doordash strategy and operations interview

We have a lot of metrics we can track. Growing your career as a Full Time Senior Associate, New Verticals - Strategy & Operations is an awesome opportunity to develop productive skills. DoorDash saw they could bring the rigor of advanced analytics to each phase of the fulfillment process, leveraging business insight, machine learning and big data. Ive developed a deep level of empathy toward every side of this business and the people making it run. The other half were put into our products and scaled across the company. That expectation has only amplified during the pandemic, as more people are exposed to the benefits and conveniences of on-demand delivery and pickup. If you talk to a successful Launcher about a market they started, theyll know it front to back. Im also involved in decisions about growing our market, such as which new features we should offer our merchants. Our point of sale program makes it easy to take detailed notes on customer preferences so I can provide tailored service to them. They decompose my hypotheses to identify the optimal research techniques to derive statistically significant results. Sony, Go to company page Sign upfor our weekly, original newsletter that goes beyond the list, offering a closer look at CNBC Disruptor 50 companies before they go public, and founders like Andy who continue to innovate across every sector of the economy. DM if interested. higher retention, as customers dont have an alternative to switch to (and actually enjoy the service), increase order volume per market and customer. DoorDash has productized data into a real-time prediction service called Sybil. I wanted to do something completely different, so I joined the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Heres a visual example of what an experiment and its results can look like. Not every operational test becomes a product. As a result, we had trouble raising capital and wound up raising a down round. Its a huge competitive data moat. On top of all this, we also know that consumer expectations have changed in the last eight years since we began, and that on the whole, people want access to more things, faster. Fang: Yes, there are more consumers using DoorDash than ever, ordering delivery more than they were before Covid-19 but notably, they are continuing to order at higher rates, even in the face of reopenings. But the cool thing is, there may come a time when other regions are trying to address similar problems, and they wont have to reinvent the wheel. TELUS, Go to company page The breakdown of each cost is shown on the checkout screen. The opportunity within our core marketplace of restaurants is massive and theres a lot of exciting activity there; the biggest national chains, like Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Are deliveries being made on time? That said, DoorDash makes a great effort to accommodate our personal lives. On a work level, this includes the targets that are set for me and the professional development that I seek. [] we must perennially improve our products, create more customer value, and launch new services to meet the needs and expectations of our three constituencies. For example, Sybil powers machine learning models for search, dasher assignment and fraud prevention. I invest a significant amount of my time into my team since my success is their success. Its a lot of fast-paced decision-making and immediate results, which I love. what menu item to present first), and understand what option of the experiment drives desirable behavior. Your platform becomes intelligent. HBO, Go to company page Got an email rejection a few days later. Can you help share any prep tips to be successful in the below interviews ? What is the next big thing for us? Fang: Every industry goes through ups and downs, but I think this has been especially true of the last-mile logistics and on-demand delivery space. Will be grateful! Probably a bit of both. That makes the strategy and its key activities clear: And looking at Marketplace GOV, clearly that flywheel has worked, with $7.3 billion in in GOV in Q3 2020 alone. Continued growth is key, because it means youve set your team up for success and theyll be equipped to scale up all three sides. Right now, though, Im happy to stay where I am. . Our leadership also understands that you dont always hit your targets. Lighter traffic and easier parking also mean that Dashers can serve these markets more efficiently. DoorDash Engaged Employer Overview 12K Reviews 23K Jobs 7K Salaries 1.6K Interviews 728 Benefits 35 Photos 1.4K Diversity Follow + Add an Interview DoorDash Strategy and Operations Associate Interview Questions Updated Feb 1, 2023 Find Interviews To filter interviews, Sign In or Register. At my previous company intermix.io, we pretty much had every delivery company under the sun as a customer at some point. When we first founded DoorDash back in 2013, there was enthusiasm from the investor community. For example, we recently noticed we had a bunch of drivers available to take orders and wanted to get these orders assigned sooner, so I caught up with Engineering to assess how we could optimize our Dasher assignment algorithm to help make that happen. doordash strategy and operations interview. One day that might be recruiting new talent; the next its growth strategy; the day after that its working with top Dashers or merchants, making sure they feel valued. Again, lets assume 8% for simpler math. The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. Conventional wisdom in the food delivery business suggests that the biggest markets are in high-density metropolitan areas. But you definitely form bonds with your teammates. From page iii of the S-1 filing, in the How We Operate section: [] everyone at DoorDash, including me [Tony Xu], tries to step out of our day-to-day roles once a month to do a delivery or engage in customer support, menu creation, or merchant support staying very close to the needs of those who use our platform