---
title: 'Sr. Vehicle Modeling Engineer, Applied AI Systems at Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/sr-vehicle-modeling-engineer-applied-ai-systems-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-aybx4x1x8154'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-08'
---

# Sr. Vehicle Modeling Engineer, Applied AI Systems at Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies

- **Company:** [Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies](https://feeny.ai/companies/rivian-and-volkswagen-group-technologies)
- **Location:** Irvine, CA
- **Compensation:** $135k–$186k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-08-04
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/rivianvw.tech/46ac83dd-36b7-49fc-93ee-ac90e5105447

## Job description

## About Us

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world.

The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone.

## Role Summary

The Systems Design Reliability Engineering (SDRE) team is building the next generation of AI-assisted, model-driven systems engineering at Rivian VW Group — replacing heavyweight requirements processes with simulation-first design, Digital Twin-based verification and test coverage. We are a small, high-leverage team, and we are looking for an engineer who wants to work at the intersection of AI tooling and physical system modelling.

You will develop and operate the AI tooling and Digital Twin infrastructure that underpins SDRE's cross-domain methods — across Vehicle Controls, Infotainment, Communications, and Access. You will own feature(s) end-to-end: from building plant models and co-simulation environments, to deploying LLM-assisted requirement and test pipelines. You will also do real systems engineering — author requirements, perform analyses, design reviews, STPA, and apply SDRE methods hands-on.

## Responsibilities

1. Digital Twin Development & Operation

- Build and maintain multi-fidelity plant models (FMU-packaged) for vehicle subsystems — powertrain, dynamics, thermal, body — using Python, OpenModelica, Julia, or Simulink.
- Develop and run co-simulation environments (FMI-based) that pair vECUs with plant models for three core use cases:
- Model-to-code — simulate vehicle behaviors against a plant to develop and validate control requirements before a line of production code is written.
- SIL regression tests — run SIL/virtual ECU controllers against plant models in nightly CI to catch regressions early and expand corner-case coverage.
- Field issue replay — reproduce field failures in the digital twin, verify fixes virtually before shipping.
- Correlate models against real vehicle, dyno, and lab rig and fleet data

1. AI-Assisted Systems Engineering Tooling

- Build LLM pipelines for requirement drafting, test script generation, coverage gap analysis, and root cause analysis over SE artifacts.
- Deploy semantic search and RAG over requirements, architecture models, test scripts, using modern LLM app stacks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, or equivalent).
- Integrate AI assistants into GitLab and test management systems via APIs, plugins, and CI/CD pipelines.
- Build AI analytics tools that correlate requirements, architecture changes, and calibrations with fleet data, field issues and test failures — surfacing similar historical problems and candidate fault paths.

1. Systems Engineering (Hands-On)

- Author requirements and test cases as a practicing systems engineer — applying RequiTest and test-driven SE methods.
- Participate in architecture, interface, and safety design reviews across domains.
- Document AI-augmented SE process standards and playbooks; help drive adoption across programmes.
- Capture process patterns from domain teams and convert them into AI-supported workflows, with human-in-the-loop guardrails.

## Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

- BS/MS in Electrical, Computer, Mechanical, or Systems Engineering, or related field — or equivalent demonstrated experience through projects.
- Strong Python skills — data processing, prototyping AI workflows, automation scripts, or microservices.
- Practical experience building LLM applications: RAG pipelines, semantic search, structured reasoning, or agent frameworks.
- Systems-minded: able to decompose a physical product into subsystems, behaviors and interfaces — and reason about how they interact.
- Comfort iterating quickly from prototype, to production, using modelling in a fast-paced engineering environment.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with physical simulation tools: OpenModelica, Simulink, Julia, Modelica, or FMI/FMU-based co-simulation.
- Hands-on projects involving physical systems — vehicle dynamics, powertrain, robotics, Baja SAE, Formula SAE, solar car, or similar.
- Familiarity with automotive SE artifacts: requirements, test cases, E/E architecture, CAN signals, DBC/ARXML.
- Experience with LLM evaluation: precision/recall, hallucination rate, latency, cost — for SE-specific use cases.
- GitLab CI/CD experience;
- AI portfolio: projects applying LLMs or ML to engineering or technical documentation — even academic or personal projects count.
- Fault tree analysis, DFEMA or STPA know-how

Total Rewards We build the exceptional — and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program.

Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements.

In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full-time employees — including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs. Offerings vary by country. [Learn more about our global benefit programs](https://rvtech.mybenefits.life/).

External candidates can apply for this role through the Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies careers site (https://rivianvw.tech/#careers). If you are a current employee, please apply through our [internal job board](https://app.ashbyhq.com/internal/job-board/b10a9912-eb45-4a84-9a34-84b2a459923a).

## Equal Opportunity

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. 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. We are also committed to ensuring compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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.

Candidate Data Privacy Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies” 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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) record keeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies affiliates; and (iii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies’ service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, 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.

If you provide a mobile telephone number as part of your application or during the recruitment process, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use that number to contact you via SMS text message for recruitment-related purposes, including scheduling, logistics, and status updates. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any text message you receive from us. Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of applying for or being considered for employment. Please see our https://assets.ctfassets.net/2md5qhoeajym/53otRWdzXPzSdWPgiel5T/07c61b0eed2d91f2f403f788fd20d315/RVTech_Candidate_Data_Privacy_Notice_-_Nov_2024.pdf and https://assets.ctfassets.net/2md5qhoeajym/40xUZMehbGToclkLqWXW0E/eb5b553bd8af7c607066253fbb227bda/RVTech_Candidate_Data_Privacy_Notice_-_Nov_2024_Serbian.pdf for more information. -- Please note this job posting represents an open, active vacancy. Additionally, we are not currently accepting applications from third party application services.

## About Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies (RV Tech) is a joint venture developing next-generation electrical architectures and software-defined vehicle platforms for the Volkswagen Group and Rivian.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Joint Venture; 50/50 owned by Rivian and Volkswagen Group)
- **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, United States
- **Founded**: November 13, 2024
- **Founders**: Joint venture co-led by Wassym Bensaid (Rivian Chief Software Officer) and Carsten Helbing (Volkswagen Group Chief Technology Officer); established through a transaction agreement between Rivian and Volkswagen Group.

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Automotive technology, software development for software-defined vehicles (SDVs)
- **Target customers**: B2B – primarily the Volkswagen Group (brands including Volkswagen, Audi, Scout) and Rivian; potential licensing to other automakers
- **Mission or purpose statement**: To address the challenges of electric vehicles through technologies that set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world, combining Rivian’s software and electrical hardware expertise with Volkswagen Group’s global scale and vehicle platform competencies.

## Products & Services
- **Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Architecture**: A modular zonal electronic architecture featuring powerful central computers that control all vehicle functions, enabling over-the-air updates, advanced infotainment, and highly automated driving features. This platform is designed to scale across multiple vehicle segments and brands.
- **Zonal Controllers & Operating Systems**: Rivian’s proven zonal hardware design (reducing ECUs and wiring complexity) integrated with a unified software stack that supports continuous updates and cloud connectivity.
- **Cloud & Connectivity Solutions**: Cloud-based services for vehicle data, remote diagnostics, and lifecycle software updates.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (joint venture; total committed investment from Volkswagen Group up to $5.8 billion by 2027, including $1 billion initial convertible note, $1.3 billion equity at closing, and up to $3.5 billion milestone-based funding).
- **Key Metric**: Total committed investment: $5.8 billion; Employee count: ~1,500 (as of late 2025, with 108.4% YoY growth).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN), Volkswagen Group (XETRA: VOW / VOW3). Co-owned equally by both parent companies.
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Rapidly built an international development team of 1,500+ employees within one year.
  - Successfully integrated Rivian’s zonal hardware into a Volkswagen test vehicle in just 12 weeks.
  - Winter testing of reference vehicles for Volkswagen, Audi, and Scout brands scheduled for Q1 2026.
  - First production vehicles using RV Tech’s architecture expected in 2027 (Volkswagen ID.EVERY1) and 2028 (Audi).
  - Rivian’s R2, R3, and R3X will also leverage the joint venture’s technology.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Unique combination of expertise**: Rivian’s industry-leading software and electrical architecture married with Volkswagen Group’s massive manufacturing scale and global reach.
- **Speed of execution**: Demonstrated ability to produce a drivable demonstrator vehicle in 12 weeks.
- **Scalable platform**: The SDV architecture is designed to serve multiple brands, segments, and price points, potentially covering up to 30 million vehicles per year on Volkswagen’s future SSP platform.
- **Cost efficiency**: Shared development costs and reduced R&D expenditure for both parents, with a focus on lowering production costs for EVs.

