Sr. Staff Radar Signal Processing Engineer

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

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Sr. Staff Radar DSP Engineer to work alongside an experienced, cross-functional team to help define the signal processing architecture for our next-generation, high-performance 4D imaging RADAR. This role requires deep, hands-on expertise in radar signal processing theory and practice, and the ability to help design and deliver the algorithms and DSP pipeline that will drive industry-leading detection, resolution, and perception performance. As a senior technical contributor on radar DSP, you will help shape the algorithmic roadmap, drive performance to state-of-the-art KPIs, and partner closely with hardware, firmware, and perception teams to bring the pipeline into production.


Responsibilities

• Work with an experienced, cross-functional team to design, develop, and optimize the signal processing algorithms and DSP pipeline for a high-performance 4D imaging RADAR, from raw ADC data through detections and point-cloud output.
• Help define and drive the radar processing chain architecture, including waveform design, MIMO/virtual array processing, beamforming, range-Doppler-angle estimation, and super-resolution angle estimation techniques.
• Contribute to the technical roadmap for achieving industry-leading KPIs in range, velocity, and angular resolution, detection probability, false alarm rate, and dynamic range.
• Develop and optimize core algorithms including CFAR detection, clutter and interference mitigation, micro-Doppler processing, tracking, and point-cloud generation for 4D imaging output (range, Doppler, azimuth, elevation).
• Design and implement real-time, compute- and memory-efficient DSP pipelines suitable for deployment on embedded/automotive-grade hardware (DSP cores, FPGA, or custom ASIC/SoC).
• Build high-fidelity simulation, modeling, and algorithm validation frameworks (MATLAB, Python, C++) to characterize algorithm performance ahead of hardware availability.
• Evaluate and integrate state-of-the-art techniques, including MIMO waveform design, digital beamforming, sparse array processing, and interference mitigation for dense multi-radar environments.
• Collaborate with AI/ML teams to develop and deploy deep learning-based radar perception models (e.g., detection, segmentation, classification) operating directly on radar cubes or point clouds.
• Partner closely with RF/hardware, firmware, and systems engineering teams to ensure the DSP pipeline is co-optimized with antenna design, RF front-end, and compute architecture.
• Drive rigorous performance characterization and validation of algorithms against system-level requirements, including field testing and benchmarking against competitive systems.
• Mentor and collaborate with DSP/algorithm engineers across the team, helping establish best practices for algorithm development, code quality, and validation.
• Stay ahead of industry and academic advancements in radar signal processing, automotive/robotics radar, and imaging radar technology, and translate relevant advances into the product roadmap.
• Coordinate with external partners, chipset vendors, and research institutions on next-generation radar processing technologies.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related field, with a focus on signal processing or radar systems.
• 8+ years of experience developing signal processing algorithms and DSP pipelines for RADAR systems, with demonstrated expertise in imaging or high-resolution automotive/robotics RADAR.
• Deep expertise in radar signal processing fundamentals: waveform design (FMCW/chirp), range-Doppler processing, MIMO virtual array synthesis, digital beamforming, and angle-of-arrival estimation (e.g., FFT-based, MUSIC, ESPRIT, or compressed sensing approaches).
• Strong hands-on experience developing detection and tracking algorithms, including CFAR variants, clutter suppression, and multi-target tracking.
• Proven ability to design DSP pipelines that meet real-time, low-latency constraints on embedded and automotive-grade compute platforms.
• Strong proficiency in MATLAB, Python, and C/C++ for algorithm modeling, simulation, and production implementation.
• Experience with sensor fusion, including fusing RADAR with LiDAR, camera, and IMU data for perception tasks.
• Experience applying deep learning to radar data (raw cube, range-Doppler maps, or point clouds) is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with RF/antenna system design principles and their interplay with DSP algorithm performance.
• Proven track record of technical leadership, including leading algorithm development from concept through production deployment.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, innovative environment.

Pay Disclosure

Pay Range: The salary range for this role is $237,000 - $296,000 annually for Bay Area 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.

Benefits: 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 7/25/2026.

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

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How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process: To ensure transparency, we want candidates to know that Rivian uses iCIMS Talent Cloud Artificial Intelligence (TCAI) and AI-enabled tools to assist with screening, reviewing, organizing and highlighting profiles and applications that match the key requirements for each role.

AI does not make hiring decisions: Qualified candidate applications are reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate.

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