Vice President of Commercialization
Job Summary
Kodiak Robotics, Inc. is a leader in autonomous ground transportation, focusing on a safer and more efficient future for logistics. The Vice President of Commercialization will architect and drive the commercial engine, building deep, long-lasting partnerships with customers and fostering a sustainable, scalable, and profitable business.
Key Responsibilities
Develop, own, and execute Kodiak’s comprehensive go-to-market strategy, including market segmentation, customer profiling, and identifying new business opportunities and use cases.
Define and track key commercial KPIs, providing regular performance reports to the COO and leadership team.
Continuously analyze the competitive landscape and market dynamics to maintain a strategic advantage.
Lead the entire business development lifecycle, from identifying and qualifying leads to negotiating complex, multi-faceted contracts and closing cornerstone deals with fleet customers.
Cultivate and champion deep, long-lasting relationships with our customers, establishing a foundation of trust and acting as their senior advocate within Kodiak to ensure mutual success.
Build and nurture a robust pipeline of commercial opportunities to meet and exceed revenue and deployment targets.
Structure and negotiate first-of-their-kind partnerships that are critical to scaling our RoboTruck deployments and its ecosystem.
Define the operational requirements for commercial success, including service level agreements (SLAs), customer support protocols, and performance metrics for our driverless transportation services.
Create a seamless feedback loop between customers, our operations, and product team to drive efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Work directly with Product and Engineering leadership to discuss, influence, and align the commercial and product roadmaps.
Translate customer needs and market feedback into clear insights and collaborate with the Product team to ensure our product development is directly tied to commercial value.
Recruit, mentor, and lead a world-class commercial team capable of executing in a fast-paced, ambiguous, and highly technical environment.
Foster a culture of data-driven decision-making, accountability, and relentless execution.
Qualifications
15+ years of experience in business development, corporate development, or a senior commercial role, with at least 10 years in a leadership position.
Proven track record of developing and executing go-to-market strategies for new products or services in a B2B environment.
Demonstrated experience leading the full lifecycle of complex, long-cycle enterprise deals from inception to close ($100M+ contract value).
Experience working within the logistics, freight, transportation, enterprise SaaS, or deep technology sectors.
Exceptional cross-functional leadership skills; ability to partner with and influence engineering, product, and operations teams in a technical environment.
Outstanding communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business value for diverse audiences, including customers and their executives.
Entrepreneurial mindset with a high tolerance for ambiguity and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, startup environment.
Ability and willingness to travel to engage with customers, partners, and internal teams, up to 50% of the time.
Company 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: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging
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
Variety of incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)