Job details

Product and Commercial Counsel

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 to develop autonomous technology that carries freight forward — so people, partners, and the planet thrive. The company is developing an industry-leading technology stack purpose-built specifically for long-haul trucks, making the freight industry safer and more efficient. Kodiak’s unique modular hardware approach integrates sensors into a streamlined sensor-pod structure that optimizes for perception, scalability, and maintainability. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the South, operating autonomously on the highway portions of the routes. In 2022, Kodiak was selected for a $50M, 24-month United States Department of Defense agreement to help automate future U.S. Army ground vehicles.

We are looking for an outstanding business-minded Product and Commercial Counsel to join our growing team to help us expand our business. In this role, you will support Kodiak’s business and product teams on a variety of engineering and commercial transactions. The legal and regulatory team at Kodiak works at the intersection of technology and transportation on disruptive innovations that require creative and pragmatic legal solutions. We deal with novel issues every day and work collaboratively across the company, as well as with our customers and partners.

In this role, you will:

Negotiate, draft and review a wide variety of contracts including master service agreements, autonomous vehicle subscription agreements, tier 1/vendor/supplier contracts, broker/carrier, transportation services, partnership and professional services agreements, and data use agreements.
Advise business clients on commercial legal issues and risks, as well as resolve legal issues and contract interpretation matters, all with a strong focus on business impact.
Work directly with Kodiak’s product and engineering teams on product and feature development, including advising on general compliance issues.
Work directly with Kodiak’s commercialization team on relevant strategic and technology partnerships.
Gain a deep understanding of Kodiak’s products, R&D processes, and go to market approaches, and become a trusted partner in each of those.
Work with business clients, business operations, and contract management to identify, design, and implement processes and improvements for contract management.
Assist with and/or lead other projects and matters in areas which may include privacy, information security, compliance, and other legal and regulatory issues.
Contribute to the design and continuous improvement of standard forms, business policies and procedures, legal processes and systems to help us expand into new states, scale with the business and maximize efficiency and velocity.
Manage business risk and ensure regulatory compliance needs are accurately reflected in product design and our agreements.
Support the company in solving complex legal issues and advise on other general corporate matters as necessary.

Qualifications:

JD from an accredited law school and US-qualified (California bar membership or California registered in-house counsel preferred).
Minimum of 4 years of relevant legal experience at either a large law firm or in-house legal department with significant experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements and advising product teams.
Strong collaboration skills and ability to work cross-functionally with lawyers and non-lawyers across the company.
Creative problem solver comfortable with assessing risks and making decisions.
Detail-oriented, with excellent analytical skills, while also adept at prioritizing competing deadlines and responsibilities, and thrives in a fast-paced environment.
Business and customer oriented with experience bringing diverse stakeholders to agreement.
Familiarity with issue-spotting regulatory issues and supporting driving compliant solutions.
Excellent legal and business judgment with the ability to assess and clearly communicate risks and tradeoffs to business partners.
High level of integrity, professionalism, intellectual curiosity, humility, and willingness to grow, along with EQ and a sense of humor.
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively across diverse teams, and inspire others to collectively achieve corporate objectives.

Nice to Haves:

Working knowledge of the AV industry and its regulatory regimes.
Working knowledge of the freight and logistics industry.
Top-tier law firm and in-house experience with high-growth companies preferred.
Experience in data security, privacy, labor and employment, regulatory and policy work or other relevant areas of legal expertise.

Benefits:

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 is $175,000-$225,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. We can share more about the specific salary range for your job level 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.

Kodiak Robotics Glassdoor Company Review

4.2