Sr. Emerging Talent Program Manager - Technical Trades (Contract)
People & HR, IT, Operations
Atlanta, GA, USA
USD 50-70 / hour
Posted on Aug 19, 2026
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 This is not a remote opportunity. We are seeking a high-potential, creative, and structured Sr. Program Manager – Tech Trades to join our Emerging Talent team. In this strategic and hands-on role, you will be responsible for designing, scaling, and managing technical trade and specialized early-career talent programs across our operational and technical business lines. This is a high potential role, with the potential to expand as Rivian's business demand grows. You will bridge the gap between technical teams, educational partners, and internal business leaders to build robust pipelines for technical trade talent. If you love building structured programs from the ground up, developing creative talent pathways, and leading cross-functional teams to execute high-impact technical programs, this role is for you! Responsibilities Design, manage, and scale specialized technical trade, and hands-on early-career development programs. Partner with business leaders, technical leads, and site managers to identify technical workforce needs and build aligned program curricula. Establish and nurture strategic partnerships with vocational schools, technical institutes, community colleges, and specialized trade networks. Lead full-lifecycle program management and recruitment, from onboarding and technical rotation scheduling through to program graduation and placement. Plan and execute program-specific events, including hands-on technical showcases, orientation programs, mentor training, and graduation ceremonies. Drive participant engagement, mentorship frameworks, and performance evaluation checkpoints across technical cohorts. Track and report on program health metrics, including cohort retention, skill acquisition milestones, conversion rates, and business ROI. Manage candidate pipeline logistics and program operations in close alignment with recruiting, HR, safety, and operational teams. Continuously refine program playbooks, training materials, and operational guidelines to ensure consistency and scalability across sites with cross functional partners. Qualifications 3–5 years of program management, project management, or talent development experience, ideally focused on technical, operational, trade, or vocational pathways. Proven ability to design structured learning journeys, rotational schedules, or skill-building frameworks for technical audiences. Creative problem-solver with a knack for designing non-traditional talent pipelines and engaging learning experiences. Strong project management capabilities with a track record of driving complex, cross-functional initiatives on time and within scope. Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with field technicians, program participants, and executive leadership. High learning agility and a genuine interest in understanding specialized technical trade skills and operational environments. Proficient with project management tools, tracking software, and virtual collaboration platforms. Experience managing apprenticeship programs, vocational partnerships, or specialized technical training initiatives. Familiarity with technical skill matrix models, competency assessments, or trade certification frameworks. Prior experience coordinating multi-site or field-based program logistics. Pay Disclosure The salary range for this role is $50 to $70/ hr for Atlanta 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. 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 candidateaccommodations@rivian.com. Candidate Data Privacy and Technology 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. How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process: To ensure transparency, we want candidates to know that Rivian uses iCIMS Talent Cloud Artificial Intelligence (TCAI) and AI-enabled tools to assist with screening, reviewing, organizing and highlighting profiles and applications that match the key requirements for each role. AI does not make hiring decisions: Qualified candidate applications are reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate. Participation in AI profile matching is entirely voluntary. If you prefer that your profile not be used in this process, you can opt out at any time. Opting out means your profile will be excluded from automated matching and will not be surfaced for additional roles through this system. Your current application remains active and will not be affected in any way. Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.