Staff Quality Engineer, Scrap Management

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.

We are hiring for a Staff Scrap Management Engineer to join our Plant Quality organization and take ownership of our scrap and non-conformance material (NCM) processes. In this highly visible role, you will act as the technical lead for scrap reduction across all manufacturing shops , partnering with operations, engineering, Material handling, supplier development/quality, and finance to drive measurable improvements in cost of poor quality (CoPQ), First Pass Yield (FPY), and overall plant efficiency. This role is located in Normal, IL and will report to the Manager, Plant Quality Systems.

• Own the plant-wide scrap reduction strategy , partnering with Operations, Engineering, Finance, Material Handling and Supplier development/Quality Engineering .
• Lead cross-functional scrap review meetings ; track, assign, and close action items.
• Manage and enforce the Non-Conformance Material (NCM) process across all shops (identification, tagging, segregation, and disposition).
• Apply Lean methodologies to identify waste streams, simplify workflows, and standardize best practices across scrap and NCM processes.
• Collaborating with the System development team for enhancing NCM tool by providing user stories and UATs.
• Analyze scrap trends (by shop, part, supplier, and cost) and develop dashboards/reports in collaboration with the Quality Data Engineering team.
• Drive structured problem solving (8D, RCCA, DMAIC) for high-impact scrap issues.
• Partner with Finance to track scrap costs and validate savings from corrective actions.
• Support supplier corrective actions for supplier-driven scrap.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives (Kaizen, Lean, Six Sigma) to eliminate waste.
• Train operators, inspectors, and engineers on scrap/NCM compliance and standardized processes.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, or Quality Engineering (Master’s degree preferred).
• 7+ years of experience in manufacturing, quality, or process engineering, ideally in automotive or high-volume production.
• Proven experience leading scrap reduction and NCM processes with measurable results.
• Strong command of Lean, Six Sigma, and structured problem-solving methods (8D, RCCA, DMAIC).
• Hands-on experience with MES/SAP systems and proficiency in analytics tools (SQL, Tableau, Power BI, or similar).
• Excellent communication and leadership skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and drive accountability at all levels.
• A track record of successfully balancing strategic leadership with hands-on problem solving.

Salary Range/Hourly Rate for Illinois Based Applicants : $125,800-157,200 (actual compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law).

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 [email protected] .

Candidate Data Privacy

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.

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