Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.
We are seeking a sharp, analytical, and hands-on Product Strategy & Operations Associate to join our team in Mountain View, CA. This role sits at the intersection of our Product, Engineering, and Operations teams. You'll bring structured problem-solving and an operations mindset to the questions that shape how autonomous trucks get built, deployed, and scaled, and you'll do it embedded with the people building the product. If you've been working in strategy or operations and want to get closer to product development and a Product & Eng-led organization, this is that move. This role is based full-time in our Mountain View office.
In this role, you will:
- Strategic Problem Solving: Scope ambiguous, cross-functional problems into clear analyses and recommendations, then drive them through to decisions with Product, Engineering, and Operations leadership.
- Process Design and Scalability: Partner closely with Program, Engineering, and Ops to design, document, and stand up processes that support operational scalability for our autonomous vehicle technology.
- Feedback Loop Management: Own the feedback loop between Field Ops and Product & Engineering, translating operational needs into prioritized, actionable product and engineering requirements.
- Feature Deployment & Validation: Work with cross-functional teams to rapidly test, validate, and deploy new product features in an operationally-intensive environment.
- Performance Monitoring: Define operational KPIs, build the analyses that track product performance in the field, and communicate insights and risks to stakeholders.
- Stakeholder Communication: Provide clear, data-driven updates on product-related operational progress, risks, and mitigation plans to leadership and cross-functional teams.
- Operational Excellence: Drive attention to detail and timeliness in product deployment and operational workflows.
- Adaptability: Get gritty and operate in spaces that are not yet well defined and are subject to rapid and unexpected changes.
What you'll bring:
- At least 2 year of post-undergraduate experience in strategy consulting, business operations, or a similar analytical role, e.g., Business Analyst (McKinsey), Associate (BCG), or Associate Consultant (Bain), or an equivalent Strategy & Operations / BizOps role at a technology company.
- A degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, or a related quantitative field, or equivalent demonstrated rigor in systems thinking and process optimization.
- Strong structured problem-solving skills: you can break down an ambiguous question, build the analysis, and land a recommendation.
- Highly analytical with a proven ability to use data to drive process improvements and product decisions; comfort working in tools like SQL, Excel/Sheets, or Kibana/Elastic is a plus.
- Exceptional attention to detail and a track record of driving timely execution in complex environments.
- Outstanding people and communication skills, with demonstrated experience working across diverse teams (e.g., Engineering, Field Operations, Product) and presenting to senior stakeholders.
- A genuine interest in product development and a desire to work alongside Product and Engineering rather than advise from the outside.
- Adeptness in leveraging generative AI tools to streamline workflows and enhance clarity and quality in stakeholder communication.
- Must be willing to work full-time in the Mountain View, CA office, and travel up to 25% of the time to customer and deployment locations.
- Additional experience in the following areas is also a plus:
- Autonomy, mobility, supply chain, logistics, or hardware/manufacturing operations
- Consulting or internship work on product, technology, or operations engagements
- Working in both a startup and a larger company environment
What we offer:
- Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses
- Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
- MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance
- Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies
- Office perks: free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen
- Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance
- Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation)
- Fidelity 401(k)
- Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
- Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)
The pay range listed below reflects the base salary in our SF/Silicon Valley location, across several internal levels. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors including: work location, experience, relevant training, education, skill level and performance during interview. Total compensation at Kodiak includes base pay, equity, bonus and a competitive benefits package
Skills Required
- At least 1 year of post-undergraduate experience in strategy consulting, business operations, business analysis, Strategy & Operations, BizOps, or a similar analytical role
- Degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, or a related quantitative field, or equivalent systems thinking and process optimization experience
- Strong structured problem-solving skills, including analyzing ambiguous questions and developing recommendations
- Experience using data to drive process improvements and product decisions
- Exceptional attention to detail and ability to drive timely execution in complex environments
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including cross-functional collaboration and presentations to senior stakeholders
- Interest in product development and working closely with Product and Engineering teams
- Ability to leverage generative AI tools to streamline workflows and improve stakeholder communication
- Willingness to work full-time in the Mountain View, California office
- Willingness to travel up to 25% of the time to customer and deployment locations
- Experience in autonomy, mobility, supply chain, logistics, or hardware/manufacturing operations
- Consulting or internship experience on product, technology, or operations engagements
- Experience working in both startup and larger-company environments
Kodiak Robotics Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Kodiak Robotics and has not been reviewed or approved by Kodiak Robotics.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered market-competitive for core engineering roles, with role postings indicating strong senior bands and offers aligned to autonomy peers. Salary ranges visible on listings reinforce competitiveness for experienced technical hires.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants are commonly included with standard multi‑year vesting, and listings frequently note salary plus bonus and equity as part of offers. This makes ownership a regular component of total rewards for technical hires.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage includes medical, dental, and vision alongside life and short‑/long‑term disability, with FSA/HSA options available. Wellness partners such as mental‑health and primary‑care services are highlighted alongside core plans.
Kodiak Robotics Insights
What We Do
Kodiak Robotics is an autonomous technology company redefining the long-haul trucking industry. We believe self-driving trucks will be the first economically viable application of autonomous vehicle technology. We founded Kodiak in the spring of 2018 to make that belief a reality. Safety is our top priority. We are taking a safe and responsible approach to developing and testing our technology. We are proud to work with some of the best in the business. We’ve built a world class team of technologists from leading autonomous driving programs who know the industry inside and out. Our combined experience and commitment to the vision will allow us to put self-driving technology on the road in the safest and most effective way.
