Staff Occupant Safety Engineer

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.

The Staff Occupant Safety Engineer plays a critical role in defining and driving occupant safety strategies, ensuring compliance with global regulations, and managing CAE model development and validation. This role requires expertise in structural and restraint system performance, project leadership, and cross-functional influence to achieve safety objectives.

• Lead the development and correlation of advanced occupant safety CAE models to meet FMVSS, UNECE, US NCAP, IIHS, Euro NCAP, and other standards, at the component, system, and vehicle levels.

• Define occupant safety strategies, ensuring optimal integration of airbags, seatbelts, and structural components.

• Oversee DOE studies to enhance performance robustness, working with testing teams to validate simulations.

• Influence the packaging of occupant protection systems, working with interior, restraint, and structural safety teams.

• Provide technical mentorship to junior engineers and support their development.

• Engage with cross functional groups, ensuring compliance with safety standards.

• Develop new methodologies and automation tools for improved CAE efficiency.

• Act as the primary interface for safety-related design changes and performance improvements.

• Demonstrate and apply expertise in the use and interpretation of Human Body Models (HBMs) and Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs) in CAE simulations to predict and enhance occupant risk assessment.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering or related field.

• 10+ years experience in the automotive industry, ideally with a focus in automotive safety, vehicle testing, or system integration.

• Ability to travel to vehicle and component launch locations.

• Strong working knowledge of FMVSS, ECE, NCAP and other automotive safety evaluation preferred.

• Excellent communication and organizational skills, ensuring clear expectations and structured execution of tasks.

• Prior experience with performance evaluations of safety components and systems through static testing, impactor testing, occupant sled testing, impact sled testing and full vehicle testing is required.

• Hands-on CAE experience is required (LS-DYNA).

• Good experience with occupant safety, structures safety and design for high level safety targets.

• Willingness to work around physical testing environment and extended work hours at times.

• Strong fundamentals around injury biomechanics and prior experience working with Human Body Models and injury assessments.

• Possesses deep expertise in occupant safety and proactively drives strategic improvements.

• Works independently with minimal supervision, delivering high-quality outcomes aligned with cross-functional goals.

• Leads projects with diverse stakeholders, ensuring all aspects of safety integration are managed effectively.

• Communicates expectations clearly and systematically tracks progress to maintain high safety standards.

• Seeks to understand multiple perspectives to resolve challenges and secure stakeholder buy-in.

• Advocates for change by making compelling cases for innovation and continuous improvement in safety strategies.

The salary range for this role is $156,200-195,300 for Michigan 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). This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than February 13, 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 [email protected] .

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.