Associate General Counsel - Partnerships and Commercial

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

As Associate General Counsel, Partnerships and Commercial, you will serve as a strategic legal lead for Rivian’s most ambitious technology and mobility initiatives. With Rivian making strategic choices to invest in AI and L4 autonomy, monetize its Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) technology, and scale strategic collaborations, you will navigate an increased demand for compute, cloud, data, software and hardware commercial transactions. You will be responsible for structuring, negotiating, and closing complex transactions that underpin our technology commercialization, and strategic fundraising opportunities. You will play a pivotal role in expanding the scope of our joint venture with VW, supporting our robotaxi partnership with Uber, and fostering global, complex collaboration agreements to drive business growth. This is a Director-level role requiring a sophisticated blend of technical legal expertise and business acumen to drive Rivian’s mission to Keep the World Adventurous Forever.

Responsibilities

• Lead Complex Commercial Transactions: Drive cross-functional legal support for AI and L4 autonomous driving, hardware development, compute, cloud infrastructure, and data licensing. Negotiate and draft bespoke co-development projects, software licensing, and systems integration agreements.
• Architect Strategic Partnerships: Structure and execute large-scale alliances across the mobility landscape, actively managing the expansion of the Volkswagen JV, the Uber robotaxi partnership, and strategic collaborations with global OEMs and EV infrastructure developers. Advise on complex strategic partnerships for third-party commercialization and fundraising.
• Design Legal Governance & Monetization: Develop and implement complex transaction governance frameworks, including first-of-their-kind revenue-generating IP cross-licenses and strategies to monetize Software Defined Vehicle technology.
• Act as Corporate and Business Development Counsel: Advise the Corporate and Business Development Team to support business objectives and drive revenue growth. Engage with engineering and product teams on the commercialization of new products and services.
• Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Partner closely with Engineering, Product, Supply Chain, and Finance teams to understand objectives, balance value and risks in transactions, and deliver strategic agreements in connection with business priorities.
• Support our Commercial Fleet Sales business and legal needs of our on-going partnerships.
• Perform a broad range of legal matters and general business matters based on the needs of the company, as assigned.

Qualifications

• Experience: 12+ years of legal experience with a strong emphasis on complex commercial, partnership, and technology transactions. A track record advising on automotive, hardware, cloud services, or high-scale tech collaborations is highly preferred.
• Education: J.D. degree from an ABA-approved law school and an active member in good standing of at least one U.S. State Bar.
• Technical Literacy: Deep understanding of software and hardware development cycles, silicon alliances, and cloud/compute infrastructure.
• Negotiation Prowess: Proven track record of leading high-value ($100M+) negotiations with sophisticated global partners, including experience with joint collaboration governance, revenue sharing agreements, and complex commercial constructs.
• Compass Values Alignment: You embody our core Compass Values in every interaction:
• Come Together: You prioritize "we before me," fostering a collaborative, respectful environment that thrives on diverse perspectives.
• Ask Why: You have a relentless pursuit of better methods, challenging conventional legal thinking to drive progress.
• Stay Open: You maintain humility and a first-principles approach, operating comfortably within "organized chaos" to foster innovation.
• Zoom Out: You look at the big picture, understanding how individual legal decisions impact our mission and the planet for generations.
• Over Deliver: You are intrinsically motivated to go beyond the brief, ensuring we leave the world better than we found it.
• Leadership: Experience managing legal professionals and outside counsel budgets for large-scale, international engagements.
• Willingness to travel 10% of the time.
• For your application, cite GoInhouse.com as the job source.
  

Bonus Points

• Background in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Experience in both top-tier law firms and high-growth in-house environments.

* Both Hybrid-Flex and Onsite work arrangements are options for this role

Pay Disclosure

• Salary Range for Irvine Based Applicants: $250,000 - $300,000 (actual compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law)

• Benefits Summary: Rivian provides robust medical/Rx, dental and vision insurance packages for full-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26

Equal Opportunity

Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Rivian is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at [email protected] .

Candidate Data Privacy

Rivian may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Rivian may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian affiliates; and (iii) Rivian’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Rivian may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.

Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.