Senior Product Manager, Autonomy

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 seeking a highly skilled Product Manager to drive the development of our Level 4 autonomous trucking solutions across commercial and defense applications. In this role, you will shape the product requirements and roadmap for our over-the-road, industrial trucking, and defense platforms.

In this role you will:

• Define and maintain comprehensive product requirements and strategic roadmaps for Kodiak's defense and commercial autonomous vehicle platforms.
• Lead requirements development for the full autonomous driving stack, including autonomy software, sensors, compute, vehicle integration, and supporting software systems.
• Conduct customer discovery to deeply understand operational needs, translating insights into prioritized feature development and system improvements.
• Partner with engineering teams to develop pragmatic technical solutions that balance customer needs with program constraints and timelines.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration between defense, commercialization, and core engineering teams to ensure feasible scope and aligned objectives.
• Establish feedback loops from deployed products, synthesizing operational data and customer input into actionable engineering requirements.
• Build deep domain expertise through regular site visits, understanding customer operations and identifying new use case opportunities.
• Perform quantitative analysis to validate requirements and ensure strong product-market fit across different segments.
• Help to triage issues, balancing customer impact with engineering resources.

What you'll bring:

• 5+ years experience as a technical product manager.
• Demonstrated experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or advanced driver assistance systems.
• Ability to effectively collaborate with both engineering teams and external stakeholders.
• Exceptional communication skills with experience presenting to and negotiating with senior stakeholders.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOD Security Clearance.

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 $160,000-$220,000 + 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.