Sr. Manager of Adventure Products

Role Summary

As the Senior Manager of Adventure Products, you will lead our Industrial Design Product Team focused on expanding the Rivian experience beyond the vehicle itself. Reporting directly to the Senior Director of Exterior Design, you will oversee the end-to-end design strategy and execution across vehicle accessories, off-the-shelf brand partnerships, gear, apparel, lifestyle merchandise, and toys.

This role requires a proven design leader with extensive hands-on production experience and deep factory-level relationships. You will bridge high-level visionary product strategy with rigorous manufacturing execution, ensuring every product meets Rivian’s world-class design standards while scaling effectively into mass production.

Responsibilities

Design Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team of industrial designers focused on vehicle accessories, hardgoods, softgoods, lifestyle gear, and toys.
• Expand the aesthetic, functional, and strategic design vision for all non-vehicle physical products, maintaining alignment with Rivian’s core vehicle design language.
• Manage project workflows, design reviews, timelines, and resource allocation across multiple concurrent product programs.

Product Strategy & Range Execution

• Vehicle Accessories: Drive design innovation for internal and customer-facing vehicle accessories (e.g., gear tunnel components, roof racks, camping gear, cargo management, lighting, and overland equipment).
• Toy & Merch Strategy: Build and execute a cohesive brand merchandise and toy strategy that engages enthusiasts, children, and Rivian owners worldwide.
• Off-the-Shelf & Licensing Partnerships: Evaluate, curate, and direct third-party supplier products and collaborative brand partnerships, ensuring off-the-shelf items are elevated to meet Rivian’s premium design standards.

Production, Manufacturing & Factory Engagement

• Leverages extensive production experience and direct factory contacts to push concepts through DFM (Design for Manufacturing) into successful mass production.
• Work directly on factory floors—both domestically and internationally—to troubleshoot prototyping, tooling, material selection, CMF (Color, Material, Finish), and production challenges.
• Collaborate closely with Purchasing, Supply Chain, Hardware Engineering, and Quality teams to ensure design intent, cost targets, and launch schedules are strictly maintained.

Qualifications

To Apply

Please include a direct link to your portfolio (and any access credentials if password-protected), featuring work in industrial design, softgoods/hardgoods, and production-ready physical products.

• Experience: 10+ years of professional industrial design experience, with at least 3–5+ years in a team management or leadership capacity.
• Production Mastery: Demonstrated track record of bringing complex physical products from concept through high-volume mass production.
• Factory Network & Technical Expertise: Must-have established direct relationships and hands-on experience working directly with factories, suppliers, and overseas/domestic manufacturing partners. Proven capability to push factory partners to achieve tight design tolerances and premium finishing.
• Category Diversity: Prior background designing across diverse categories—such as outdoor/adventure gear, automotive accessories, consumer electronics, hardgoods, toys, or technical softgoods—is highly preferred.
• Design Excellence: Exceptional portfolio demonstrating strong ID fundamentals, form development, sketching, 3D CAD modeling, CMF mastery, and user-centered design thinking.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong ability to communicate design vision and negotiate technical/budget constraints with engineering, supply chain, and executive stakeholders.
• Travel: Ability to travel domestically and internationally (up to 20–30%) to visit factory partners, suppliers, and testing environments.

Bonus Qualifications

• Passion for the outdoors, electric vehicles, overland travel, and adventure culture.
• Background in developing both hardgoods (tooling, injection molding, metal fabrication)
• and softgoods/textiles.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $196,000 - $259,700 for California 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.