Senior Director, Division Controller

Role Summary

As a Senior Manager, Program Management, you will lead a high-performing team of Program Managers responsible for driving the end-to-end execution of Rivian’s critical programs and strategic priorities. You will blend direct people leadership and talent development with executive-level program governance—partnering directly with Directors and VPs to shape strategic direction, resolve high-stakes cross-functional friction, and model data-driven operational excellence across the enterprise. This position is based onsite in Irvine and reports to the Director of Procurement Program Management.

Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Build, direct, and develop a team of Program Managers. Set clear performance goals, foster career growth, and provide continuous coaching to team members, guiding them through high-pressure situations.

• Program Execution & End-to-End Ownership: Oversee end-to-end ownership of multiple programs, working autonomously to lead executive leadership in identifying, tracking, and delivering strategic priorities, progress, and blockers.

• Executive Stakeholder Management: Regularly partner with Directors and VPs, modeling proactive 'managing up' and 'So what' behavior across the organization. Set the standard for collaborative best practices, establish and formalize cross-functional R&R, and balance competing priorities to influence strategic trade-offs.

• Strategic Risk Mitigation: Apply strategic foresight to anticipate emerging or systemic risks across the entire organization. Influence behavior across all levels to embed risk management into the organizational culture, navigating uncertainty and volatility through informed decision-making.

• Systemic Problem Solving & Transformation: Innovate creative, non-obvious solutions to systemic challenges affecting interconnected systems and processes, driving enterprise-wide change rather than fixing single instances.

• Procurement & Strategy Alignment: Leverage a deep understanding of the end-to-end procurement lifecycle across multiple program lifecycles to develop program sourcing strategies that deliver program requirements and proactively maintain a neutral risk position.

• Executive Communication & Storytelling: Act as an expert storyteller, speaking as effectively to executive leadership as to working groups while delivering clear status, risk, and program updates.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree (in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field) or equivalent practical experience is required; a Master's degree (MBA or MS) is preferred.

• Experience: 8+ years of purchasing, procurement, commodity management or program management experience within the automotive powertrain, propulsion, or heavy industrial manufacturing industry, 10 years experience preferred. 
• People Leadership: 3+ years of leading a team of professionals in a fast-paced environment.

• Domain Expertise: Proven expert in program management frameworks, end-to-end program/sourcing lifecycles across multiple program generations, and formalizing cross-functional R&R in matrix organizations.

• Technical Skills: Proficient in enterprise program management tools, status reporting platforms (e.g., Confluence, SharePoint, Jira, SAP), and synthesizing complex datasets for executive decision-making.

• Communication: Expert storyteller capable of communicating as effectively to executive leadership (Directors and VPs) as working groups; skilled in mentoring teams and navigating high-pressure situations.

• Execution: Track record of driving enterprise-wide change, demonstrating exceptional judgment in balancing high-stakes priorities, resolving complex conflicts, and navigating organizational volatility.

• Operational Style: Operates with complete autonomy to manage complex workloads, taking ultimate ownership of team performance, organizational risk, and overall program outcomes.

• Travel Requirements: Ability and willingness to travel as needed based on business needs, expected to average between 20-30%.

Pay Disclosure