Program Manager, Labor Relations & Workplace Investigations (LR/WPI)

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.

• Design the LR/WPI infrastructure: You will architect the standardized systems, playbooks, and workflows that underpin our labor relations and workplace investigations function, from case intake to closure, ensuring investigations are timely, consistent, and defensible.
• Scale a mission-critical function: You will help a lean, specialized LR/WPI team support a workforce of over 15,000 employees, building the processes, governance, and tooling that enable high-quality outcomes at scale as our footprint continues to grow.
• Turn data into foresight: You will design and maintain dashboards and analytics that translate case data and trends into actionable insights, helping leaders identify hotspots, anticipate risk, and target training, policy updates, and systemic interventions.
• Elevate quality and compliance: You will implement quality assurance, SLA monitoring, and compliance checks so every case meets clear standards of documentation, procedural fairness, and regulatory alignment - strengthening trust in our processes.
• Enable change at a pivotal moment: As Rivian continues to expand manufacturing, operations, and office locations, you will be central to how we standardize labor and investigative practices, support leaders, and embed LR/WPI capabilities into the broader employee experience.

• Serve as the program lead for LR/WPI operations, driving a cohesive roadmap across intake, triage, investigations, reporting, and continuous improvement.
• Partner closely with LR/WPI leaders to translate strategy into clear programs of work, aligning scope, timelines, and success metrics across a small, high-impact team.
• Facilitate prioritization and sequencing of initiatives that impact multiple sites and business groups, balancing near-term needs with longer-term infrastructure investments.
• Establish lightweight governance routines (cadences, forums, decision logs) that keep Legal, People, Compliance, and business leaders aligned on LR/WPI priorities and tradeoffs.
• Coordinate vendor relationships (e.g., ethics hotlines, third-party investigative firms) to ensure they are integrated into our processes, SLAs, and reporting expectations.

• Design and document end-to-end LR/WPI workflows - from intake and triage through investigation, resolution, and follow-up - clarifying roles, handoffs, and decision rights.
• Build and maintain "playbooks" for common investigation types and labor relations scenarios, ensuring investigators and labor partners apply consistent approaches globally.
• Define and manage SLAs, capacity assumptions, and service standards that guide how work is distributed, escalated, and monitored across sites.
• Map and optimize how LR/WPI work intersects with related processes (e.g., Employee Relations, HR Operations, Compliance, Security, Ethics) to reduce friction and rework.
• Partner with IT and HR technology teams to ensure case management platforms, Workday, Navex, ServiceNow, and related tools are configured to support the operating model.

• Identify friction points, avoidable demand, and variability in LR/WPI workflows; lead simplification and standardization efforts with measurable impact on throughput and experience.
• Implement a robust quality assurance framework to regularly review case files for documentation completeness, consistency, and adherence to investigative standards.
• Conduct root-cause analyses on recurring issues and process breakdowns, translating findings into concrete improvements in policy, training, or workflow design.
• Create and maintain clear, accessible process documentation and SOPs; ensure they are kept current as tools, policies, and regulations evolve.
• Partner with site and functional leaders to test, refine, and scale process improvements across locations such as Normal, Plymouth, and Atlanta.

• Design and maintain executive-ready dashboards and reports that visualize workplace health trends, root causes, hotspots, and risk patterns across the organization.
• Use case and workforce data to develop predictive insights - surfacing early-warning signals and recommending targeted interventions (e.g., training, coaching, policy updates).
• Identify high-value opportunities to apply workflow automation, templates, and knowledge management to LR/WPI processes, improving speed, quality, and capacity.
• Collaborate with data and analytics partners to ensure data structures, metrics, and definitions are consistent and support both operational and strategic decision-making.
• Ensure technology ecosystems (case management systems, Workday, Navex, ServiceNow, reporting tools) are used in a disciplined, integrated way that enables reliable analytics.

• Lead change management and communication plans for new or redesigned LR/WPI processes, tools, and playbooks, tailoring messaging to leaders, investigators, and HR partners.
• Build strong partnerships with Legal, People, HR Business Partners, COEs, Shared Services, Security, and Operations leaders to align on priorities, implementation, and messaging.
• Develop and support training for LR/WPI practitioners, HR teams, and leaders on how to use systems, follow playbooks, and uphold process standards.
• Act as a trusted advisor and connector, synthesizing operational, legal, and employee experience perspectives to guide practical, risk-aware decisions.
• Create feedback loops (surveys, debriefs, stakeholder interviews) that ensure our LR/WPI operating model continually reflects real-world needs and learnings.

• 5+ years of experience in HR Operations, Employee Relations, Labor Relations, Legal Operations, or Workplace Investigations within complex, multi-site organizations.
• Strong working knowledge of technology ecosystems that support employee and investigations work, such as Workday, Navex, ServiceNow, and case management platforms, along with data and reporting tools.
• Demonstrated experience designing, documenting, and improving end-to-end processes, including intake, triage, investigations, and closure, with clear SLAs and quality standards.
• Proven systems thinker who can connect strategy, risk, operations, experience, and technology into coherent, actionable roadmaps for LR/WPI or similar functions.
• Experience using data and analytics to monitor performance, identify trends, and drive decision-making; comfortable translating complex data into clear narratives for leaders.
• Track record of building and sustaining cross-functional partnerships with Legal, People, Compliance, HR Operations, IT, and business leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change, communication, and adoption for new processes and tools, including training design and delivery.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and storytelling skills, with the ability to synthesize complex operational and technical inputs into concise, executive-ready materials.
• Experience operating in high-growth, evolving environments, with comfort navigating ambiguity, competing priorities, and shifting constraints.
• Proven ability to foster inclusive, high-trust ways of working that balance performance, learning, and well-being, even without formal people management responsibilities.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Business, Human Resources, Legal Studies, Organizational Development) or equivalent practical experience.

• Experience in high-growth technology, EV, manufacturing, or similarly complex, regulated environments with large frontline or plant-based workforces.
• Prior work directly supporting or partnering with labor relations, employment law, or investigation teams, including familiarity with union environments, where applicable.
• Advanced proficiency with case management systems (CMS) and data visualization tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or Databricks, with a track record of building or enhancing dashboards.
• Exposure to continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, design thinking, service design) applied to legal, ER, or HR operations.
• Experience shaping or managing global or shared services-style operations, balancing central standards with local requirements.

The salary range for this role is USD 125,800-142,600 for Normal, Illinois-based applicants; USD 125,800-142,600 for Plymouth, Michigan-based applicants; and USD 125,800-142,600 for Atlanta, Georgia-based applicants. These are the lowest and highest salaries 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 for 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 http://rivianbenefits.com/.

You can apply for this role through http://careers.rivian.com/ (or through http://internal-careers-rivian.icims.com/ if you are a current employee). This job is not expected to be closed before March 10, 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.