Senior Manager, Design Management

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 Facilities Production Design and Engineering team develops and oversees the design through construction quality of Rivian's global portfolio of production facilities. We are a diverse team of Architects and Engineers (MEP, FP, Structural & Civil), Technical Subject Matter Experts and Building Specialists that come together to build world-class facilities that enable Rivian to scale. We challenge the status quo and deliver innovative, cost-efficient solutions to complex problems across Rivian's existing and proposed vehicle production facilities.

We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic Senior Manager of Design Managers to lead and oversee a team of Design Managers responsible for shaping and delivering world-class design solutions across multiple production sites. This leadership role will ensure the successful execution of design initiatives, maintaining consistency with Rivian's standards, vision, and mission. As a Senior Manager, you will provide guidance, mentorship, and direction to the Design Managers, ensuring high-quality design outcomes and seamless collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders.

The Senior Manager of Design Managers will also be responsible for overseeing design processes, optimizing workflows, and ensuring that design objectives are met on time, within scope, and in alignment with Rivian's strategic goals. This is a leadership role requiring strong management, communication, and problem-solving skills to oversee complex projects and inspire design excellence within the team.

• Leadership and Team Management: Lead, mentor, and manage a team of Design Managers, providing guidance on project execution, design development, and cross-functional collaboration. Ensure the team's success by fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment.
• Strategic Oversight of Design Projects: Oversee the design strategy for multiple concurrent projects, ensuring alignment with Rivian's business goals, brand values, and operational needs. Guide Design Managers in making key decisions related to design and project implementation.
• Design Excellence: Ensure that all design deliverables from Design Managers meet Rivian's standards for quality, functionality, sustainability, and innovation. Champion a culture of design excellence, pushing boundaries to deliver exceptional results while maintaining alignment with project timelines and budgets.
• Process Optimization: Identify opportunities for improving design management processes and workflows, helping Design Managers to streamline operations and eliminate inefficiencies. Implement best practices to drive consistency and quality across all design projects.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with senior leadership and internal departments (e.g., Facilities, Engineering, Manufacturing, and IT) to align design objectives with broader company goals. Facilitate communication and collaboration between the design team and cross-functional partners.
• Stakeholder Management: Maintain strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, including senior leadership, external architects, engineers, and contractors. Ensure all parties are aligned on project goals and design expectations.
• Risk and Change Management: Proactively identify risks and issues in the design process and work with Design Managers to develop solutions and mitigate potential problems. Ensure proper documentation and management of scope changes and design adjustments.
• Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Regularly monitor the progress of design projects and provide clear, consistent updates to senior leadership. Evaluate design performance metrics and ensure the team meets or exceeds key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Innovation and Continuous Improvement: Lead efforts to drive design innovation, challenge conventional design practices, and explore new design methodologies, technologies, and tools that align with Rivian's mission and core values.
• Talent Development: Identify professional development opportunities for the Design Managers, fostering a culture of learning and growth. Provide feedback, coaching, and performance evaluations to support their career progression.

• Bachelor of Architecture or Engineering (or related discipline) with 10+ years of experience (hiring level commensurate with experience)
• Proven experience leading design teams in the successful delivery of complex, large-scale projects, ideally in the automotive, manufacturing, or tech industries.
• Strong leadership and team-building skills, with a track record of motivating teams to deliver high-quality work.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to manage and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Strong knowledge of design processes, construction management, and project delivery methods.
• Ability to navigate complex project requirements and balance competing priorities.
• A deep understanding of design standards, sustainability principles, and industry best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to innovate and drive continuous improvement in design execution.
• Proficient in design tools, software, and platforms relevant to the role (e.g., AutoCAD, Revit, BIM, and other design and project management tools).
• PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS
  
  • Masters degree in a field of study relating to the built environment.
  • Experience with applying sustainability principles to your work.
  • Licensed Professional Architect or Engineer (or similarly recognized professional certification).
  • Experience leading the design for major commercial and/or industrial facilities.
  • Experience with automating workflows and analyses through programming and scripts.

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 candidateaccommodations@rivian.com.

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.