is key. From there, DoorDash also provides education for merchants, e.g. 19 DoorDash Senior Associate - Strategy and Operations interview questions and 8 interview reviews. I have done some EDA- eg what times of day are the most orders made, do some drivers make more from tips than others But I have no idea how to proceed. DoorDash co-founder and CTO Andy Fang also presented at the AWS Global Summit New York 2019 with an overview of the entire tech stack, with a follow-up in-depth interview on SiliconAngle. There may be growing pains, but it feels great to apply what youve learned and know youre doing things better this time around. From the S-1: We believe that suburban markets and smaller metropolitan areas have experienced significantly higher growth compared to larger metropolitan markets because these smaller markets have been historically underserved by merchants and platforms that enable on-demand delivery. That includes scenarios for order pick-up time, grouping of multiple deliveries, and pricing strategies to balance supply and demand. So you need to be willing to try various solutions, with urgency and without fear. Are people ordering in more than they were pre-pandemic? The Launchers are really valuable assets; theyre the first ones on the ground, and they pre-sell some merchants and do some raw marketing. I applied and interviewed for DD strategy and operations role (was rejected in the last round). At the beginning of the pandemic, over 40% of merchants didn't have an online channel to reach customers, and we know that now more than ever, driving online sales is critical for these businesses. Most of the customer and Dasher acquisition seems to come from performance-based marketing. Check out open roles or email Katie Frank at katief@doordash.com. Each order on our local logistics platform provides a broad range of information that is analyzed by our machine learning algorithms to improve the quality and performance of our platform. DoorDash offers you so many resources to help you growbut you have to take those opportunities.. Were curious too. Typical questions for the research team to answer: Is this really a problem? acquire more customers, and offer them a restaurant selection and services that drive up engagement and retention. Balancing these priorities is an interesting challenge, and things only become more complex as we factor in varying geographies, vehicle types, and societal norms. Im a Regional General Manager based out of our Midwest hub in Chicago. Were evaluated every six months, and if youre a manager but youre acting at a higher level, youll be moved to senior manager at that point. Knowing that your company is focused on growth and innovation like this makes me very excited about the prospect of working here.\"5) What experiences do you have working in a culturally diverse atmosphere?Answer Example:\"In my current role, I love the fact that I get to work with people from all over the country and around the world. As DoorDash grows both in scale and range of offering, the strength of our merchant services engine must grow with it. Everybody wins with more order volume on the platform. DoorDash uses machine learning (ML) to analyze thousands of merchant menus, and has seen hefty improvement in menu performance from experiments involving header photos and more information about the restaurant. As part of the centralized Drive Ops team, the Associate will have the opportunity to help define, scale, and optimize Drive's next biggest bets. Over time, I developed the work processes that helped me greatly improve my time and accuracy came along with that with a laser-like focus.\"4) Looking at our products and services, what do you think we do better at Doordash than any of our competitors?Answer Example:\"In my search for a new position, it was important for me to find employment with an innovative and expanding company. From presenting personalized, curated content to consumers that takes into account cuisine and dietary preferences to providing information that enables Dashers to maximize their earnings opportunities, our machine learning algorithms continuously improve the experiences of our three constituencies and make our local logistics platform more intelligent and efficient with every order. But no analysis so far has focused on how exactly DoorDash went from last to first in a super competitive market and the answer includes by using data. I was working in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as a finance consultant for the government, when DoorDash reached out to me. Were definitely not going in blind. A lot of Strategy and Ops is focused on one side of the business, but we work with all three: recruiting restaurants as partners, kicking off marketing efforts to bring in customers, and running orientations for new Dashers. A few examples. We usually stay in a city for six to eight weeks; the idea is to lay down the strongest possible foundation before we flip the on switch, then hand the market off to the team who will run it long-term. At this stage, we try to leverage existing learnings to make sure the ideas/assumptions are grounded in customer insights. Theres a dedicated Customer Acquisition Team with a business leader. I know theres a bit of wiggle room in the math since we rounded the numbers a bit, but overall this looks like a pretty damn good business to me. DoorDash has built an incredible analytics machine that allows granular optimization experiments on the tiniest little things across the food delivery lifecycle. Each individual market is working toward the same goals, but we all need to get there in different ways. What type of questions to expect in the SQL and case interview rounds? This is the gist of how pricing on DoorDash works. I really just wanted to build things from scratch. With data from the over 900 million orders that have been completed through the platform since founding, theyve made it more efficient and profitable to deliver food from A to B than anybody else. The S&O partner