Staff Battery Cell 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 Battery Cell Safety Engineer will be responsible for defining, validating, and managing all cell safety requirements for Rivian's current and next-generation battery platforms. This role requires deep technical expertise in lithium-ion cell failure mechanisms, abuse testing, and regulatory requirements, as well as a strong interest and curiosity in how to advance the state of the art in battery cell abuse tolerance and safety. The successful candidate will work closely with Systems Engineering, Mechanical Design and Analysis, Test and Validation, Manufacturing Engineering, and Pack Advanced Materials teams to ensure our battery systems meet the highest standards for safety and reliability.

• Define and develop comprehensive cell safety specifications and methodologies, including abuse testing requirements (e.g., thermal runaway, hotbox, accelerating rate calorimetry, deformation, nail penetration, overcharge, crush, etc.).
• Establish and advocate for internal Rivian cell safety standards that exceed minimum industry and regulatory requirements and support pack-level safety goals.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional safety colleagues and supplier teams to translate higher level safety goals and requirements into actionable cell-level safety specifications.
• Coordinate internal technical staff and external third party test resources to oversee and execute cell-level abuse testing programs.
• Analyze test data to identify failure modes, determine root causes, and drive design and manufacturing improvements.
• Develop and implement methods for Thermal Runaway Propagation characterization and mitigation strategies.
• Integrate cell safety requirements into all stages of the cell development cycle, from selection and qualification through to mass production.
• Partner with Pack Engineering to ensure cell-level safety inputs are correctly integrated into the battery pack and module design.
• Provide technical input into the Cell Safety DFMEA (Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) process.
• Document all safety requirements, test plans, and validation reports.

• Roughly 5 years of experience in the battery industry, focused specifically on Li-ion cell safety, failure analysis, and abuse testing.
• Master’s or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Knowledgeable in high voltage battery packs and the future regulatory landscape for high voltage battery packs.
• Familiar with cell abuse testing methodologies and common cell failure modes.
• Experience coordinating internal technical staff and external third party test resources.
• Expert-level knowledge of Li-ion cell design, thermal abuse behavior, and failure progression.
• Proven experience in defining safety requirements for automotive or high-energy storage applications.
• Strong understanding of battery regulatory and safety standards.
• Proficiency in data analysis tools and simulation software (e.g., MATLAB, Python).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical information to cross-functional teams and senior leadership.

The salary range for this role is USD 137,800 - 172,200 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.

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 us.fitly.work .

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.