About the Role
Gatik is looking for a detail-oriented, highly organized Program Manager, Operations Readiness to make sure our operations teams are prepared for every change that reaches the field. In this role, you will manage readiness for software releases, hardware improvements, platform updates, operational process changes, and end-state improvement rollouts, using lean principles and standardized processes. Reporting to the Director of Central Operations, you will act as the primary conduit between Technical Engineering and Operations, and partner closely with Product, Training, and Safety so that every change is enabled, communicated, trained, and validated before launch. You will be instrumental in maintaining safety and operational continuity while driving fast, reliable delivery of improvements across our autonomous fleet.
This role is hybrid, 2 days per week in Santa Clara, Phoenix, Dallas, or Toronto.
What You'll Do
Own readiness programs end to end. Plan and run readiness for software releases, hardware improvements, platform updates, process changes, and end-state rollouts, from early scoping through launch and post-launch stabilization.
Standardize the readiness process. Build and maintain standard work, templates, checklists, and go/no-go gates so every launch follows a consistent, repeatable process.
Apply lean principles. Use lean tools (value stream mapping, waste elimination, root cause analysis) to make readiness and rollout workflows faster, simpler, and less error-prone.
Bridge Engineering and Operations. Act as the conduit between Technical Engineering and Operations: translate technical changes into operational impact, and bring field realities back into engineering priorities.
Maintain the operations triage process. Own the triage process for issues coming out of operations, including intake, prioritization, routing to the right engineering or functional owners, and tracking to resolution.
Escalate field feedback. Collect and synthesize feedback from operations teams, escalate critical issues quickly and clearly, and make sure feedback shapes future releases and improvements.
Partner across functions. Work with Product, Operations, Training, and Safety to align on scope, dependencies, timelines, and owners for each change.
Drive training and enablement. Coordinate with Training to make sure documentation, SOP updates, training content, and field communications are delivered and completed before launch.
Manage risk and safety alignment. Work with Safety to identify operational risks, confirm mitigations are in place, and make sure changes meet safety and regulatory requirements.
Coordinate rollouts and close the loop. Plan phased or market-by-market rollouts, serve as the single point of coordination at launch, and run retrospectives to improve the process.
What We're Looking For
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
5+ years of experience in program management, operations, or launch management.
Experience managing cross-functional programs with several stakeholders, including technical engineering teams.
Experience building or running an issue triage, intake, or escalation process.
Working knowledge of lean principles and process standardization.
Experience preparing operations teams for product, technology, or process changes.
Excellent written and verbal communication, including turning technical information into clear operational guidance.
Experience with program management and issue tracking tools such as Jira, Confluence, Asana, or Smartsheet.
Experience in autonomous vehicles, trucking, logistics, or fleet operations preferred.
Lean Six Sigma Yellow or Green Belt, or equivalent lean training preferred.
Experience supporting software or hardware release cycles in a technology or robotics environment preferred.
Familiarity with safety-critical operations and change management processes preferred.
Experience working with training and enablement teams to roll out SOPs and field training preferred.
PMP, CSM, or similar program management certification preferred.
Experience in a high-growth or startup environment preferred.
Salary Range: $150,000-200,000
More about Gatik
Founded in 2017, Gatik has grown into a commercial force in autonomous freight, operating trucks daily in live customer networks across the United States and Canada. We're headquartered in Santa Clara, California, but our impact is felt on the roads and in the supply chains that keep essential goods moving for some of the biggest companies in North America.
Our trucks do some of the most demanding work in freight, running high-frequency, time-sensitive routes between distribution centers and stores, where reliability matters every single day. For our customers, that means more capacity, better service and products arriving where they need to be, when they need to be there.
Behind it all is AI-first technology built from the ground up for autonomous trucking, capable of navigating highways and surface streets and tackling the complexity of real-world logistics at scale.
Visit Gatik for more company information and Careers at Gatik for more open roles.
Notable News
For the latest company news, visit the Gatik newsroom.
Recent media coverage
TechCrunch: Self-driving truck startup Gatik raises $200M following PepsiCo deal
Reuters: Gatik secures $200 million in funding as autonomous freight market accelerates
Bloomberg: Driverless Trucks Can Save Lives on America's Roads
PepsiCo website: PepsiCo and Gatik announce multi-year agreement to deploy autonomous freight in North America
Wall Street Journal: Driverless Trucks Are Here - and They’re Delivering Bags of Doritos
CBS News: Pepsi deploys self-driving delivery trucks
Bloomberg: Autonomous Trucking Firm Gatik Inks Contracts Worth $600 Million
Forbes: Hundreds’ Of Gatik Robot Delivery Trucks Headed For U.S. Roads
CNBC-TV18: No more test runs: Gatik says driverless trucks are now a real, money-making business
Forbes: Gatik And Loblaw Announce Largest Commercial Deployment Of AV Trucks
Taking Care of Our Team
At Gatik, we connect people of extraordinary talent and experience to an opportunity to create a more resilient supply chain and contribute to our environment’s sustainability. We are diverse in our backgrounds and perspectives yet united by a bold vision and shared commitment to our values. Our culture emphasizes the importance of collaboration, respect and agility.
We at Gatik strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels they have opportunities to succeed and grow because we know that together we can do great things. We are committed to an inclusive and diverse team. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any legally protected status.
E-Verify Notice: By submitting your application, you acknowledge that Gatik participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program.
