Sr. Quality Engineer
Rivian · Normal, IL
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Quality
- Base pay
- $99k–$123k
- Travel
- 20%
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 4+ years
- Industry
- Automotive
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior quality role at Rivian (automotive) in Normal, IL. Proven, hands-on experience managing customer complaints and driving containment actions in high-volume production environments.
- They ask for
- 4+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Six Sigma, Kaizen, Root cause, SPC, FMEA, PPAP
- Base pay
- $99k–$123k
- Day to day
- about 20% travel
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Quality Engineer roles in Illinois: typical posted base $98k–$136k. This one lists $99k–$123k.
Median of the low and high ends of 41 live postings that list pay, out of 53 quality engineer openings in Illinois, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Illinois plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 52 other live quality postings in Illinois.
- Base pay
- In line with similar roles
- Experience asked
- Typical (4+ years)
Typical $98k–$125k, from 35 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 4+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Root cause 49%
- ✓ Supplier quality 47%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 45%
- Team leadership 36%
- ✓ SPC 34%
- ✓ Six Sigma 30%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Kaizen, GD&T, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Quality team at Rivian
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Which standards drive the work here: ISO 13485, IATF 16949, AS9100?
- How much of the job is customer complaints versus prevention?
- The posting says about 20% travel. Between which sites?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Rivian in Normal
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Full description from RivianAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
Quality Loops Management: Own the end-to-end customer complaint process specifically for EV manufacturing issues (e.g., interiors, exteriors, LVE, chassis, HV). Identify and solve quality issues within our factory quality gates, ensuring defects are contained effectively and fixed with robust corrective actions. Rapid Response & Containment: React quickly to quality escalations, initiating and driving immediate containment actions on the shop floor to protect the customer. Problem Solving: Lead structured investigations (5D/8D, Kaizen methodology), prepare professional customer-facing reports, and ensure the timely implementation and closure of all corrective actions. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Coordinate and lead cross-functional teams, including Production, Engineering, and Supplier Quality, to quickly resolve urgent manufacturing and field quality issues. Failure Analysis: Investigate complex component failures using established problem-solving tools (e.g., 5 Why, Fishbone diagrams, Fault Tree Analysis). Process Audit: Conduct production line audits to verify the effectiveness of containment actions and prevent defect recurrence. Production Support: Provide real-time data analysis and quality feedback to support fast-paced EV production goals. Documentation: Update essential quality documents (quality alerts, work instructions, process documents) based on lessons learned from field and manufacturing issues.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
About Rivian 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. Role Summary We are seeking a proactive and driven Sr. Quality Engineer to join our rapidly expanding Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturing team. This critical role is responsible for leading the immediate response to customer quality issues, driving rapid containment on the production line, and conducting thorough root-cause analyses to ensure customer satisfaction and enhance the quality of our manufacturing facilities.