Staff Vehicle Architecture Engineer

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies

. Build and own parametric models for vehicle architecture decisions, including controller placement, functional allocation, sensor and actuator distribution and harness topology .

Posted 10/20/2026full-timeIrvine • California • United StatesLead💰 $171,100 - $235,300 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in vehicle architecture modeling, including parametric modeling, cost analysis, and integration of AI technologies. Proficient in Python for automation and data processing, with a strong background in vehicle systems engineering and safety analysis.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Parametric ModelingPython ProgrammingLLM Application DevelopmentCost AnalysisVehicle Systems Engineering

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Parametric ModelingCost AnalysisData ProcessingAutomationLLM ApplicationsSemantic SearchSystem DecompositionPower-Budget AnalysisWCCA AnalysisMonte Carlo Analysis

Soft Skills

Analytical ThinkingProblem SolvingCommunication

Tools & Technologies

GitLab CI/CDOpenModelicaJuliaSpiceModelicaFMI/FMU Co-SimulationAirtableAPIs

Industry Keywords

Vehicle ArchitectureAerospace EngineeringElectromechanical SystemsSTPADFMEAFault Tree AnalysisManufacturingDFM Exposure

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Python

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Build and own parametric models for vehicle architecture decisions, including controller placement, functional allocation, sensor and actuator distribution and harness topology
Run architecture trade studies covering cost, mass, harness complexity, power, temperature, environmental factors, reliability and manufacturability
Deliver trade studies with models, parameters and sensitivity analysis
Build cost and BOM models for architecture options
Use models to identify cost-down opportunities by eliminating unnecessary controllers, harness runs and sensors
Analyze new technology integration using a software/hardware platform design approach
Build LLM and agentic pipelines over architecture artifacts
Extract device and interface data from specifications and generate and check candidate architecture configurations
Deploy semantic search over requirements, architecture models, device data and prior trade studies
Integrate AI assistance into Flow Engineering, Airtable and GitLab through APIs and CI pipelines with human-in-the-loop guardrails
Connect architecture decisions to downstream field issues, manufacturing escapes and cost variance
Contribute to vehicle-level STPA, DFMEA and fault analyses
Participate in architecture, interface and safety design reviews
Correlate models against real vehicle, lab rig and supplier data
Document methods as playbooks for other engineers

Requirements

What you’ll need

BS/MS in Electrical, Computer, Mechanical, Systems or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent demonstrated experience
5+ years in vehicle, aerospace or electromechanical systems engineering, or an equivalent record of building analyses that decided real designs
Strong Python for data processing, parametric modelling, automation and prototyping AI workflows
Practical experience building LLM applications, including RAG pipelines, semantic search, structured extraction or agent frameworks
Ability to decompose a vehicle into subsystems, functions and interfaces and reason about system impacts
Ability to work with and defend cost, mass and power-budget analyses
Preferred: E/E architecture background, including zonal and secondary ECUs, LV power distribution, networks, harness design, CAN/Ethernet and DBC/ARXML
Preferred: OpenModelica, Julia, Spice, Modelica or FMI/FMU co-simulation
Preferred: WCCA, Monte Carlo and DOE analysis
Preferred: Hands-on physical-systems projects such as vehicle dynamics, powertrain, robotics, Formula SAE, Baja SAE or solar car
Preferred: Manufacturing or DFM exposure
Preferred: GitLab CI/CD and an AI portfolio applying LLMs or ML to engineering artifacts
Preferred: STPA, DFMEA or fault tree analysis knowledge

Benefits

Comp & perks

Annual company performance bonus program eligibility
Equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Health coverage
Retirement savings
Time off
Family planning programs