Hardware Systems Performance Architect - Connectivity/Wireless & VAS

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 Full‑time positions include base salary, eligibility for an annual performance bonus, and eligibility for equity. In addition to base salary, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies offers benefits tailored to the local market. For more information on the benefits available for full‑time employees, check out our Global Benefits Site. External candidates can apply for this role through the Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies careers site ( If you are a current employee, please apply through our internal job board. 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. 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