Senior Public Policy Manager, State Policy

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.

• Expands market access and EV adoption - Designs and drives state and local policy strategies that unlock new markets, protect existing ones, and accelerate transportation electrification aligned with Rivian's growth plans.
• Translates policy into business impact - Turns evolving legislative and regulatory activity into clear risks, opportunities, and decisions for leaders across Product, Operations, and Commercial teams.
• Amplifies Rivian's voice with policymakers - Represents Rivian with state and local decision-makers, advocacy groups, and industry partners to advance policies that support our mission and our customers.
• Builds a scalable policy operating model - Establishes structured processes, tools, and rhythms to monitor bills, coordinate input, and drive consistent policy positions across multiple states and sessions.
• Harnesses data, technology, and AI - Uses policy intelligence platforms, data, and AI-powered research to prioritize efforts, increase signal-to-noise, and enable faster, more informed decision-making across the organization.

• Lead the development and execution of state and local policy strategies across the eastern United States, aligned with Rivian's mission, growth plans, and regulatory objectives.
• Own end-to-end strategy for key policy areas including EV adoption, charging infrastructure, clean energy, dealer and direct sales frameworks, and transportation and environmental regulation.
• Build structured, multi-session policy roadmaps that integrate near-term priorities (e.g., active legislation) with long-term positioning and relationship-building.
• Translate complex policy landscapes into clear, prioritized portfolios of initiatives with success metrics, milestones, and owner accountability.

• Build and deepen trusted relationships with state and local policymakers, regulatory agencies, governors' offices, legislative leaders, and key committee staff across priority states.
• Represent Rivian in hearings, roundtables, working groups, and industry forums, clearly articulating our policy positions and the real-world impact of our products and services.
• Develop and manage coalitions with industry partners, NGOs, trade associations, and advocacy groups to amplify shared objectives and expand Rivian's reach.
• Serve as Rivian's primary point of contact for state-level officials and key external stakeholders across the eastern U.S., ensuring timely, consistent communication and follow-through.

• Establish robust, tech-enabled processes to track and analyze proposed legislation, regulations, and administrative actions that impact Rivian's business.
• Synthesize complex policy developments into concise, actionable insights, briefings, and recommendations for senior leaders and cross-functional partners.
• Anticipate emerging risks and opportunities across states and design proactive strategies to address them before they become urgent issues.
• Maintain a structured repository of policy positions, precedent, and historical decisions to enable consistency and speed across sessions and jurisdictions.

• Partner closely with Legal, Product, Operations, Finance, Communications, and Commercial teams to align policy strategies with business objectives and product roadmaps.
• Facilitate clear decision-making on policy positions by framing trade-offs, options, and likely outcomes for senior leaders.
• Develop compelling narratives, talking points, and materials that translate technical and legal concepts into accessible stories tailored to policymakers, internal stakeholders, and the public.
• Create simple, repeatable mechanisms (e.g., briefings, dashboards, working groups) that keep internal teams informed, engaged, and aligned on state policy priorities.

• Use policy intelligence tools, CRM systems, and AI-enabled research to monitor legislative activity, map stakeholders, and prioritize engagement efforts.
• Identify opportunities to standardize and digitize core workflows (e.g., bill tracking, stakeholder mapping, briefing creation, content reuse) to improve consistency and speed.
• Partner with data, digital, and operations teams to define requirements and enhancements for policy-related tooling, reporting, and knowledge management.
• Champion data-informed, technology-enabled approaches to public policy work, continuously experimenting with new tools and practices to increase impact.

• Operate as a senior individual contributor while leading cross-functional working groups and, as applicable, overseeing external consultants or specialized vendors.
• Model inclusive, transparent, and collaborative ways of working that build trust and alignment across geographies, functions, and levels.
• Mentor peers and junior colleagues in areas such as state policy process, stakeholder engagement, and effective advocacy and storytelling.
• Contribute to the evolution of Rivian's broader Public Policy and Government Affairs strategy, sharing learnings from the eastern U.S. and applying best practices across the portfolio.

• Bachelor's degree in public policy, political science, law, environmental science, economics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 7-10 years of experience in state government affairs, public policy, regulatory affairs, or legislative roles, ideally within the EV, automotive, clean energy, transportation, or environmental sectors.
• Deep understanding of state legislative and regulatory processes, including how bills are developed, negotiated, and implemented at the state and local level.
• Demonstrated success in designing and executing state-level policy strategies across multiple jurisdictions, with a track record of influencing outcomes and building durable relationships.
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with state and local elected officials, regulators, staff, and key external stakeholders (e.g., NGOs, trade associations, advocacy groups).
• Experience translating complex policy and regulatory issues into clear, actionable insights and recommendations for senior leaders and cross-functional partners.
• Comfort working with policy intelligence platforms, CRM tools, data dashboards, and AI-enabled research tools (or strong aptitude and curiosity to learn them quickly).
• Strong written and verbal communication, storytelling, and presentation skills, with the ability to tailor messages to diverse audiences, including policymakers, executives, and public stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, managing multiple priorities and legislative timelines across states.
• Experience collaborating with Legal, Product, Operations, Finance, and Communications teams to align policy positions with business goals and risk management.
• Commitment to building inclusive relationships and engaging a diverse range of stakeholders, perspectives, and communities in policy discussions.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to ~50% during legislative sessions and as needed for stakeholder engagement and key industry events.

• Advanced degree in public policy, law (JD), environmental science, economics, or a related discipline.
• Experience working within or closely with EV, automotive, clean energy, technology, or manufacturing organizations in a high-growth or highly regulated context.
• Formal training or hands-on experience with legislative strategy, negotiation, and coalition-building, including taking major policy initiatives from concept through enactment and implementation.
• Familiarity with design thinking, service design, or human-centered approaches to policy development and stakeholder engagement.
• Prior responsibility for multi-state portfolios, regional policy leadership, or coordination of global/regional public policy strategies.
• Experience managing or partnering with external consultants, trade associations, or advocacy organizations to deliver scaled policy outcomes.

The salary range for this role is USD 159,200-199,000 for Washington DCl-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 an 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 on the first of the month following 90 days of employment. 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 May 12, 2026.

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 candidateaccommodations@rivian.com.

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.