OEM Relationship Manager

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become the trusted world leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company is developing an industry-leading artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for driverless military and long-haul trucking applications. Kodiak’s unique modular hardware approach integrates sensors into a streamlined sensor-pod structure that optimizes for perception, scalability, and maintainability. The company autonomously delivers freight daily for its commercial customers across the Sun Belt states and for Atlas Energy in the Permian Basin. Kodiak also leverages its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.

We are looking for an OEM Relationship Manager to join us and advance truck related programs in the development of our autonomous vehicle stack and surrounding services. In this role you will be responsible for interfacing with truck OEMs, accelerating the build out of the Kodiak fleet, and managing programs that execute on all of the above.

In this role you will:

• Collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders, such as OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to design and deliver projects towards creating an autonomous system. 
• Manage OEM-related programs across all dimensions, including relationship building, technical execution, and project management
• Manage the progress of programs to meet objectives and goals.
• Communicate schedules, status, and priorities to all levels of the organization. 
• Prioritize and manage issues, risks, and dependencies and resolve any barriers to moving projects forward. 
• Work closely with engineering, product, and operations teams.
• Manage commercial vehicle OEM collaboration
• Identify and develop new suppliers for key truck systems
• Manage engagement with outside organizations, including managing cross organization communication, working with the systems team to set requirements, and managing external collaborators’ vendor milestone delivery
• Drive supplier selection, including trade-studies and assessment from technical and commercial standpoints, for purchased systems




A few of the programs you may work on include:

• OEM Actuation Programs: assessing and selecting partners and scoping programs that deliver on Kodiak’s long term needs for steering, powertrain, braking, or vehicle control
• New Truck Orders: Interfacing with truck dealers, working with the engineering team to create truck specifications, getting purchase approval, and managing delivery of new units
• Service and Repair: Working with engineering to ensure that product design meets customer needs for service and building out processes and tools needed to perform field service
• External Partner Programs: Managing the execution of other hardware-related programs with external partners, such as V2X studies or partner technology PoCs

What you'll bring:

• Ideal candidates would be local to San Francisco, Bay Area 
• Strong project engineering or cross-organization collaboration management background, with at least 3+ years of experience managing technical development programs, preferably in the AV, commercial vehicle, or automotive spaces.
• Bachelors in Computer Science, Engineering, or a similar technical field.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. You know how to facilitate tradeoffs between engineering and product requirements, but always maintain high safety standards.
• Experience managing fast paced initiatives, often with multiple stakeholders, complex schedules, and priority calls that need to be made.
• Strong understanding of SW/HW development processes and how to efficiently execute.
• Passion. You are passionate about autonomous vehicles and their potential impact on humanity.
• Experience working with vendors to develop and integrate advanced technologies.
• A team leader. Whether formally or informally, you have previously played the lead role on several projects. You take ownership and drive the team to deliver exceptional results.
• Proven ability to build and iterate quickly. You have experienced complex systems integrations in all of its stages and are comfortable in the earlier stages – moving from zero to one.

What we offer:

• Competitive compensation package including equity and biannual bonuses
• Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Anthem, and Guardian (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
• Flexible PTO and generous parental leave policies
• Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging
• Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance
• Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health
• Fidelity 401(k)
• Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
• Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)

The annual salary range for this full-time position in California is $140,000-$180,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors, including exact work location, experience, relevant training and education, and skill level. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the role location or, if the role can be performed remote, the specific salary range for your preferred location, during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed above are base salary only and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits.

At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law. 

In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant U.S. national security statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. These statutes may impose limitations on Kodiak's capacity to engage specific individuals in particular roles based on various national security-related criteria. Kodiak will provide sponsorship for eligible candidate's. Consequently, the eligibility for this position may hinge on Kodiak's verification of a candidate's residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status. In accordance with these statutes , Kodiak may find it necessary to secure a U.S. government export license before disseminating its technologies to specific individuals. Should Kodiak determine that a candidate's residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status necessitate a license, prohibit the candidate from assuming this position, or otherwise fall under national security-related restrictions, Kodiak explicitly retains the right to either assess the candidate for an alternative position unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak's sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate's application.