Sr. Staff Hardware Systems Architect - Infotainment/Skunkworks
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. ROLE SUMMARY In this position, you will lead efforts within the Hardware Systems Architecture team to develop a full understanding of product features and attributes, collaborate cross-functionally to translate and decompose them into technical requirements, and ultimately define their respective sub-system and constituent module architectures – all within the vehicle’s low voltage electrical (LVE) system. In later stages of development, you will leverage these insights to help define system performance criteria and methodology for validation of these systems against their requirements. This role spans sub-systems including infotainment, telematics, networking, camera systems, vehicle access / security, and more. RESPONSIBILITIES - Work cross-functionally with hardware architecture, hardware design and software application teams to factor functional and performance requirements into their sub-systems, identify the key metrics and trade-offs, and optimize them using data and analysis, to distill clear system and module architecture requirements. - Model system-level trade-offs concerning distributed compute, network and other resources, considering dimensions like power efficiency, end-to-end latencies, compute/memory utilization, and scalability, to help produce optimal systems architectures. - Establish key vendor relationships to map the space of available and future hardware platforms and peripheral technologies, and use this to build out a scalable infotainment roadmap. - Guide the development of mock-ups or prototypes to study next-gen technologies, establish proofs-of-concept, test modelled assumptions, and/or serve as reference platforms for future bring up, system integration, or system-level validation. - Collaborate with system performance engineers, hardware design and software teams to create comprehensive validation plans that surface key system-level performance metrics, locate bottlenecks or chokepoints, and identify over-/under-design scenarios relative to system requirements. QUALIFICATIONS - Advanced degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a related field, and a track record of 10+ years of hands-on experience in relevant industries, including automotive, aerospace, or relevant consumer applications. - Strong familiarity with the landscape of automotive high-compute technologies for infotainment and autonomy, including GPU & display pipelines, camera & ISP pipelines, audio & DSP sub-systems, machine learning & generative AI co-processing, and related sub-systems. - Experience designing and developing embedded systems to optimize for network performance, compute and network resource utilization, power moding states and efficiency, end-to-end latencies, and other system performance characteristics. - Hands-on experience with a variety of embedded hardware typical in automotive applications, including high-compute SoCs, MCUs, camera or other sensors, de-/serializers, transceivers, networking components, and/or related connectivity and peripheral interfaces - Strong understanding of embedded computing platforms, and the methods for quantifying performance of their processors, including CPU, GPU, NPU, DSP, ISP, etc, as well as memory systems, networking and peripheral interfaces. - Conversant with on- and off-board high-speed automotive interfaces and networks, such as PCIe, GMSL, FPD-Link, Ethernet, A2B, USB, CAN-FD, and how to characterize their utilization and performance. - Solid grasp of the power related aspects of distributed embedded architectures, including efficient utilization of low-power states, wake propagation and sequencing. - Experience with camera sensors, and downstream processing pipelines, including ISPs, DSPs, GPUs, NPUs and how to characterize key performance metrics, and resource allocation. - Some familiarity with automotive audio technologies including RNC, SDR, DSPs, i2s and A2B interfaces, amplifiers, mics, accelerometers and related peripherals. - Conversant with wireless technologies like GNSS, BLE, LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi, and/or UWB, and their performance evaluation at the protocol and systems integration levels. 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.