Sr. Manager of Adventure Products

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. 

As the Senior Manager of Adventure Products, you will lead our Industrial Design Product Team focused on expanding the Rivian experience beyond the vehicle itself. Reporting directly to the Senior Director of Exterior Design, you will oversee the end-to-end design strategy and execution across vehicle accessories, off-the-shelf brand partnerships, gear, apparel, lifestyle merchandise, and toys.

This role requires a proven design leader with extensive hands-on production experience and deep factory-level relationships. You will bridge high-level visionary product strategy with rigorous manufacturing execution, ensuring every product meets Rivian’s world-class design standards while scaling effectively into mass production.

Design Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team of industrial designers focused on vehicle accessories, hardgoods, softgoods, lifestyle gear, and toys.
• Expand the aesthetic, functional, and strategic design vision for all non-vehicle physical products, maintaining alignment with Rivian’s core vehicle design language.
• Manage project workflows, design reviews, timelines, and resource allocation across multiple concurrent product programs.

Product Strategy & Range Execution

• Vehicle Accessories: Drive design innovation for internal and customer-facing vehicle accessories (e.g., gear tunnel components, roof racks, camping gear, cargo management, lighting, and overland equipment).
• Toy & Merch Strategy: Build and execute a cohesive brand merchandise and toy strategy that engages enthusiasts, children, and Rivian owners worldwide.
• Off-the-Shelf & Licensing Partnerships: Evaluate, curate, and direct third-party supplier products and collaborative brand partnerships, ensuring off-the-shelf items are elevated to meet Rivian’s premium design standards.

Production, Manufacturing & Factory Engagement

• Leverages extensive production experience and direct factory contacts to push concepts through DFM (Design for Manufacturing) into successful mass production.
• Work directly on factory floors—both domestically and internationally—to troubleshoot prototyping, tooling, material selection, CMF (Color, Material, Finish), and production challenges.
• Collaborate closely with Purchasing, Supply Chain, Hardware Engineering, and Quality teams to ensure design intent, cost targets, and launch schedules are strictly maintained.

To Apply: Please include a direct link to your portfolio (and any access credentials if password-protected), featuring work in industrial design, softgoods/hardgoods, and production-ready physical products.

• Experience: 10+ years of professional industrial design experience, with at least 3–5+ years in a team management or leadership capacity.
• Production Mastery: Demonstrated track record of bringing complex physical products from concept through high-volume mass production.
• Factory Network & Technical Expertise: Must-have established direct relationships and hands-on experience working directly with factories, suppliers, and overseas/domestic manufacturing partners. Proven capability to push factory partners to achieve tight design tolerances and premium finishing.
• Category Diversity: Prior background designing across diverse categories—such as outdoor/adventure gear, automotive accessories, consumer electronics, hardgoods, toys, or technical softgoods—is highly preferred.
• Design Excellence: Exceptional portfolio demonstrating strong ID fundamentals, form development, sketching, 3D CAD modeling, CMF mastery, and user-centered design thinking.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong ability to communicate design vision and negotiate technical/budget constraints with engineering, supply chain, and executive stakeholders.
• Travel: Ability to travel domestically and internationally (up to 20–30%) to visit factory partners, suppliers, and testing environments.

Bonus Qualifications

• Passion for the outdoors, electric vehicles, overland travel, and adventure culture.
• Background in developing both hardgoods (tooling, injection molding, metal fabrication)
• and softgoods/textiles.

The salary range for this role is $196,000 - $259,700 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. 

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  View email address on ev.careers .

Candidate Data Privacy and Technology

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. 

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.

Participation in AI profile matching is entirely voluntary. If you prefer that your profile not be used in this process, you can opt out at any time. Opting out means your profile will be excluded from automated matching and will not be surfaced for additional roles through this system. Your current application remains active and will not be affected in any way.

Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.