Sr. Manager, People Operations & AI Strategy

About Us

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world.

The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone.

Role Summary

As the Sr. Manager of People Operations & AI Strategy, you will be the visionary architect of our employee experience. You will lead the transition into an AI-driven organization by designing agentic workflows, automating the "Hire-to-Retire" lifecycle, and partnering with IT to build a world-class Service Management System and Intranet. This position has a flex work schedule, 3 days a week in our Palo Alto, CA office.

Responsibilities

• AI Orchestration: Define the strategy for Agentic AI and bots to automate and enhance People-org support and routine operational tasks.
• Service Design: Lead the design and content strategy for the Company Intranet and JSM Service Desk, ensuring a frictionless, "self-service first" employee experience.
• Process Engineering: Map and optimize end-to-end People workflows (onboarding, mobility, offboarding and more) to increase productivity and operational efficiency.
• Product Roadmap: Serve as the functional "Product Owner" for the People Tech stack, translating People Ops needs into technical requirements for the IT People Tech team.
• Change Management: Drive enterprise-wide AI adoption, training the People team on how to leverage generative AI in their daily work.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in People Operations, Talent Strategy, HR Technology or People Transformation Consulting.
• Proven experience in AI/LLM implementation within an HR context.
• Strong background in Agile methodologies and Human-Centered Design.
• Expertise in process mapping and data-driven decision-making (I-O Psychology background preferred).
• Experience with Jira Service Management (JSM) and Confluence as an employee service platform.
• Experience integrating AI tools with enterprise HCM platforms.
• Familiarity with low-code/no-code automation platforms (Cursor or similar).
• Proven track record of cross-functional stakeholder management.
• Experience applying formal Change Management frameworks.

Total Rewards

Full-time positions include base salary, eligibility for an annual performance bonus, and eligibility for equity. In addition to base salary, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies offers benefits tailored to the local market. For more information on the benefits available for full-time employees, check out our Global Benefits Site. External candidates can apply for this role through the Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies careers site (https://rivianvw.tech/#careers). If you are a current employee, please apply through our internal job board.

Equal Opportunity

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. 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. We are also committed to ensuring compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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.

Candidate Data Privacy

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies” 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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) record keeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies 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 and Volkswagen Group Technologies affiliates; and (iii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies’ service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, 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.

If you provide a mobile telephone number as part of your application or during the recruitment process, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use that number to contact you via SMS text message for recruitment-related purposes, including scheduling, logistics, and status updates. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any text message you receive from us. Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of applying for or being considered for employment.

Please see our Candidate Data Privacy Notice (English) and Candidate Data Privacy Notice (Serbian) for more information.

Key skills/competency

• People Operations
• AI Strategy
• HR Technology
• Process Engineering
• Change Management
• Jira Service Management
• Human-Centered Design
• Agile Methodologies
• HCM Integration
• Low-code/No-code Automation