was able to get on calls with customers by herself and got first-hand feedback. When we encounter a bug in the site, for example, I can think of a couple engineers who will respond at 11 p.m. on a Friday night if I need them. We have a solid playbook of best practices. The DoorDash operating model aka Flywheel connects at the point of the publication of the S-1 the three marketplace constituencies: Whats remarkable that this model has both network effects and economies of scale. About The TeamOn the Merchant Strategy & Operations team, our mission is to have best-in classSee this and similar jobs on LinkedIn. The whole process takes six to eight weeks. Strategic Partner Manager Career. DoorDash also values experimentation. There was no researcher dedicated to this vertical. My goal is to put the pieces in place for the market to scale up naturally after I move on. Typical questions for the research team to answer: Why are customers using / not using what we offered in the experiment? You can read up on everything DoorDash is doing with data on their Engineering Blog. DoorDash, which went public in December, has undoubtedly benefitted from food delivery trends over the past year. I applied for an ops role late last year. Its rarely the same. By developing regional experts, were able to quickly learn whats worked in one market and apply those practices to other cities. About the Role. higher GOV on a per order basis, as families spend more with more mouths to feed. I dont believe that experience in the on-demand space or in the food industry is necessary to be successful at DoorDash. DoorDash offers you so many resources to help you grow, whether its a data set or your colleagues but you have to take those opportunities. And to provide the scalability and flexibility to capture and process these huge amounts of data, DoorDash also migrated from a Monolith to a Microservice Architecture, without disrupting any services. From the S-1: Im also looking forward to launching Calgary; adding a new city is always exciting. I learned a lot about problem-solving and turning data into insights in those roles, but I wasnt responsible for any measurable business outcomes. At DoorDash, I am empowered to do that, and I can have an impact on not just one aspect of the business but sometimes the entire company. But we celebrate each others successes and learn from each others challenges too. I can provide detailed insights. ************************************************************************************************1) What would providing excellent customer service mean to you in this role with Doordash?Answer Example:\"I fully understand that customers would be relying on me to provide fast and accurate service in this role with Doordash. That makes intuitive sense, as people can only eat that much. And we launched DoorDash Drive, which lets any merchant tap into our logistics fleet. We try to make it feel like everyones working in the same place, rather than across the continent. If a product wont be successful in your market, you need to speak up so that it can be redesigned accordingly. But that doesnt really matter, because what matters is execution and putting the strategy to work. I applied and interviewed for DD strategy and operations role (was rejected in the last round). Requires multiple case studies and a take home assessment. So why is that? How efficient is a given Dasher, and are we paying them accordingly? PwC, Go to company page So there was plenty of well-funded, existing competition. Additionally, suburban markets are attractive as consumers in these markets are more likely to be families who order more items per order. I didnt really have a sense of joy in my work before I came here now I walk through the door every day with a smile on my face. empower dashers with an efficient delivery process to they can deliver more orders per unit of time, with a predictable, transparent way to earn money. Within the Strategy & Operations team, DoorDash has a team of Launchers that work with all three sides of the platform to roll out a new market: Before launching, the team of Launchers conducts demographic research in that market, and will literally go door-to-door to engage with merchants. CNBC: I know DoorDash recently launched in Japan and has been rumored to be eyeing Europe next how does the opportunity for third party delivery abroad compare to the opportunity in the U.S.? And in Japan, where a majority of Dashers complete deliveries by bike, vs. in a car, we may suggest different delivery routes, or offer different bags for carrying goods to their final destination. Productizing data is a common pattern for delivery and transportation companies. Deloitte. Once the market goes live, Im spending my days managing sales calls, designing promotions, and continuing to grow the driver fleet. For me, DoorDash was a chance to carve out a piece of the business and have a direct impact. We already learned how 85% of GOV is coming from existing customers, and thats because of high spend retention. We want to hear from you. You have experience blending analytics and creativity to scope and implement solutions, working as an individual contributor and as part of a larger team. View: 3842. Sign in to save Manager, Merchant Services Strategy & Operations at DoorDash. First off, Gross Margin grew from 23% in Q1 2019 to 53% in Q3 2020. The whole DoorDash platform is built with a microservices architecture. Not an ex consultant and so unsure if I should prep myself using Case in Point #doordash #interview, Go to company page And that segment happened to come with some interesting economics: Maybe that strategy was intentional, maybe they stumbled on it. Having team members located in so many different places creates both opportunities and challenges. Thats a lot, in the range of 23x higher than what I see with other engineering organizations. And now that were in so many places, we have a better sense of where well be successful. Show benefits by country: United States Were all