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Kodiak Robotics

Dual-use autonomous trucking tech for fleets.

Director of Supply Chain

Supply Chain ManagementUpdated on Nov 11
Full-timeMountain View, CA, USA

About the Job

Requirements

  • At least 12 years of progressive supply chain leadership experience, including at least 5 years in a senior management or director-level role.
  • Experience leading a supply chain function within a public company, including exposure to audit, controls, and financial reporting requirements.
  • Experience scaling manufacturing or supply chain operations from low-volume or prototype production to high-volume production in a hardware or electro-mechanical product environment.
  • Ability to build supply chain functions from early-stage or immature processes and optimize established operations.
  • Experience managing outsourced or contract manufacturing models with multi-tier supplier networks, including consignment and complex sub-assembly flows.
  • Strong background in procurement, commodity management, and supplier negotiations across domestic and international supply bases.
  • Understanding of supply chain control environments, including segregation of duties, approval workflows, and system-based controls.
  • Experience with S&OP processes, demand planning, MRP/ERP systems, and inventory management best practices; SAP is strongly preferred.
  • Track record of delivering continuous cost reductions and process improvements using Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent methods.
  • Strong financial acumen, including experience owning supply chain P&L and balance sheet elements, BOM cost management, working capital targets, CIP accounting, and cost tracking for labor and overhead.
  • Experience ensuring compliance with procurement policies, inventory accounting standards (GAAP), and trade/import regulations.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Engineering, Business, or a related field.

Responsibilities

  • Own end-to-end supply chain strategy, performance, and risk management across a multi-tiered outsourced manufacturing model.
  • Build and lead a high-performing supply chain organization spanning planning, procurement, inventory management, and manufacturing/contract manufacturer oversight.
  • Develop and execute the roadmap to scale supply chain operations from low-volume to high-volume production.
  • Serve as the primary supply chain interface with Finance, Accounting, Engineering, Operations, and Commercialization teams.
  • Establish and enforce a strong internal control environment across supply chain activities, including procurement, inventory tracking, and vendor management.
  • Drive accountability, responsiveness, and execution rigor across the supply chain function by setting clear expectations for communication and delivery.
  • Drive continuous improvement using Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent methodologies to improve quality, reduce lead times, and eliminate waste.
  • Lead S&OP and demand planning processes to align supply with customer commitments and sales forecasts.
  • Own master production scheduling, inventory targets, and risk mitigation planning.
  • Drive system-based planning through SAP MRP.
  • Maintain accurate, system-driven visibility into material requirements, purchase order status, supply risks, and allocation to specific vehicle builds; clearly report open purchase order status.
  • Manage excess and obsolete inventory exposure, including review cadence and disposition decisions.
  • Develop and execute supplier strategy, including selection, onboarding, and performance management for domestic and global suppliers.
  • Coordinate with the Partnerships team on suppliers with strategic commercial relationships, aligning commercial terms and relationship ownership.
  • Manage commodity strategy across electronics, mechanical, and automotive components.
  • Perform supplier qualifications and audits, and drive supplier continuous improvement.
  • Negotiate contracts, pricing, and terms with suppliers and contract manufacturers.
  • Oversee tactical purchasing execution and ensure procurement compliance with internal controls, audit requirements, public company standards, approval workflows, and system-based controls within SAP.
  • Manage consigned material flows to contract manufacturers and coordinate multi-tier sub-assembly builds across the supply base.
  • Own strategy and day-to-day management of contract manufacturers producing sub-assemblies from procured and consigned components.
  • Coordinate component and sub-assembly flows across multiple contract manufacturers through final integration at the upfitter or OEM.
  • Ensure traceability of components and sub-assemblies through final vehicle allocation and build completion.
  • Partner with Engineering on new product introduction, design-for-manufacturability, and prototype-to-production transitions.
  • Manage build plans, manufacturing engineering support, and in-house labor/build activities as needed.
  • Oversee warehouse operations, including receiving, storage, cycle counts, logistics, and reverse logistics.
  • Ensure inventory accuracy and compliance through physical controls and system-controlled SAP transactions, including reconciliation of physical, system, and financial records.
  • Strengthen working capital management and inventory valuation with Finance and Accounting.
  • Own supply chain financial performance, including cost reduction targets and working capital optimization.
  • Partner with FP&A on supply chain planning, BOM analysis, and forecasting aligned to financial plans.
  • Partner with Accounting on inventory valuation, allocations, write-downs, and deployment accounting.
  • Ensure timely, accurate, audit-ready reporting aligned with public company requirements and SOX-compliant processes.
  • Lead recurring inventory counts and resolve discrepancies promptly.
  • Ensure compliance with company procurement policies, GAAP inventory requirements, and applicable trade/import regulations for global sourcing.
  • Drive year-over-year cost reductions through supplier negotiations, design collaboration, and process improvements.
  • Support Commercialization and Sales by ensuring supply availability aligns with customer delivery commitments.
  • Provide clear, real-time updates on order status, supply risks, and material allocation to vehicle programs with responsiveness and accuracy.
  • Provide supply chain data, lead times, and capacity information for customer communications and proposals.
  • Participate in S&OP to balance demand signals against supply constraints and optimize delivery timelines.

Desired Qualifications

  • Experience in autonomous vehicles, automotive, aerospace, robotics, or related advanced hardware industries.
  • Hands-on experience with SAP S/4HANA; SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud is strongly preferred.
  • Familiarity with vehicle OEM, upfit, retrofit, or aftermarket integration processes.
  • MBA or advanced degree.
  • APICS (CSCP/CPIM), ISM (CPSM), or equivalent professional certification.
  • Experience working in a high-growth, venture-backed, or startup-to-scale environment.
  • Experience supporting NPI and design-for-manufacturability initiatives in close partnership with Engineering.

About the Company

Kodiak Robotics

Dual-use autonomous trucking tech for fleets.

Kodiak Robotics builds and sells autonomous driving technology for trucks and other vehicle platforms. Its core product, the kodiakDriver, enables self-driving trucking for commercial fleets, aiming to increase capacity, efficiency, and vehicle utilization. The system uses autonomous software and hardware to operate vehicles without a human driver, and Kodiak also runs a Partner Deployment Program to help partners plan future driverless deployments. Unlike many pure-play commercial AV firms, Kodiak targets a dual-use market by serving both commercial fleets and military ground operations, generating revenue from autonomous-vehicle sales and from its deployment-support services. The company’s goal is to enable reliable driverless trucking for commercial logistics while advancing autonomous capability for national security and defense operations.

Company size
201-500
Company stage
IPO
Headquarters
Mountain View, CA
Founded
2018

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