Staff Motor Thermal 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

As a Staff Motor Thermal Engineer, you will lead the thermal architecture and cooling strategy for our next-generation electric drive units. You will be a point of contact for direct-oil cooling systems, bridging the gap between rapid 1D system modeling, high-fidelity 3D CFD, correlating and improving models through testing to ensure the motor achieves thermal performance requirements while meeting reliability and efficiency.


Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain end-to-end lubrication & thermal models for EV motor, ranging from 0D, 1D system-level analysis (GT-Suite, Amesim) to 3D CFD (Simerics-MP+, Star-CCM+)
• Lead the design and optimization of direct oil motor cooling, including shaft, rotor, stator, and spray cooling for end-windings
• Define lubrication and thermal requirements for the motor, inverter, and transmission interface
• Design test plans for motor dyno and drive unit validation, perform test, collect and process data, and correlate simulation results with physical hardware to refine modeling accuracy
• Collaborate with a cross-functional team to balance the "Golden Triangle" of motor design: power density, efficiency, and thermal management

Qualifications

• Education: BS, MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Sciences, or a related field
• 7+ years in EV powertrain lubrication and thermal management
• Expert-level of experience in GT-Suite for transient analysis
• Extensive experience in Simerics-MP+ or Star-CCM+, specifically focusing on Volume of Fluid (VOF) or Moving Particle Semi-implicit (MPS) methods for oil splashing
• Deep understanding of convective heat transfer coefficients in rotating machinery and fluid dynamics of dielectric oils
• Experience in multiphase flow and/or free-surface modeling
• Scripting skills in Python or MATLAB for post-processing and workflow automation
• Knowledge with automated optimization (e.g., HEEDS, ModeFRONTIER)
• Experience in lab setup, data collection, and validating thermal and hydraulic designs' performance
• Fundamental knowledge of electric machines, motor mechanical designs, and manufacturing processes
• Self-motivated with the ability to manage multiple tasks while remaining efficient and accurate
• Flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is USD 137,800-172,200 for Southern 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). This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than May 8th, 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 View email address on click.appcast.io.

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.