Type Approval Engineer 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 lead the systemslevel definition, integration, and validation of globally regulated functions (such as eCall, immobilizer/antitheft, and event data recorder) to ensure Rivian’s architectures, interfaces, and implementations are compliant, robust, and scalable across programs and markets. You sit at the intersection of regulations, systems engineering, and crossdomain execution, owning the regulatory certification of systems.

• Own and maintain system-level requirements and architectures for globally mandated regulatory functions (eCall, immobilizer, EDR/event data recorder, and other features) across all Rivian vehicle platforms and markets, including technical requirements for certification bucks and system development alongside vehicle programs.
• Map global regulations and standards (e.g., EU and UN ECE for eCall, EDR/event data recorder, immobilizer/antitheft, GSR-related and analogous requirements in other markets) to Rivian systems, ECUs, features, and interfaces, ensuring clear traceability from regulation to implementation.
• Decompose regulatory texts into clear functional and nonfunctional system requirements, interface specifications, and acceptance criteria covering hardware, software, and calibration.
• Develop and maintain endtoend traceability between regulatory clauses, system requirements, software requirements, test cases, and evidence to support type approval and ongoing compliance.
• Lead system design and requirement reviews with Vehicle Engineering, Electrical, Software, Connectivity/Telematics, and Cybersecurity teams to ensure compliance, performance, and robustness.
• Define and drive the validation strategy and test specifications for eCall, EDR/event data recorder, immobilizer, and related regulated functions across markets in lab, HIL/SIL, and vehiclelevel environments (track, lab, and public road where applicable).
• Support Homologation and Test teams in preparing and executing type approval and conformity testing, including interaction with technical services and approval authorities when needed.
• Analyze test results, field performance, and defect data to confirm that Rivian products meet regulatory requirements and internal performance targets, and drive rootcause and corrective actions when gaps are found.
• Partner with Software, Cybersecurity, and Homologation teams to ensure that software updates, calibrations, and OTA changes preserve compliance for eCall, EDR/event data recorder, immobilizer, and other regulated functions, including updates to requirements, tests, and documentation.
• Maintain and continuously improve best practices, templates, and processes (e.g., requirement mappings, interface specs, test plans, evidence packages, dashboards) to scale regulatory system solutions across programs and markets globally.
• Monitor evolving global regulations and guidance (e.g., EU and UN ECE, as well as other key market frameworks) relevant to eCall, EDR/event data recorder, immobilizer, connectivity, and electronic systems, assess impact to existing designs, and propose roadmap and mitigation actions.
• Serve as a subjectmatter expert and escalation point for questions related to EU systemlevel regulatory requirements in your domain, guiding technical decisions to balance compliance, customer experience, and timetomarket.

• 10+ years’ experience in the automotive industry in systems, electronics, software, or calibration engineering, with significant exposure to safety or regulationdriven functions.
• Bachelor or Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Applied Physics, Aerospace, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field.
• Direct experience working on eCall, emergency call, immobilizer/antitheft, telematics, or other EU regulatory functions (e.g., GSRmandated systems) from concept through launch.
• Strong understanding of EU type approval and UN ECE regulatory frameworks for electronic systems and connected services, and how these translate into system and software requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in requirements engineering: deriving, documenting, and managing system requirements and interfaces using formal requirement management tools (e.g., Flow, Jama, or similar).
• Handson experience with verification and validation of automotive electronic systems, including use of HIL/SIL environments, CAN/LIN tools, diagnostics, and data logging.
• Ability to interpret complex technical regulations, identify systemlevel implications, and communicate clear guidance to hardware, software, and test teams.
• Proven track record of working independently in a fastpaced environment, driving issues to closure, and managing priorities across multiple vehicle programs.

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.

• 10+ years’ experience in the automotive industry in systems, electronics, software, or calibration engineering, with significant exposure to safety or regulationdriven functions.
• Bachelor or Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Applied Physics, Aerospace, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field.
• Direct experience working on eCall, emergency call, immobilizer/antitheft, telematics, or other EU regulatory functions (e.g., GSRmandated systems) from concept through launch.
• Strong understanding of EU type approval and UN ECE regulatory frameworks for electronic systems and connected services, and how these translate into system and software requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in requirements engineering: deriving, documenting, and managing system requirements and interfaces using formal requirement management tools (e.g., Flow, Jama, or similar).
• Handson experience with verification and validation of automotive electronic systems, including use of HIL/SIL environments, CAN/LIN tools, diagnostics, and data logging.
• Ability to interpret complex technical regulations, identify systemlevel implications, and communicate clear guidance to hardware, software, and test teams.
• Proven track record of working independently in a fastpaced environment, driving issues to closure, and managing priorities across multiple vehicle programs.