Senior Occupant Safety 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.

Summary The Senior Occupant Safety Engineer takes on a more independent role in developing and correlating CAE models, optimizing safety systems, and working closely with function groups and testing teams to validate occupant safety performance. This position involves deeper technical analysis and the ability to connect multiple inputs and deliverables to improve vehicle safety.

Develop, correlate, and maintain occupant safety CAE models at the component, system, and vehicle levels. Conduct advanced occupant protection simulations, assessing vehicle system performance to comply with FMVSS, UNECE, US NCAP, IIHS, Euro NCAP, and other standards, at the component, system, and vehicle levels. Optimize airbag and seatbelt systems, evaluating different countermeasures for enhanced safety. Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to ensure all design changes support safety objectives. Conduct DOE studies to explore design sensitivities and improve robustness. Develop and implement automated scripts for data post-processing and visualization. Support physical testing and correlation, working with the safety testing team to analyze test results and refine CAE models.

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field. 5+ years experience in automotive safety, vehicle testing, or system integration. Ability to travel to vehicle and component launch locations. Strong working knowledge of FMVSS, ECE, NCAP and other automotive safety evaluation preferred. Excellent communication and organizational skills, ensuring clear expectations and structured execution of tasks. Prior Experience with performance evaluations of safety components and systems thru static testing, impactor testing, Occupant Sled Testing, Impact sled testing and full Vehicle Testing is required. Hands On CAE experience is a required (LS-DYNA Good experience with occupant safety, structures safety and design for high level safety targets. Willingness to work around physical testing environment and extended work hours at times. Personal Attributes: Demonstrates autonomy in executing and improving occupant safety analysis. Recognizes patterns in performance data and uses insights to enhance safety strategies. Manages multiple assignments, balancing various inputs and deliverables efficiently. Communicates clear performance expectations and provides progress updates. Actively listens to diverse perspectives and engages in open discussions about improvements. Identifies the need for change and proactively suggests enhancements in methodologies Pay Disclosure The salary range for this role is $135,100-168,900 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