Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies

Staff Site Reliability Engineer- Developer Platform at Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies (Palo Alto, CA)

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies· Palo Alto, CA· $186k–$256k·

Role details

Salary
$186k–$256k
Work type
Hybrid
Employment
Full-Time
Equity
Yes

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies at a glance

A 50/50 Rivian and Volkswagen joint venture building the zonal architecture and software-defined vehicle platform both automakers will ship.

RV Tech develops a zonal electronic architecture and unified software platform (operating systems, zonal controllers, cloud and connectivity) for software-defined vehicles. The platform ships in Volkswagen Group and Rivian cars, replacing dozens of scattered ECUs with a few central computers that support over-the-air updates for the life of the vehicle.

Up to $5.8B committed by Volkswagen Group raised · latest: Milestone investment · additional $1B · March 2026 · backed by Volkswagen Group, Rivian

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

We are seeking an experienced Site Reliability Engineer to help design, build, and operate the infrastructure that underpins the build pipelines that allow our companies to produce and deliver firmware. You will play a key role in evolving our technical foundation and our approach to DevOps as a culture, working alongside other team members to turn architectural vision into reality. This position demands a deep understanding of cloud-native ecosystems, critical thinking and a practical, collaborative mindset to help enable our large developer organization.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Contribute to the design and implementation of infrastructure components, from a developer platform mindset, including centralized developer portals, tooling to reduce developer cognitive overhead and
  • Help manage our AWS footprint by identifying opportunities for better multi-region availability, disaster recovery, and cost efficiency.
  • Participate in defining Infrastructure as Code (IaC) patterns and help maintain the library of modules used across the engineering organization.
  • Develop and optimize custom Kubernetes operators and controllers to automate stateful services, ensuring high availability and performance.
  • Assist in building robust, automated security controls and policy-as-code to ensure platform compliance.
  • Identify friction points across the organizations that operate on top of our infrastructure and collaboratively build intuitive tools that improve the developer experience.
  • Support mid-level and junior engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and technical leadership.
  • Work closely with engineering teams to gather requirements, identify dependencies, and provide technical input on risk mitigation.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Qualifications:

  • 5+ years of relevant experience in Platform Engineering, DevOps, or SRE roles.
  • Proficiency with Infrastructure as code, preferably Terraform. Experience designing reusable modules and managing state at scale.
  • Deep understanding of Kubernetes internals, networking, storage and service mesh architectures.
  • Proven track record implementing GitOps workflows using ArgoCD or Flux in production environments.
  • Strong understanding of automation and scripting (e.g., Python, Bash, GoLang).
  • Strong experience with one of the major Cloud Service Providers (AWS, Azure, or GCP), including IAM, compute, networking and storage layers.
  • Experience maintaining and optimizing CI pipelines.
  • Ability to clearly communicate technical concepts to peers and stakeholders.
  • Comfortable working in a collaborative environment where architectural decisions are discussed and debated.
  • Willingness to mentor peers and share technical knowledge.

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 rvtech.mybenefits.life

External candidates can apply for this role through the Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies careers site (rivianvw.tech). If you are a current employee, please apply through our internal job board app.ashbyhq.com

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 Candidate Data Privacy Notice (English) assets.ctfassets.net and Candidate Data Privacy Notice (Serbian) assets.ctfassets.net for more information.

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Please note this job posting represents an open, active vacancy. Additionally, we are not currently accepting applications from third party application services.

Why work at Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies

  • 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.

Application questions