About RivianRivian 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 SummaryThe Staff Craftsmanship & Appearance Quality Engineer plays a key role within Rivian's Perceived & Design Quality group to ensure the flawless translation of design intent into production reality. This position bridges Design, CMF, Craftsmanship, and Engineering to uphold Rivian's visual and tactile quality standards across all visible components.
You will lead and participate in appearance and craftsmanship reviews, evaluating gaps, flush, textures, gloss, and color harmony to verify design fidelity and customer-perceived quality.
Success in this role requires strong technical judgment, the ability to influence cross-functionally, and a meticulous eye for surface quality and detail.
This position is based in Irvine, CA, reporting to the Senior Manager of Design Quality.
Responsibilities- Lead appearance and craftsmanship reviews across Studio, CMF, Craftsmanship, and Design Quality to assess visual and tactile attributes at key design and build phases.
- Develop and maintain program-specific Critical to Styling (CTS) part catalogues and track readiness of DQ-critical inputs.
- Evaluate surface finish, gap/flush performance, material transitions, and texture orientation across visible parts.
- Translate Studio design intent and appearance quality expectations into Rivian Quality Standards and supplier deliverables.
- Participate in build events (VP, PP, and Launch) to identify and resolve appearance and craftsmanship issues before production.
- Support competitive benchmarking and define Bill of Design criteria for perceived quality excellence.
- Collaborate with Concept, Core, and Subject Matter Expert teams to co-validate design and craftsmanship criteria.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to eliminate design quality roadblocks and enhance cross-functional alignment.
- Provide situational awareness of risks related to timing, deliverables, and design quality targets.
- Verify accuracy of part-level texture direction and support documentation for dual or complex texture execution.
- Must be willing to travel up to 20%.
Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Design, or a technical discipline (Master's preferred).
- 5+ years (Preferred) of relevant experience in Craftsmanship, Perceived Quality, or Appearance Quality roles within a global automotive OEM or Tier 1 supplier.
- Proven appearance review experience evaluating gaps/flush, surface finish, gloss, and visual harmony during design or build reviews.
- Experience Leading or supporting, Design Validation Appearance Certificate reviews (DVAC) / Appearance Approval Reviews (AAR), Evaluating Craftsmanship, surface quality, and visual alignment of critical to styling parts and vehicle assemblies.
- Experience identifying and resolving appearance quality risks through program milestones.
- Strong understanding of injection molding, tooling, and surface texture and finish processes.
- Familiarity with fit-and-finish standards, appearance sign-off criteria, and visual quality documentation.
- Must pass a Munsell Hue Test with Superior Discrimination.
- Highly organized, able to manage complex data and deliverables across multiple programs.
- Excellent communicator with high emotional intelligence, able to influence design and engineering partners.
- Comfortable working in both autonomous and collaborative settings, translating design intent into actionable engineering requirements.
Pay DisclosureSalary Range Irvine-Based Applicants: $137,800-$172,200 (actual compensation will be determined based on experience, and other factors permitted by law).
Benefits Summary: Rivian provides robust medical/Rx, dental and vision insurance packages for full-time and part-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26. Full Time Employee coverage is effective on the first day of employment. Part-Time employee coverage is effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment.
Equal OpportunityRivian 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
Candidate Data PrivacyRivian 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. 
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