Rivian Program Manager Interview Questions
& Process

Recruiter reached out first, then I talked to the hiring manager who asked standard program management questions. After that, I met with a team of 4 for the final round. This round was about my past experiences, general PM questions, and why I wanted to join Rivian. I got an offer, but the compensation wasn't what we initially agreed on, so I declined. I'd advise staying away from this company; I've heard current employees are looking to leave, especially with the IPO lock-up expiring. Given the stock's low value, there's no real incentive to join for less pay and consistently long hours (60-80/week). Plus, the base pay offered was 10% less than someone on the same team at the same level with similar experience, so pay isn't fair.

I've interviewed for 3 similar roles on the same team over the past year, with recruiters reaching out to me directly each time. For the most recent role, I had 5 45-minute interviews over 2 weeks with many of the same people from previous interviews. A month after the last interview, I hadn't heard back, so I emailed the recruiter. They called me back almost immediately to say they chose another candidate. This felt like a very long time to wait, especially since I'd already spoken with the team members for earlier roles. The process felt a bit disorganized; some interviews were supposed to be hybrid, but the interviewers didn't seem to know which roles I was interviewing for. Also, two recruiters mentioned that 'most people don't get the first role they apply for here but if you keep at it you'll be able to join the team,' which seemed odd since they contacted me and I never applied. This came across as self-important, given I have a good job already. I won't consider future opportunities here because it felt like a waste of my time, potentially due to recruiter quotas. The employees were kind and honest, but all mentioned working extremely hard and doing multiple jobs due to understaffing. This likely explains the overwhelmed recruiters, despite their good intentions. Overall, the conversations were good and honest, but interviewing for three roles with the same people and still not getting an offer was disheartening and insulting.

The process was straightforward and both the recruiter and hiring manager were easy to speak with. I didn't make it to the third step, but it was a positive experience overall. They were prompt in their responses and replied when they indicated they would.