Material engineer Jobs in Orange, CA

Manager, Material Planning

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.

The Manager, Material Planning will lead a team of material planners responsible for ensuring material availability across Rivian's global Service distribution network. This role is accountable for translating demand into actionable supply requirements, proactively managing material constraints and shortages, and optimizing inventory to support world-class service while balancing working capital and operational efficiency. This is a dynamic leadership role requiring the ability to motivate, develop, challenge, and empower a team while establishing clear priorities, operating rhythms, and accountability. The ideal candidate combines strong material planning expertise with a strategic mindset, analytical rigor, and the ability to navigate complex cross-functional and supplier relationships. The successful candidate will develop a deep understanding of Rivian's supply chain, production processes, warehouse operations, service parts ecosystem, and global Service Network. They will partner closely across Service, Supply Chain, Engineering, Purchasing, Demand Planning, Accessories, and Global Distribution to ensure supply continuity and continuously improve the material planning organization.

Responsibilities

People Leadership & Team Development

Lead, coach, and develop a diverse team of material planners, establishing clear expectations, priorities, and performance objectives. Build a high-performing team culture grounded in accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and operational excellence. Develop planners' technical and business capabilities through coaching, mentoring, structured problem solving, and exposure to cross-functional initiatives. Develop and execute Material Planning KPIs focused on service, backlog reduction, inventory health, supplier performance, planning accuracy, and financial performance. Establish predictive performance monitoring to identify emerging supply and inventory risks before they become operational issues.

Material Planning & Supply Continuity

Own material planning execution across the Service distribution network, with a focus on achieving 100% material availability for service parts inbound to our parts distribution centers Ensure accurate and timely execution of MRP planning within Rivian's ERP environment, including supply requirements, planning parameters, exception messages, purchase requisitions/orders, and inventory targets. Proactively identify material shortages, supply constraints, demand changes, and other risks before they impact Service. Establish effective exception-management processes to prioritize the most critical supply risks based on customer, operational, and financial impact. Partner with Purchasing and suppliers to establish recovery plans, manage escalations, and ensure continuity of supply. Optimize inventory levels by balancing service requirements, lead times, demand variability, supplier constraints, and working-capital objectives. Develop and maintain planning strategies for new products, engineering changes, end-of-life materials, and other lifecycle events.

Supplier & Cross-Functional Leadership

Build strong, collaborative relationships with internal and external supply partners to improve supply performance and responsiveness. Serve as a primary escalation point for material availability issues, driving structured problem solving and clear ownership through resolution. Partner with Demand Planning, Purchasing, Service Engineering, NPI, Accessories, Production, Global Distribution, and Service Operations to understand demand and supply drivers affecting material availability. Translate changes in demand, vehicle parc, service requirements, engineering changes, and network strategy into actionable material-planning requirements. Represent Material Planning in cross-functional forums and provide clear recommendations to leadership on supply risks, trade-offs, and recovery actions. Establish strong communication and escalation mechanisms across global teams and distribution centers.

Qualifications

710+ years of experience in Material Planning, Supply Planning, Logistics Planning, or a related Supply Chain discipline, preferably within Automotive, Tier 1, OEM, High-Tech, or another complex manufacturing environment. 2+ years of demonstrated people leadership experience, including leading, developing, and managing the performance of planning professionals. Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline; MS or MBA preferred. Strong knowledge of MRP/ERP systems, planning parameters, exception management, bills of material, inventory planning, EDI, and procure-to-pay processes. Experience with SAP and Service Parts Planning is a plus. Demonstrated ability to lead teams through ambiguity, change, and competing priorities while maintaining strong execution and employee engagement. Strong understanding of supply chain operations spanning suppliers, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, and customer/service operations. Proven ability to build effective relationships with suppliers and cross-functional stakeholders and influence outcomes without direct authority. Strong analytical and structured problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to translate complex data into clear business decisions and executive-level recommendations. Demonstrated experience developing and managing operational KPIs and using data to drive performance improvement. Experience defining, launching, and driving strategic process transformation and continuous improvement initiatives across complex organizations. Strong process-design capabilities, with the ability to understand, document, simplify, standardize, and transform complex end-to-end processes. Ability to identify opportunities to leverage technology, automation, and analytics to improve planning effectiveness and organizational scalability. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with planners, suppliers, cross-functional partners, and senior leadership. Strong sense of ownership, urgency, and accountability, with the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced and evolving environment.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $92,200 to $122,100 for Michigan based applicants. The salary range for this role is $101,000 to $133,760 for California (Non-Bay Area) 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. 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.