Head of Partnerships

About Kodiak

Kodiak Robotics, Inc., established in 2018, builds autonomous ground transportation systems focused on making freight movement safer and more efficient. Its AI-driven technology stack is designed specifically for commercial trucking and public-sector use. The company already delivers freight every day across the southern United States using its autonomous platform, and in 2024 it became the first known company to publicly announce delivery of a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak also applies its commercial self-driving software to develop, test, and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Role Overview

As Kodiak expands its commercial business and strengthens its presence in the autonomous trucking ecosystem, it is hiring a Head of Partnerships to lead the strategy and execution behind its most important external relationships. This person will define how the company approaches partnerships, create the playbooks and operating framework for engagement, and manage the full partnership lifecycle — from sourcing and qualification to negotiation, onboarding, and long-term value creation.

The role acts as the main commercial owner for relationships with OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, technology vendors, and other key ecosystem participants, while working closely with internal leadership and cross-functional teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Set the overall partnership strategy and create the systems used to identify, prioritize, and engage partners across truck OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, component providers, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain a robust pipeline of partnership prospects, evaluating each one for strategic relevance, business potential, and fit with Kodiak’s deployment goals.
• Handle deal design and negotiation from start to finish, including commercial structure, governance, and agreement closure, in collaboration with legal and finance teams.
• Lead partner onboarding by defining milestones, alignment points, and success measures from the outset.
• Act as the primary commercial contact for major partners, managing executive relationships, identifying growth opportunities, and resolving issues as they arise.
• Coordinate with engineering, operations, and product teams to ensure commitments to partners are delivered, and align partnership priorities with broader company strategy alongside leadership.
• Define partnership KPIs, monitor performance, and use insights from partner conversations and market dynamics to shape strategic decisions.
• Build, manage, and coach a growing partnerships function while promoting accountability, commercial discipline, and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

• 15 or more years of experience in partnerships, business development, or strategic alliances, preferably in automotive, trucking, mobility, or deep-tech environments.
• A strong history of managing complex commercial relationships with OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, or industrial vendors through qualification and long-term account management.
• Demonstrated ability to structure and negotiate B2B agreements with meaningful business impact.
• Strong commercial judgment with the ability to identify value drivers, create mutually beneficial deal structures, and negotiate firmly where it matters.
• Excellent relationship management skills, including comfort working with senior executives as well as mid-level commercial stakeholders.
• Highly organized approach with the ability to oversee many partnerships at different stages at the same time.
• Experience collaborating effectively across technical, legal, finance, and operations teams without needing to directly manage them.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort in ambiguity, the ability to build structure from the ground up, and motivation to help shape a new industry.
• Willingness to travel frequently for partner meetings and industry events, up to 40% of the time.

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive pay package that includes equity and annual bonuses.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife, including a medical plan that offers infertility support.
• Additional protection and insurance options such as legal services, identity and fraud protection, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, and critical illness insurance.
• Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave.
• Centrally located office in Mountain View, California.
• Office amenities including a dog-friendly workplace, catered lunch, a stocked kitchen, and free EV charging.
• Long-term disability, short-term disability, and life insurance coverage.
• Wellbeing resources including Headspace, Calm, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health, and Rula.
• Fidelity 401(k), along with commuter benefits, FSA, dependent care FSA, and HSA options.
• Incentive programs such as referral bonuses and patent bonuses.

Equal Opportunity and Other Information

Kodiak is committed to maintaining a diverse, respectful, and collaborative workplace where harassment is not tolerated. The company follows equal opportunity employment principles and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Some roles may be subject to additional legal, regulatory, or security-related screening requirements. Depending on the position, eligibility may depend on a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, citizenship status, or export-control considerations. If needed, Kodiak may consider candidates for other roles not affected by such restrictions, or may decline to proceed, at its sole discretion. Visa sponsorship may be available for eligible candidates.

Kodiak also uses a third-party AI screening tool called Endorsed to support early application review. Candidate applications and job requirements may be processed by this tool, while final hiring decisions remain with human recruiters. The company began using Endorsed on January 1, 2026. Candidates may request a separate review of their application by emailing careers@kodiak.ai with “Separate Review Request” in the subject line.