About Rivian 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. Role Summary The Vehicle Operator Specialist plays a vital operational, hands-on, and instructional role in the testing, safety validation, and ground support of Autonomy Systems Validation. Reporting directly to the Operations Coordinator, this role bridges the gap between field-testing drivers and ground logistics/facilities. In addition to serving as a senior driver operating prototype vehicles across public roads and private test tracks, you will act as on-shift floor lead and driver trainer/coach. You will oversee vehicle prep, ground support, data offloading, pre/post-trip operations, and shift handovers, while actively onboarding, training, and coaching vehicle operators to maintain top-tier safety and testing execution. Responsibilities Operator Training, Coaching & Mentorship Assist the Operations Coordinator in preparing training materials, conducting onboarding programs, and delivering hands-on driving and safety instruction for new vehicle operators. Continuously evaluate vehicle operator performance, provide real-time coaching on disengagement protocols, defensive driving, and test procedures, and reinforce high safety standards. Guide operators on standard operational workflows, proper logging procedures, software flashing methods, and vehicle prep standards. Act as the primary on-shift floor point of contact for driver questions, fostering a culture of continuous learning, psychological safety, and open feedback. Testing Operations Safely operate prototype test vehicles in autonomous, semi-autonomous, and manual modes across diverse weather, traffic, and road conditions for up to 8 hours daily. Maintain constant situational awareness and safety vigilance, executing manual disengagements and safety interventions seamlessly when necessary. Perform pre-defined test cases, specialized driving scenarios, and edge-case evaluations on public roads and closed-course test facilities. Ground Support & Fleet Operations Support the Operations Coordinator by assisting with daily shift handovers, driver shift readiness, route assignments, and vehicle allocations. Conduct and supervise pre-trip and post-trip vehicle inspections, basic system checks, hardware setups, and sensor calibrations/cleanings prior to test runs. Track vehicle health, coordinate routine maintenance or repair appointments with service technicians, and manage fleet charging logistics to ensure maximum vehicle availability. Oversee the daily end-of-shift data logging process, managing onboard hardware, offloading system data to local edge hardware/cloud servers, and verifying transfer integrity for engineering analysis. Maintain site/shop floor readiness, test equipment, tooling, and sensor platforms to ensure a safe, clean, and efficient testing environment. System Diagnostics & Technical Escalation Perform basic system diagnostics, guide operators through initial troubleshooting and perform/verify Over-The-Air software updates. Identify, isolate, and debug hardware, software, and sensor anomalies, creating detailed tickets (via Jira/issue-tracking systems) and escalating critical issues to cross-functional engineering teams. Compose clear, thorough, and concise post-drive reports, operational logs, and safety feedback to communicate system behavior and edge cases. Must be able to work 1st Shift (6:00a - 2:30p) Qualifications 2+ years of professional automotive driving, autonomous vehicle testing, or vehicle fleet operations, with demonstrated informal or formal experience coaching, mentoring, or training peers. Excellent interpersonal, coaching, written, and verbal communication skills; ability to deliver constructive feedback and explain complex technical concepts simply. Proven ability to maintain high focus while driving or monitoring autonomous systems (solo or with a partner) for 6–8 hours per day in a fast-paced environment. Ability to lift, maneuver, and move up to 50 lbs and remain active across shop floors, proving grounds, or field testing sites. Willingness to travel up to 20% for off-site field testing campaigns and flexibility to work overtime, non-standard shifts, or weekends as testing schedules require. Proficiency with laptops, smartphones, and enterprise collaboration tools (Google Docs, Sheets, Maps). Preferred / Bonus Qualifications Prior formal experience as a Driver Trainer, Lead Safety Driver, or Operations Lead in AV testing, proving grounds, or commercial fleet environments. Hands-on experience with Jira, Confluence, or equivalent engineering ticketing platforms. Familiarity with Linux/Unix navigation, embedded software flashing, CAN networks, and hardware/electrical diagnostics. Prior experience testing or supporting Level 4 autonomous driving systems. Pay Disclosure The hourly pay range for this role is $31.08 - $34.53/hour for Chicago, IL based applicants. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, shift, and organizational needs. The successful candidate may be eligible for annual performance bonus and equity awards. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits for full-time and part-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26, including but not limited to paid vacation, paid sick leave, and a competitive portfolio of insurance benefits including life, medical, dental, vision, short-term disability insurance, and long-term disability insurance to eligible employees. You may also have the opportunity to participate in Rivian’s 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program if you meet certain eligibility requirements. Full-time employee coverage is effective on their first day of employment. Part-time employee coverage is effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment. More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com. You can apply for this role through careers.rivian.com (or through internal-careers-rivian.icims.com if you are a current employee). There is no fixed deadline for this application; applications are accepted on an ongoing basis until the role is filled or the opening is no longer needed. Equal Opportunity 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. Candidate Data Privacy and Technology 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. How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process: To ensure transparency, we want candidates to know that Rivian uses iCIMS Talent Cloud Artificial Intelligence (TCAI) and AI-enabled tools to assist with screening, reviewing, organizing and highlighting profiles and applications that match the key requirements for each role. AI does not make hiring decisions: Qualified candidate applications are reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate. Participation in AI profile matching is entirely voluntary. If you prefer that your profile not be used in this process, you can opt out at any time. Opting out means your profile will be excluded from automated matching and will not be surfaced for additional roles through this system. Your current application remains active and will not be affected in any way. Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.