eligible, you must be an undergraduate or graduate student in an accredited program during the internship term with an expected graduation date between December 2026 through June 2028. Rivian's Internship Program requires active student enrollment. Information regarding your expected degree completion date is collected solely to verify eligibility and determine your availability for future full-time opportunities. Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and does not use graduation dates to determine the age of applicants or as a basis for discriminatory hiring decisions.

If you are not pursuing a degree, please see our full time positions on our Rivian careers site.

Note that if your university has specific requirements for internship programs, it is your responsibility to fulfill those requirements.

As an embedded software intern, you will have the opportunity to work with a world class software engineering team working on Rivian's electric adventure vehicles. You will be given meaningful assignments which will contribute to the development of real-world products. You will interact and work with a seasoned engineering team.

Responsibilities

• Design and Implement Embedded Firmware: Assist in the development, modification, and updating of Embedded C software for automotive Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and microcontroller-based systems.
• Develop Diagnostic Tooling: Create and maintain Python-based scripts and automation tools to streamline debugging processes, parse vehicle communication logs (e.g., CAN/LIN bus data), and support diagnostic workflows.
• Participate in Code Quality Assurance: Actively engage in peer code reviews to identify performance improvements, ensure adherence to industry coding standards (such as MISRA C), and verify that implementations meet strict automotive safety requirements.
• Execute System Testing and Validation: Perform functional and unit testing on embedded code using hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) setups or test benches to validate software reliability and hardware-software integration.
• Collaborate on Troubleshooting: Work closely with senior engineers to debug complex embedded systems, document software updates, and translate vehicle diagnostic requirements into actionable technical solutions.

Qualifications

• Must be currently pursuing a bachelors, masters, or PhD degree at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
• Actively pursuing a degree or one closely related in Computer Engineering, with emphasis on embedded software engineering.
• Profiency in Embedded C software programming.
• Proficiency in Python scripting.
• Strong background in communication and electronics.
• Experience with o scilloscope, logic analyzers, debuggers, etc.
• Must be enrolled at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
• Must be located in Champaign, IL and able to work out of our office in the Research Park
• Must be available for 20 hours per week in the Fall and Spring and 40 hours in the summer.
• This project will require weekly task status update and monthly project update.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $25.00-40.00 per hour for Illinois 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.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including but not limited to paid vacation, paid sick leave, and medical insurance benefits. Internship positions are not eligible for retirement benefits. 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 7/31/2026.

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 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.