Technical Program Manager, Operations Readiness

Gatik; Santa Clara (CA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

On-site in Santa Clara

Job summary

Gatik is seeking an operational and solution-oriented Technical Program Manager focused on Operations Readiness to ensure our commercial operations adapt seamlessly to engineering and technology changes.

You will oversee impact evaluations, change management, and readiness prep for hardware, software, maps, and posture updates, reporting to the Director of Program Management and partnering with Ops, AVO, Technical Ops, and Engineering to maintain safety and continuity while scaling autonomous

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience in operations readiness, product feature rollouts, program management, or operational training in a scaled technology/logistics company.
• Background in AV/robotics, mobility, logistics, or hardware-enabled service platforms.
• Strong cross-functional communication and ability to translate technical changes into practical operational procedures.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary bridge between Engineering and Commercial Operations for all engineering-driven technology and product changes.
• Ask probing, structured questions across technical stakeholders to evaluate how new hardware, software, map, or posture changes impact daily operations.
• Map out operational touchpoints and build end-to-end readiness plans, training materials, and updated operational workflows prior to deployment.
• Coordinate cross-functional alignment between Ops leadership, AVO drivers, field safety, and engineering to ensure field teams are fully qualified for incoming updates.
• Track operational rollout milestones, manage operational risks, and provide post-deployment feedback loops to engineering.

Skills

Operations readiness

Program management

Cross-functional collaboration

AV/robotics knowledge

On-site collaboration

Job description

Who We Are

Gatik is in the business of autonomous freight, and that business is already on the road.

Who We Are

Gatik is in the business of autonomous freight, and that business is already on the road.

Every day, Gatik's autonomous trucks move freight for Fortune 50 retailers, grocers and consumer brands across Texas, Arizona, Arkansas and Canada, connecting distribution centers and stores and keeping goods moving. At the heart of it all is the Gatik Driver™, our proprietary Level 4 autonomous driving system, powered by scalable, interpretable AI and engineered to deliver safe, reliable, high-frequency freight operations.

Gatik's momentum is real. With more than $600 million in contracted revenue and $200 million raised in our August 2026 Series D round, Gatik has taken one of the toughest challenges in autonomous technology and turned it into a proven commercial business.

And the market is paying attention. In 2026, Gatik earned a place on Forbes' America's Best Startup Employers list, and the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. The Gatik Driver™ won an Edison Award for Advancements in Autonomous Driving, and Inc. named our Co-founder and Chief Engineer, Apeksha Kumavat, to its Female Founders 500 list.

There's a lot more road ahead, and some of the brightest, most driven minds in autonomous technology are building the next chapter at Gatik. We're taking on hard engineering problems, pushing the limits of what's possible and building on a commercial foundation that's already proven itself in the real world with some of the biggest companies in the world, like PepsiCo and Loblaw. If you're ambitious, love solving problems that matter and want to see your work make a real difference, you'll find plenty to get excited about here.

About the Role

Gatik is looking for an operational and solution-oriented Technical Program Manager who will focus on Operations Readiness to ensure our commercial operations seamlessly adapt to engineering and technology changes. In this role, you will oversee operational impact evaluations, process change management, and readiness preparation for all incoming hardware, software, map, and posture modifications originated by engineering. Reporting to the Director of Program Management, you will partner closely with Operations, Autonomous Vehicle Operations (AVO), Technical Operations, and Engineering teams. You will be instrumental in maintaining operational safety and business continuity while driving smooth scaling of autonomous commercial routes.

This role is hybrid in our Santa Clara, CA office.

What You'll Do

• Serve as the primary bridge between Engineering and Commercial Operations for all engineering-driven technology and product changes.
• Ask probing, structured questions across technical stakeholders to thoroughly evaluate how new hardware, software, map, or posture changes impact daily operations.
• Map out operational touchpoints and build end-to-end readiness plans, training materials, and updated operational workflows prior to deployment.
• Coordinate cross-functional alignment between Ops leadership, AVO drivers, field safety, and engineering to ensure field teams are fully qualified for incoming updates.
• Track operational rollout milestones, manage operational risks, and provide post-deployment feedback loops to engineering.

What We're Looking For

• 3–5+ years of experience in operations readiness, product feature rollouts, program management, or operational training in a scaled technology/logistics company.
• Background in AV/robotics, mobility, logistics, or hardware-enabled service platforms
• Superior cross-functional communication and questioning skills, with an ability to translate technical engineering changes into practical operational procedures.
• Strong organizational skills and capability to manage complex operational change management workflows.
• Strong preference for candidates based in the Bay Area with willingness to work closely with local test/operations teams onsite.

Salary range:

$170,000-220,000

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.