Staff Software Engineer, OTA Platform

Rivian

Job

In this role, you will develop OTA features for firmware updates and maintain software-hardware compatibility while closely collaborating with international teams and resolving technical challenges in embedded systems.

Job summary

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Job technologies

Your role in the team

  • Develop OTA features and services covering firmware update delivery, ECU/software configuration updates, and software-hardware mismatch detection and remediation.
  • Collaborate daily with the OTA development team in Palo Alto on system architecture, API contracts, and release planning; ensure Germany-site work streams stay aligned with the global OTA roadmap.
  • Design update strategies (full-image, delta/differential, A/B partitioning) that guarantee safe, resumable, and rollback-capable updates across heterogeneous ECUs.
  • Define and evolve the software/hardware compatibility (mismatch) framework, including version dependency graphs, pre-condition checks, and campaign eligibility rules.
  • Führen Sie Schnittstellen- und Vertragsgespräche mit Cloud-/Backend-Teams (Kampagnenorchestrierung, Telemetrie-Ingestion, Update-Berechtigungsdienste), um die Annahmen auf Fahrzeug- und Cloud-Seite in Einklang zu halten.
  • Work with communication protocol stacks used for in-vehicle and vehicle-to-cloud data exchange (e.g., UDS/ISO 14229, DoIP, SOME/IP, CAN/CAN-FD, Automotive Ethernet, TLS/mTLS, MQTT) to integrate OTA services with ECUs and cloud endpoints.
  • Ensure OTA processes meet automotive security and safety expectations: secure boot, cryptographic signing/verification, key management, and compliance-oriented practices aligned with ISO/SAE 21434 and UNECE R156 (Software Update Management System).
  • Partner with QA, functional safety, cybersecurity, and vehicle integration teams to validate updates through bench, HIL, and vehicle-level testing.
  • Support root-cause analysis and resolution of field issues related to update failures, mismatches, or rollback scenarios.
  • Take a leading role in architecture reviews and design decisions for the global OTA platform, representing Germany-site needs and constraints while upholding overall system coherence.
  • Drive Germany-site development activities end-to-end: technical planning, design reviews, code quality standards, and delivery execution.
  • Mentor and provide technical guidance to Senior and mid-level engineers on the Germany team; review designs and code for correctness, performance, and maintainability.
  • Identify architectural risks and technical debt early; propose and lead initiatives to address them across the OTA stack.
  • Act as a key escalation point for complex, cross-cutting technical issues spanning firmware, middleware, and cloud interfaces.

Our expectations of you

Education

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Qualifications

  • Track record of leading technical initiatives across multiple engineers or teams, including cross-site or cross-organization collaboration.
  • Strong, hands-on proficiency in C++ and Rust - this is a core, non-negotiable requirement, as the majority of OTA services are implemented in these languages.
  • Solid understanding of embedded Linux / POSIX-compliant operating environments and the constraints of resource-limited automotive compute platforms.
  • Comfortable driving technical interface discussions directly with cloud/backend engineering teams - defining APIs, data contracts, and failure-handling behavior across the vehicle-cloud boundary.
  • Working knowledge of cryptographic concepts used in secure software delivery: digital signatures, certificate/key management, and secure boot chains.
  • Strong debugging skills across layers - application logic, OS/driver interaction, and hardware/bus-level communication.
  • Fluent English (spoken and written) for daily collaboration with the Palo Alto team; German language skills are a plus for local site interactions.
  • Willingness to travel occasionally to Palo Alto, CA (or host virtual overlap hours) to support cross-site architecture and planning.

Experience

  • 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, including significant time in embedded, systems, or automotive software.
  • Demonstrierte Erfahrung in der Verantwortung für System- oder Plattformarchitektur eines Produktionssoftwareprodukts, idealerweise im Automobilbereich, IoT oder einem anderen sicherheits- oder zuverlässigkeitskritischen Bereich.
  • Experience directly interfacing with a partner engineering team in a different location/time zone to align on architecture and delivery.
  • Practical experience with in-vehicle and vehicle-to-cloud communication protocols (e.g., CAN/CAN-FD, Automotive Ethernet, SOME/IP, UDS/DoIP, TLS, MQTT, gRPC/Protobuf, or comparable).
  • Experience with version control, code review workflows, and CI/CD for embedded or systems software.

What we offer

  • In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be 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.

Topics you will work on

Job locations

About your employer

Rivian Automotive, Inc. is a US-based manufacturer of electric vehicles located in Irvine, California. The company focuses on the development of electric cars and offers additional services such as financing and maintenance. Rivian collaborates with partners like Amazon and Volkswagen to create advanced technologies for electric vehicles.

Company type
Established Company
Work model
Hybrid, Onsite
Industry
Vehicle Manufacturing, Supplier
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Staff Software Engineer, OTA Platform

Rivian