Embedded Software Fall Intern

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.

About the role

Rivian internships are experiences optimized for student candidates. To be eligible, you must be an undergraduate or graduate student in an accredited program during the internship term with an expected graduation date between December 2026 through June 2028. Rivian’s Internship Program requires active student enrollment.

Information regarding your expected degree completion date is collected solely to verify eligibility and determine your availability for future full-time opportunities. Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and does not use graduation dates to determine the age of applicants or as a basis for discriminatory hiring decisions.

If you are not pursuing a degree, please see our full time positions on our Rivian careers site.

Note that if your university has specific requirements for internship programs, it is your responsibility to fulfill those requirements.

As an embedded software intern, you will have the opportunity to work with a world class software engineering team working on Rivian’s electric adventure vehicles. You will be given meaningful assignments which will contribute to the development of real-world products.You will interact and work with a seasoned engineering team.

Responsibilities

• Design and Implement Embedded Firmware: Assist in the development, modification, and updating of Embedded C software for automotive Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and microcontroller-based systems.
• Develop Diagnostic Tooling: Create and maintain Python-based scripts and automation tools to streamline debugging processes, parse vehicle communication logs (e.g., CAN/LIN bus data), and support diagnostic workflows.
• Participate in Code Quality Assurance: Actively engage in peer code reviews to identify performance improvements, ensure adherence to industry coding standards (such as MISRA C), and verify that implementations meet strict automotive safety requirements.
• Execute System Testing and Validation: Perform functional and unit testing on embedded code using hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) setups or test benches to validate software reliability and hardware-software integration.
• Collaborate on Troubleshooting: Work closely with senior engineers to debug complex embedded systems, document software updates, and translate vehicle diagnostic requirements into actionable technical solutions.

Qualifications

• Must be currently pursuing a bachelors, masters, or PhD degree at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
• Actively pursuing a degree or one closely related in Computer Engineering, with emphasis on embedded software engineering.
•  Profiency in Embedded C software programming.  
• Proficiency in Python scripting.
• Strong background in communication and electronics.
• Experience with oscilloscope, logic analyzers, debuggers, etc. 
• Must be enrolled at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
• Must be located in Champaign, IL  and able to work out of our office in the Research Park 
• Must be available for 20 hours per week in the Fall and Spring and 40 hours in the summer.   
• This project will require weekly task status update and monthly project update.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $25.00-40.00 per hour for Illinois 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.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including but not limited to paid vacation, paid sick leave, and medical insurance benefits. Internship positions are not eligible for retirement benefits.  More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com.

You can apply for this role through careers.rivian.com (or through internal-careers-rivian.icims.com if you are a current employee). This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than 7/31/2026.

To apply, please use this link: https://careers.rivian.com/careers-home/jobs/32354