Hardware Systems Performance Architect - Connectivity/Wireless & VAS
rivianvw.tech
Palo Alto, California · Palo Alto · United States
Posted Apr 28, 2026
- Full-time
- Hybrid
- Technology and Innovation
rivianvw.tech
Palo Alto, California · Palo Alto · United States
Posted Apr 28, 2026
ABOUT US Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world. The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone. IN THIS POSITION, YOU WILL LEAD EFFORTS WITHIN THE HARDWARE SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE TEAM TO CHARACTERIZE PERFORMANCE OF LOW-VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL (LVE) SYSTEMS IN RIVIAN VEHICLES, WITH THE AIM TO INFLUENCE HARDWARE ARCHITECTURE DECISION-MAKING IN EARLY DEVELOPMENT STAGES, AND TO VALIDATE SYSTEM DESIGNS IN LATER STAGES OF THE DEVELOPMENT CYCLE. THIS IS A HARDWARE ARCHITECTURE ROLE THAT REQUIRES A FAMILIARITY WITH WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY SYSTEMS NECESSARY TO IDENTIFY, AND QUANTIFY SYSTEM-LEVEL PERFORMANCE METRICS, ANTICIPATE KEY DESIGN RISKS, AND VALIDATE SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE PERFORMANCE AGAINST REQUIREMENTS. THIS ROLE SPANS THE CHARACTERIZATION OF VARIOUS WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES AT THE SYSTEM AND SUB-SYSTEM LEVEL INCLUDING THEIR ASSOCIATED NETWORKS, COMPUTE, AND POWER RELATED PERFORMANCE DIMENSIONS, RELATED TO WIFI, BT/BLE, 4G/5G, GNSS, AND UWB DEPLOYMENT INTO TELEMATICS, PASSIVE / KEYLESS VEHICLE ACCESS SYSTEM (VAS), AND OTHER DOMAINS. RESPONSIBILITIES - Drive the collaboration between hardware architecture, hardware design and software application teams to create comprehensive characterization plans that surface key performance metrics, provide insight into system bottlenecks and chokepoints, reveal over-/under-design scenarios, and validate system performance relative to system requirements. - Work cross-functionally to factor high-level functional and performance requirements into their respective sub-systems, distill them into clear system architecture performance requirements capable of validation, and evolve these requirements into future architecture. - Lead and support the design, integration and automation efforts related to characterization and validation activities on various hardware testing configurations, including early prototypes boards, bench-top sub-system mock-ups, lab cars, mules, and other HIL infrastructure. - Orchestrate the end-to-end development of systems and automation for performance characterization ranging from development of requirements to identification of solutions and their implementation, including integration of h/w and s/w, establishment of control and data acquisition pipelines, and development of downstream data processing infrastructure. - Execute characterization plans, leverage analytical methods, and present clear validation metrics and reports that support data-driven architectural decisions, and validate the resulting designs. - Contribute to mock-ups or prototypes to study next-gen technologies, establish proofs-of-concept, and/or serve as reference platforms for future bring up, system integration, system-level validation, or future architecture inclusion. - Lead the development of hardware and software that enables characterization, testing and certification of wireless sub-systems using robotic automation to measure relevant RF system KPIs vs positional ground truth around the vehicle under test. QUALIFICATIONS - Advanced degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a related field, and a track record of 8+ years of hands-on experience in relevant practical settings. - Deep familiarity with landscape of wireless automotive technologies, e.g. WiFi, BT, BLE, LTE, 5G, especially those relevant to keyless vehicle access, including NFC, BLE, UWB, and their performance evaluation and/or certification at the RF, protocol and systems integration levels. - Familiarity with system design and/or certification related to Connect Car Consortium (CCC) and/or Made for iPhone (MFi) keyless entry systems at the module and system levels. - Experience designing and/or validating embedded systems optimized for distributed architecture settings, including automotive, aerospace, or other architecturally similar applications. - Foundation in RF and electrical engineering fundamentals, and hands-on familiarity with related test and measurement equipment, e.g., logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, DMMs, network analyzers, etc. - Solid grasp of the power related aspects of distributed embedded architectures, with focus on efficient low-power states, wake propagation and sequencing. - Hands-on coding experience related to some combination of embedded platform bring-up, system software / applications development, or system-level hardware performance instrumentation, and related test automation / scripting. - Some familiarity with hardware and software associated with robotic automation for ground truth spatial data capture (for RF system characterization), including optical, inertial and GPS based sensors and sensor fusion for navigation, path-planning, obstacle avoidance, visual odometry, and/or related technologies. - Talent for working from first principles to develop software for modeling, data acquisition, mining, analysis, and presentation in using appropriate tools, e.g. Python, MatLab. - Innate curiosity to figure out how systems work by decomposing them through the application of fundamental principles, an ability to translate this into measurable metrics, and a drive to leverage these methods to optimize design. TOTAL REWARDS We build the exceptional — and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program. Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements. In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full-time employees — including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs. Offerings vary by country. Learn more about our global benefit programs https://rvtech.mybenefits.life/. External candidates can apply for this role through the Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies careers site (https://rivianvw.tech/#careers). If you are a current employee, please apply through our internal job board https://app.ashbyhq.com/internal/job-board/b10a9912-eb45-4a84-9a34-84b2a459923a. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. 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. We are also committed to ensuring compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status. Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies” 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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) record keeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law. Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies affiliates; and (iii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies’ service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services. Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, 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. If you provide a mobile telephone number as part of your application or during the recruitment process, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use that number to contact you via SMS text message for recruitment-related purposes, including scheduling, logistics, and status updates. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any text message you receive from us. Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of applying for or being considered for employment. Please see our Candidate Data Privacy Notice (English) https://assets.ctfassets.net/2md5qhoeajym/53otRWdzXPzSdWPgiel5T/07c61b0eed2d91f2f403f788fd20d315/RVTech_Candidate_Data_Privacy_Notice_-_Nov_2024.pdf and Candidate Data Privacy Notice (Serbian) https://assets.ctfassets.net/2md5qhoeajym/40xUZMehbGToclkLqWXW0E/eb5b553bd8af7c607066253fbb227bda/RVTech_Candidate_Data_Privacy_Notice_-_Nov_2024_Serbian.pdf for more information. -- Please note this job posting represents an open, active vacancy. Additionally, we are not currently accepting applications from third party application services.