Question 1

What does the Sr. Power Electronics Software Engineer role at Rivian involve?

Accepted Answer

The Sr. Power Electronics Software Engineer at Rivian develops firmware and controls for a range of power conversion systems across both vehicle and energy products, including DC fast chargers, residential bidirectional chargers, and onboard power electronics systems. The role covers the full embedded software development lifecycle — from specification and design through implementation, testing, and release — and requires deep expertise in bare metal and RTOS architectures, multicore embedded controllers, and ISO 26262 functional safety compliant software development.

Question 2

What power systems and products does this role develop firmware for at Rivian?

Accepted Answer

The Sr. Power Electronics Software Engineer at Rivian develops firmware for DC fast chargers, residential bidirectional chargers, and onboard power electronics systems fitted to Rivian's electric vehicles. The bidirectional charging capability is particularly significant, enabling vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-home energy transfer — a growing area of EV technology that requires sophisticated power conversion firmware to manage safe and efficient energy flow in both directions. The role therefore spans both vehicle charging infrastructure and in-vehicle power electronics.

Question 3

What is Rivian and what is its approach to power electronics development?

Accepted Answer

Rivian is a US electric vehicle manufacturer known for the R1T electric pickup, R1S electric SUV, and a large commercial delivery fleet. The company takes a vertically integrated approach to vehicle development, including in-house power electronics firmware — rather than relying solely on Tier 1 supplier software stacks. The Torrance facility houses Rivian's power electronics software team, which develops firmware across the company's vehicle and energy product portfolio, giving engineers broad exposure to both automotive and grid-connected power systems.

Question 4

What is the salary for the Sr. Power Electronics Software Engineer role at Rivian?

Accepted Answer

The published salary range for the Sr. Power Electronics Software Engineer position at Rivian is $135,100 to $168,900 per year for California-based applicants. Rivian provides medical, dental, and vision insurance for full-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26, with coverage effective from the first day of employment.

Question 5

What qualifications and experience are required for this role?

Accepted Answer

Rivian requires a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Science — a Master's degree is preferred — along with 3 or more years of software development experience with real-time embedded C systems. Candidates must be fluent in embedded software practices using the C programming language, proficient in version control tools including GitFlow and GitLab, and able to write Python testing scripts. Knowledge of software build procedures and experience maintaining build scripts using SCons, CMake, or Makefile is also required, along with a strong background in real-time software component design and testing.

Question 6

What seniority level is the Sr. Power Electronics Software Engineer position?

Accepted Answer

This is a senior individual contributor role at Rivian, requiring 3 or more years of embedded software development experience with ownership of the full software development lifecycle for power electronics applications. The role carries design authority for firmware architecture, interface specifications, and testing methodologies, but does not include explicit team leadership or mentoring responsibilities — placing it at the senior engineer level rather than staff or principal.

Question 7

Where is the role based and what is the working pattern?

Accepted Answer

The Sr. Power Electronics Software Engineer role is based at Rivian's facility in Torrance, California. The role is onsite, reflecting the hardware-adjacent nature of the work — bench-level debugging, HIL verification, and close collaboration with power electronics hardware teams all require physical presence in the lab environment.

Question 8

Why is firmware development for EV power electronics technically demanding?

Accepted Answer

Power electronics firmware in electric vehicles must manage high-voltage switching at microsecond timescales across multicore processor architectures, while meeting ISO 26262 functional safety requirements that impose strict constraints on software structure, testing coverage, and fault response. Bidirectional charging adds further complexity by requiring the firmware to safely manage power flow in both directions — from grid to vehicle and from vehicle back to grid or home — across a wide range of grid conditions and user scenarios. Achieving this reliably across DC fast charging, onboard charging, and vehicle power distribution systems simultaneously demands deep embedded systems expertise.

Question 9

What disciplines and teams does the Sr. Power Electronics Software Engineer collaborate with at Rivian?

Accepted Answer

The role works closely with Rivian's hardware engineering teams — collaborating on interface specifications between application software and firmware, verifying operation at bench and HIL level, and resolving ambiguity in hardware requirements and designs. The engineer also interfaces with systems engineering, testing, and quality teams to ensure software components meet release readiness standards, and contributes to documentation that supports cross-functional design reviews and regulatory compliance activities.

Question 10

How can I apply for the Sr. Power Electronics Software Engineer role at Rivian?

Accepted Answer

The role is listed on Electrified Future at https://electrified-future.com/jobs/jobs-rivian-sr-power-electronics-software-engineer, where you can follow the direct application link to Rivian's careers portal. Rivian is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates requiring disability-related accommodations during the application process can contact Rivian at candidateaccommodations@rivian.com.