Sr. Software Engineer - Android Display & Graphics

About this role

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: The Infotainment Platform team at Rivian Volkswagen Technologies is looking for a skilled Platform Engineer to join our Automotive Software team. We are developing the next generation, Android-based in-vehicle experience that will be deployed across all future electric vehicles in the Rivian and Volkswagen Group portfolios. In this role, you will own the architecture and implementation of the display subsystem, ensuring that pixels travel from applications to the physical screens efficiently, correctly, and reliably. You will work deep within the display and graphics stack, bridging the gap between high-level applications and low-level hardware drivers. You will be responsible for enabling complex multi-display setups, optimizing display and graphics performance, and ensuring the stability of the visual experience in our next-generation vehicles. Key Responsibilities: - Display & Graphics Stack Ownership: Design, develop, and maintain the display pipeline across both Android and non-Android platforms — focusing on SurfaceFlinger, Window Manager, and the Hardware Composer (HWC) HAL on Android, and equivalent compositor/display-server stacks such as Wayland/Weston and OpenWF Display (OpenWFD) on QNX/Linux-based systems. - Multi-Display Architecture: Engineer solutions for complex automotive display topologies, including Instrument Clusters, Central Infotainment (IVI), Passenger Displays, and Rear Seat Entertainment systems. - SoC Display Bring-Up & Integration: Partner directly with automotive infotainment SoC vendors to bring up and validate new display panels and interfaces on target hardware, spanning both Android and non-Android display stacks (e.g. OpenWF Display / OpenWFD on QNX-based systems, and Wayland/Weston compositors on Linux-based systems). - Performance Optimization: Analyze and optimize the graphics pipeline to ensure 60FPS+ performance, low latency, and efficient memory bandwidth usage. Debug VSYNC issues, frame drops, and jank. - HAL & Driver Integration: Work with SoC vendors to integrate and debug display drivers, ensuring proper communication between the Android Framework and the Kernel (DRM/KMS). - Stability & Robustness: Investigate and resolve stability issues such as screen freezes, black screens, and graphical artifacts. Analyze ANRs and native crashes related to the display/graphics stack. - Feature Development: Implement custom display features such as dynamic resolution switching, content mirroring, and hardware-accelerated layering/composition. - Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with the Hardware, Kernel, and HMI Application teams to define requirements and resolve cross-layer dependencies. Minimum Qualifications: - BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical experience. - 3+ years of experience in embedded software development or platform engineering. - Strong proficiency in C++ and C. Familiarity with Java/Kotlin for Android Framework debugging. - Deep understanding of Android framework components like SurfaceFlinger, BufferQueue, and the Android display/graphics architecture. - Experience implementing or debugging HIDL/AIDL interfaces, specifically the Hardware Composer (HWC) or Gralloc. - Solid understanding of Linux OS internals, memory management (Ion/Dmabuf), and multi-threading. - Familiarity with low level display HW including Serializer/Deserializer, video links and display interfaces. - Hands-on experience integrating and bringing up new displays on automotive infotainment SoCs (e.g. Qualcomm Snapdragon Cockpit/Ride, NXP i.MX http://i.MX, TI Jacinto), including working knowledge of non-Android display compositor stacks such as OpenWF Display (OpenWFD) and Wayland/Weston. - Proficiency with version control systems like Git. Preferred Qualifications: - Low-Level Display: Knowledge of Linux DRM/KMS (Direct Rendering Manager / Kernel Mode Setting) subsystem and V4L2. - Automotive Standards: Experience with Android Automotive OS (AAOS) specific features like EVS (Exterior View System) or Cluster display management. - Functional Safety: Familiarity with display related automotive functional safety aspects. - Virtualization: Familiarity with display virtualization (VirtIO-GPU) and hypervisor environments (e.g., QNX, Gunyah). - SoC Experience: Experience bringing up display stacks on major automotive SoCs (Qualcomm Snapdragon, MediaTek, NXP, etc.). - Tools: Proficiency with performance profiling tools like Systrace, Perfetto, and vendor-specific GPU profilers. - Graphics APIs: Experience with OpenGL ES, Vulkan, or EGL. TOTAL REWARDS We build the exceptional — and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program. Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements. In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people w