Project Manager, Retail New Market Launch

Role Summary

Rivian is seeking a proven retail leader who desires the challenge of a new business and the excitement of building something from the ground up. You will play a critical role in expanding Rivian’s retail footprint, leading the new market launch and new site opening process for Retail Operations in close collaboration with key cross-functional partners and stakeholder groups throughout the organization. You will be responsible for ensuring Rivian’s overall readiness to enter new markets, launch retail locations and engage in sales and customer engagement activations. You are a detail-oriented and data-driven leader who will work cross-functionally to ensure all required market launch diligence is complete. You will maintain a sharp focus on the factors that govern how we operate, enabling our locations to bring Rivian’s Sales and Customer Engagement strategy to life through a best-in-class and authentic customer experience. You will develop the respective systems and procedures to execute Retail’s new market launch objectives, including workback timeline and milestone management, progress reporting, playbook development, and overall optimization of our location launch process. You are accountable hitting our launch targets, supporting your team, and achieving operational excellence.  To be successful in this role, you must have a customer and team-first approach and thrive in ambiguous and unexpected environments, tackling all challenges with a flexible and solution-oriented mindset. You are results driven and demonstrate an understanding of how each interaction supports the broader customer and employee experience.  

Responsibilities

• Establish and own the business requirements and operational prototype development for all retail typologies
• Lead the evaluation of business and operational requirements for all retail locations, including permanent spaces, pop-ups, and remote activations, as well as establish and apply the scorecard for each location in order to inform and align on site selection
• Partner with Facilities project teams and Real estate to ensure operational requirements are aligned on and applied to each site
• Ensure launch deliverables and goals are met or exceeded through alignment on process, timelines, dependencies, individual accountability, and responsibilities. 
• Establish and monitor project Key Performance Indicators
• Travel to prospective locations to support site selection and launch readiness
• Travel to new locations to lead the onsite new site opening activities, including pre and post launch deliverables
• Perform other activities as needed to launch markets and execute new site openings 
• Calibrate all work with a focus on ensuring that the customer experience is best-in-class: authentic, engaging, educational and aligned with Rivian’s mission, core values and culture 
• Ensure Rivian’s Sales and Customer Engagement strategy can be effectively deployed in new markets
• Effectively prioritize all deliverables to ensure launch objectives, timelines, and budget targets are met or exceeded
• Collaborate with the Retail Operations and Programming teams to plan and execute activations, events, and strategies that create brand awareness, engage the community, drive traffic, generate demand, and support retention and conversion 
• Keep a pulse on the local market, tracking and reporting on business and policy trends across local cohorts to better inform our operations 
• Support various special events (both onsite and remote) across the commercial organization as needed 
• Build and foster a strong workplace culture focused on a positive team experience and over-delivering for our customers  
• Manage and maintain compliance with all local, state and federal regulations as well as Rivian company policy and procedures 

Qualifications  

• 6+ years of experience in retail operations or project management; 3+ years new location opening experience required  
• Retail, experiential/brand events, hospitality or similar fields highly preferred; Direct-to-Consumer retail business model preferred 
• At least 21 years of age    
• High School Diploma or GED required; Bachelor’s degree preferred  
• Ability to work a flexible schedule to support projects  on nights, weekends and/or holidays; ability and willingness to travel based on business needs to support other market launches and operations  
• Extensive experience with P&L, POS and CRM software  
• Must have a valid driver’s license in the state of residence that you will be driving/operating a vehicle (or state that you are commuting daily to/from) and possess an exceptional driving record  
• No drug or alcohol related driving incidents in the last 3 years; No more than 1 serious moving violation in the last 3 years; No driving related suspensions or revocation of Driver License within a 3-5 year period. Will be subject to continuous Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) monitoring    
• Ability to obtain and maintain local sales licenses if applicable in your state  

Competencies  

• Excellent written and verbal language skills in English required, additional languages a plus  
• An obsessive approach to elevating the customer experience and commitment to taking every opportunity to over-deliver when it comes to delighting and interacting with our community  
• Ability to read and interpret construction/architectural documents. 
• Highly proficient with project management software, such as FOS, Smartsheet, and Confluence 
• Possess an entrepreneurial mindset and apply a scrappy and resourceful approach to everything you do. Solve problems and overcome challenges with creativity and ingenuity.  
• Ability and willingness to work weekends, evenings and holidays with willingness to travel to various retail locations when required  
• Ability to build and maintain relationships, solicit cooperation, and achieve results through collaboration while managing multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.  

Physical Requirements   

• Willingness to work in various working conditions including being in a full service retail center or unpredictable weather conditions  
• Physical exertion may be required to perform occupational tasks (sitting up to 6 or more hours at a time, standing for up to 8 or more hours a day, walking, bending, kneeling, laying, twisting, carrying, reaching, stretching, pushing, pulling, and lifting up to 50 lbs).  
• Frequent use of hands for purposes of grasping and using tools correctly, entering data, writing communications, or calling customers or internal partners  
• Strong understanding of written and spoken English  
• Ability to see, read and interpret documents such as governmental regulations, safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions or schematics  

Salary Range/Hourly Rate for California Based Applicants: [ $121,000 - $139,000 ] (actual compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law).

Benefits Summary: Rivian provides robust medical/Rx, dental and vision insurance packages for full-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26. Coverage is effective on the first day of employment, and Rivian covers most of the premiums.