Product Strategy & Operations Associate at Kodiak in Mountain View, CA

Job description

• 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Requirements

• 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.
• 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

Skills

Required

• Structured problem-solving
• Analytical skills
• Data-driven decision making
• Attention to detail
• Communication skills
• Stakeholder management
• Process optimization
• Systems thinking
• Generative AI tools
• SQL
• Excel/Sheets
• Kibana/Elastic

Benefits

• 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
• California Pay Range
• $125,000 - $150,000 USD