Staff Android Software Engineer, Connected Vehicle

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 Architecting Android for Global Mobility The Connected Vehicle Platform team is chartered to develop the core, in-vehicle applications and experiences for our products.

We are composed of developers from all backgrounds with deep experience in Android, SDKs, IoT, and high-performance systems.

The application platform you will be architecting is the most used in our ecosystem.

It is an industrial-strength, Embedded Android solution that facilitates everything from intelligent power management to advanced digital services.

As a Staff Engineer, you will be a lead technical voice, helping us scale the platform and define the best-in-class Android development standards across the joint venture.

Responsibilities You will be a technical leader, driving architectural decisions and delivering robust, high-performance software: Architect, design, and develop mission-critical applications on Android Automotive OS, ensuring technical excellence and scalability across diverse vehicle platforms.

Create modular and scalable Android software frameworks, design patterns, and libraries that can adapt to a variety of different product lines and global use cases within the joint venture.

Collaborate with engineering, product, and UI/UX teams to define the technical requirements and long-term vision for our core application features.

Identify and resolve the most complex application and system-level Android bottlenecks, focusing on performance optimizations spanning the OS stack.

Chase bugs through the entire Android stack; from low-level driver and hardware issues, across inter-process communications (IPC), to network services, and into various shared components and libraries.

Maintain and contribute to reliable and repeatable testing suites to manage performance and quality across releases.

Drive quality through rigorous code reviews, continuous integration/development, and the implementation of robust test code, including edge cases.

Mentor and influence other engineers, growing the technical capabilities and best practices of the entire organization.

Qualifications Expert Technical Depth Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering (MS preferred) or equivalent professional experience.

Expert-level Android application developer with 8+ years of experience building and shipping complex, production-quality systems.

Exceptional proficiency in Kotlin and Java, with experience integrating high-performance systems using languages like Rust and C++ (NDK/JNI).

Demonstrable expertise in using Android and Native Linux APIs, including the ability to perform systems-level debugging and optimization.

Advanced concurrency experience is mandatory, particularly with Kotlin Coroutines and Flows and multi-threaded programming.

Extensive experience profiling and optimizing Android UI performance and memory usage in resource-constrained or embedded environments.

Deep familiarity with Embedded Android Framework Services (AOSP), system integration, and best-in-class SDV development practices.

Proficient in code versioning and CI tools (Git, Jenkins, GitLab) with a focus on streamlining engineering workflows.

Leadership & Influence Ability to manage your workload with minimal supervision and autonomously lead large, ambiguous technical projects.

Excellent interpersonal skills with the proven ability to collaboratively work with, mentor, and influence cross-functional, senior, and globally distributed teams.

Top-notch teamwork and communication skills.

Pay Disclosure Salary Range for Palo Alto, California Based Applicants: 186,000 USD - 232,500 USD (actual compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law).

Benefits Summary: Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies provides robust medical/Rx, dental and vision insurance packages for full-time and part-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26.

Full Time Employee coverage is effective on the first day of employment.

Part-Time employee coverage is effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment.

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 VW Group Technologies (“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) recordkeeping; (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.

Please see our Candidate Data Privacy Notice (English) and Candidate Data Privacy Notice (Serbian) for more information.

Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.

Required Skill Profession

Computer Occupations