Staff New Product Operation Manager

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive's next chapter. The Electrical Hardware Technical Program Management team is seeking a Staff New Product Operations Manager to own build readiness end to end, defining and driving entry and exit criteria at every development stage gate (Proto, EVT, DVT, PVT), and holding contract manufacturer sites and cross-functional stakeholders accountable to them before a build is allowed to proceed. The role is the accountable owner for identifying and escalating readiness risks and for driving cross-functional issue resolution to unblock builds. It also leads post-ramp change management and qualification in partnership with Product Launch Engineering, Quality, and Design Engineering.

Responsibilities

Collaborate across key stakeholders, including Hardware and Software Engineering, Product Launch Engineering, Quality, Purchasing and Test Automation, to create integrated CM operations schedules; Coordinate with Hardware, Software and Vehicle-level program managers to integrate critical operations readiness milestones and dependencies into top-line ECU and vehicle program schedules, highlighting technical/timeline risks holistically; Lead development builds and ramp readiness activities, ensuring security, materials, process/SOP, equipment, staffing, and training are all in place at CM sites; Drive operations entry & exit criteria assessment at ECU development stage gates while ensuring that cross-functional engineering inputs satisfy operational requirements; Champion process improvement initiatives across internal/external processes, communication, metrics and documentation as it relates to CM operations, management and quality; Lead cross-functional issue resolution to mitigate risks and remove roadblocks for CM readiness; Analyze and communicate risks and program status succinctly to engineering and program leadership, highlighting key issues and presenting resolution options to the cross-functional executive team; Lead post-ramp change management efforts for design, quality and process issue resolution with Quality and Design Engineering teams

Requirements

8+ years of experience in New Product Introduction, Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing Operations, or Operations Engineering; BS or MS degree in Engineering; Direct PCBA CM operational management experience; Strong communication skills in technical and nontechnical domains; Outstanding collaboration and relationship-building capabilities within and across organizations; Data-driven, proactive, and tenacious; energized by ambiguity and passionate about cross-functional problem solving; Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities; comfortable working directly with measurement and test data, capability metrics, and program dashboards; Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to escalate clearly and factually to executive audiences and to translate technical detail for non-engineering stakeholders; Experience with Atlassian-based applications, including Jira and Confluence; Ability to travel domestically and internationally to contract manufacturer, supplier, and vehicle program locations as needed; Eager to explore AI-driven solutions across communication, reporting, visualizations and analysis

Benefits

Competitive base salary; annual company performance bonus program (discretionary, requires active employment at time of payout); eligibility for Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and equity plan terms; comprehensive benefits package including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs (offerings vary by country)