## Strategic Focus
- **Current priorities**: Complete development and validation of the zonal SDV architecture through winter testing in early 2026; prepare for series production integration with Volkswagen Group brands (ID.EVERY1, Scout Traveler/Terra, Audi model) and Rivian’s R2 launch in 2026.
- **Direction for growth**: Expand the technology to additional automakers (several have expressed interest); deepen collaboration with Volkswagen Group brands on the SSP platform; scale the international team and open new development sites in Europe and North America.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture highlights**: Fast-paced, collaborative environment at the intersection of two automotive and technology giants. Emphasis on innovation at scale, diverse collaboration, and global impact. Co-led by top technical leaders from both parent companies.
- **Remote/hybrid/office policy**: Teams are based in Palo Alto (HQ), with additional sites in Irvine (CA), Berlin (Germany), and offices in Canada, Sweden, and Serbia. Hybrid work likely, but specific policy not publicly detailed.
- **Notable perks or engineering culture**: Opportunity to work on cutting-edge SDV technology that will power millions of future EVs. Engineers get to shape the architecture from the ground up, with access to Rivian’s proven software stack and Volkswagen’s industrial resources. High growth trajectory (team more than doubled in its first year). Active job postings (126 as of mid-2026) across software engineering, systems, and leadership roles.

## Sources
1. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivian_and_Volkswagen_Group_Technologies)
2. [Volkswagen Group Press Release – Launch](https://www.volkswagen-group.com/en/press-releases/faster-leaner-more-efficient-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-announce-the-launch-of-their-joint-venture-18828)
3. [Volkswagen Group Press Release – One Year Anniversary](https://www.volkswagen-group.com/en/press-releases/one-year-after-its-founding-joint-venture-between-volkswagen-group-and-rivian-shows-strong-progress-19980)
4. [LinkedIn Company Page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/rivian-and-vw-group-technologies)
5. [Company Website](https://rivianvw.tech/)

## Other roles at Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies

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- [Sr. Software Systems Validation Engineers](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-software-systems-validation-engineers-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-76dthjw99wyt) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Sr. Computer Vision Engineers](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-computer-vision-engineers-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-technologies-palo-alto-487qhy4n2gkb) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Staff Embedded Software Engineers](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-embedded-software-engineers-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-technologies-palo-z6y0zc940p1v) — Palo Alto, CA
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- [Staff Controls Test & Automation Engineers](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-controls-test-automation-engineers-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-0tcpna7gjwh8) — Irvine, CA
- [Sr. Thermal Controls Systems Engineers](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-thermal-controls-systems-engineers-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-technologies-r2z9yjtzd3rj) — Irvine, CA
- [Product Security Private Engineers II](https://feeny.ai/job/product-security-private-engineers-ii-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-technologies-7htzw2g5md2p) — Irvine, CA
- [Mechatronics Lab Engineering Intern (January - August 2027)](https://feeny.ai/job/mechatronics-lab-engineering-intern-january-august-2027-rivian-and-volkswagen-3ym1k8gr87ec) — Vancouver, Canada
- [Sr Controls Engineer, Body Controls](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-controls-engineer-body-controls-rivian-and-volkswagen-group-technologies-spa0rg1fcj5y) — Vancouver, Canada