New

Sr. Failure Analysis Materials Engineering TPM

Rivian
$121,500 - $151,900 for 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 incl
sick time, 401(k)
United States, California, Tustin
Mar 04, 2026
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 The Sr. Technical Program Manager (TPM), Failure Analysis & Materials Engineering (FAME) plays a critical role in driving Rivian's technology & strategy to support Failure Analysis and Materials Engineering within Rivian's Engineering Quality department. You will partner with cross-functional teams across Product Development, Manufacturing & Process Engineering, Procurement & Supply Chain, and Supplier Quality. Throughout the product lifecycle you will craft crossfunctional solutions that directly support our production schedule, improve efficiency, improve assembly quality, and enable research and development of advanced component offerings. This role is located at our Tustin, CA facility and reports into the Director, Failure Analysis & Materials Engineering (FAME). Responsibilities Key support functions: Fasteners & Joining Materials - Metals Materials - Non Metals Corrosion Engineering Failure Analysis Key Cross Functional Partners: Program & Vehicle Line teams Purchasing Supplier Quality Product Development (Vehicle Hardware Engineering, Propulsion, Energy Storage, Charging, etc) Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)/IT and data infrastructure Program Integration Management - The TPM will take charge of ensuring FAME team activities are aligned with rapidly changing program timelines and deliverables. The TPM will work closely with the Program & Vehicle Line teams, and compile weekly updates of current program status and risks. The TPM will maintain an accurate timetable for all FAME team deliverables. Accountability - The TPM will drive FAME deliverables by holding FAME team members and our cross functional partners accountable for providing timely support to meet deadlines. Technical Liaison - Act as a bridge between technical teams and business stakeholders, ensuring clear communication and alignment of program objectives. Provide regular updates to leadership on program status, risks, and mitigation strategies. Engineering Critical Path - ensuring all FAME deliverables have timelines to manage critical path, adjust to accommodate emergent issues, and that the cadence of is being driven based on an aligned timeline with impacted stakeholders. Risk Management - working with management to identify risks to programs and production, mitigation plans, and escalation before risks are realized. Communicating with vehicle-level and Program teams and their TPMs, and ensuring alignment on the route forward. This is constantly evolving throughout the entire program, and dependent on the risks at hand. Scope Management - understanding and communicating Vehicle Line and Program goals to the FAME team, and decomposing them into a technical roadmap. Change Management - align on change management content and necessity then drive execution to completion. Targets Management - iterate with partner teams and vehicle lines on fastener and material budget targets, BOM cost, mass, unique part count, and then drive FAME efforts to help those teams achieve targets, help resolve issues, escalate roadblocks, and spot icebergs that would prevent targets from being achieved. Data Integrity- contribute to the integration of material and joint test and simulation data into a robust data warehouse driving efficient data centric engineering decision making. Supply Chain and Procurement - work side by side with the Supply Chain and Fasteners Procurement teams to keep projects on time in tandem with the needs of purchasing efforts. Key areas of note include re-sourcing initiatives, new program pilot builds, and product launches. Bill of Materials Accuracy - support Standard Components & Materials on new part number releases/where used/QPVs. Understand incoming changes and enforce the need to minimize the introduction of new fasteners to program BOMs. Support New Product Integration efforts to introduce new fasteners. Technical Integration at all levels - act as the glue between the teams to facilitate collaboration, align trade-offs being made across the teams, and escalate issues in concert. Lead team efforts to ensure Right First Time quality of our parts, our materials, and the assemblies and products that utilize them. Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics or a related field. 3-5 years experience in product design, technical program management, PLM, engineering systems, or a related field, preferably within the automotive or high-tech industry. Design Release Experience (preferred) Experience with DFMEA, PFMEA, and reliability processes in product development. (preferred) Experience leading small teams of technical or program professionals A track record of successfully delivering cross-functional projects on schedule. Experience is preferred within the automotive domain or to have demonstrated outstanding skills from an adjacent and relevant industry. Existing pedigree and success in customer/partner environment. An ability to challenge existing assumptions, concepts, and beliefs to develop new methods. Strong communication skills and the ability to influence, inspire and build a culture that comes together to over-deliver. Understanding of engineering theory, manufacturing techniques and principles of operation of mechanical systems and material requirements. Able to work efficiently and demonstrate composure under pressure. Pay Disclosure The salary range for this role is $121,500 - $151,900 for 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 insurance, and long-term disability insurance to eligible employees. You may also have the opportunity to participate in Rivian's 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program if you meet certain eligibility requirements. 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. You can apply for this role through careers.rivian.com (or through internal-careers-rivian.icims.com if you are a current employee). There is no fixed deadline for this application; applications are accepted on an ongoing basis until the role is filled or the opening is no longer needed. 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.