Software Engineering Intern – Embedded Vehicle Control Systems

Job Description

Software Engineering Intern, Vehicle Controls – Fall 2026 | Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies

The Tone:
This is a full-time internship at Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies, located in Palo Alto, CA or Irvine, CA. Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture that builds technology to define the future of automotive software, including operating systems, zonal controllers, and cloud and connectivity solutions for electric vehicles. This role is crucial for developing and validating low-level embedded software that ensures the safety and reliability of critical vehicle functions. The company aims to set new standards for software-defined vehicles globally, creating a more connected, intelligent, and sustainable future.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person, Palo Alto, CA or Irvine, CA

• Team: Vehicle Control Systems Organization
• Mission: Implement and validate low-level embedded software for critical vehicle functions to ensure the safety and reliability of electronic control units (ECUs).
• Tech Stack: C/C++, Python, CAN, LIN, UDS, DoIP, Microcontroller, PID

What You’ll Actually Do
• Implement: Implement and validate embedded software for vehicle systems, such as battery and energy management systems.
• Develop: Develop features for low and high voltage systems, including power and current distribution, DC/DC controls, or fault detection and recovery.
• Design: Design scalable software architectures with a focus on embedded system reliability and performance.
• Test: Contribute to the automated testing framework by writing automated tests for software components, utilizing Unit, Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) environments.
• Collaborate: Work with systems engineers to define feature requirements and collaborate with test engineers to test, validate, and debug algorithms before deployment.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s program in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related technical field at an accredited US university with the intent to return to school following completion of internship.
• Experience: Student level, applying expertise in real-time programming and system fundamentals.
• Skills: Proficiency in C/C++ and/or Python.
• Bonus: Experience working in a Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) environment. Experience working with CAN, LIN, UDS, DoIP communication protocols. Experience with Microcontroller and PID (proportional–integral–derivative controller). Experience working with advanced 32-bit multi-core microcontrollers.