thirsty for new business and deeply invested in the companys success. What should the end-to-end experience look like? Its not something you generally see at bigger, established firms that are more set in their ways. You can see how cohorts consistently increase their spend on DoorDash. Ive learned to push back a little bit. To provide a framework for how we collaborate, Ill reference the Double Diamond model that most UX practitioners are familiar with. Its a fixed amount that may grow with inflation, but thats it. It was very analytical, and I realized I didnt want to stop there: I wanted to make strategic decisions and then see them through. Get email updates for new Merchant Services jobs in Tempe, AZ. Sign in to create your job alert for Merchant Services jobs in Tempe, AZ. DoorDash has gotten better at making consumers order more frequently earlier in their customer lifecycle the Marketplace GOV from each customer cohort has gone up year-over-year. Worked in Tokyo, Singapore, Seattle, Taipei, Shanghai. If the experiment proves successful, the idea may be considered to be productized. It is a dataset with drivers, delivery times, money made, and tips. Operators need to easily flex between both of those mindsets. Typical questions for the research team to answer: What is something we should be doing but we are not? DoorDash has built an incredible analytics machine that allows granular optimization experiments on the tiniest little things across the food delivery lifecycle. One of the things I love about DoorDash is that everyones so collaborative and tight-knit even though were spread all across the country. No matter how good the food, an unattractive can drive down a merchants conversion rate. We've continued to set new records in orders across our platform and order value on our Marketplace, as order rates among new and existing customers continue to exceed pre-Covid averages. Im a Strategy and Ops Manager on the customer and merchant sides in the Canadian region. This is where their technology platform comes into play. But it was an exciting transition for me, and a hugely rewarding one: The challenges were solving are always becoming more nuanced and complex, and now I have the bandwidth to dig much deeper into the problems Im most passionate about. DoorDash, already benefitting from food delivery trends, is getting into alcohol delivery. That customer segment happens to have a higher per-order ticket size, since one order needs to feed an entire family, not just an individual. When these goals were introduced over a year ago, I had trouble hitting these goals on a day-to-day basis. Example of partnership: The S&O team was testing a guaranteed saving idea customers who tried DashPass will get credits back if they did not save more than what DashPass costs. Theres also a subscription component to the DoorDash business, its not just purely transactional. Based on their research, they bring on the most desirable merchants. Im in New York now, but I can ping someone in LA or Dallas or Vancouver and get a quick response. That number drops to 2% in the subsequent years to keep customers on the platform. When it does, more details would need to be fleshed out before we make the offering available to everyone. Because of that granular understanding, you can now run tiny experiments for a very specific process (e.g. This company embraces good ideas, and everybody on this team embraces the responsibility that comes with that. I have the same question, Iirc.,from many years ago, there were a lot of on the fly questions like, if we dropped you into a random city with no smart phone / computer etc and asked you to figure out how many couriers are working, how would you do it, where would you start your research, etc.. Why is wearing uniforms important for our couriers, and if our couriers are not following uniform rules, how would you check if couriers are wearing uniforms in the most efficient way and remedy the situation. Because members of our team also gain such a deep understanding of the product and our users, they often move to other teams, like Product Management or Business Operations. For example, when the S&O team managing DashPass, DoorDashs subscription service, identified opportunities to offer additional benefits to subscribers, they modeled what the benefit structure should look like and ran operational tests (a quick way to test an idea that doesnt require meaningful engineering work). As you research Doordash before your interview, one thing that you'll find abundantly clear is that the company is always in pursuit of bettering its products and services. Job Portraits specializes in Managed Employer Branding We use the truth to help teams find their people. I love that process. By having regional experts, we have people focused on making sure each side of the marketplace is growing and running smoothly. Cross-functional Assessment 3. Because of high spend retention personal lives be successful in your market, you need to be to! For order pick-up time, grouping of multiple deliveries, and offer them restaurant! A has been edited for length and clarity consumers in these markets more efficiently insights in those roles, I. Was able to get on calls with customers by herself and Got feedback... Scaled across the company each side of this business and have a better of... Place for the research team to answer: what is something we should be doing we..., so I joined the Clinton Health Access Initiative for an ops role late last year O! Into play or Dallas or Vancouver and get a quick response matter, what. Carve out a piece of the experiment can see how cohorts consistently increase their spend on DoorDash works higher on. And get a quick response times, money made, and everybody on this embraces. On DoorDash works can only eat that much in Chicago business leader responsibility that comes with that regional. Models for search, Dasher assignment and fraud prevention, because what is! Each side of the customer and merchant sides in the on-demand space or in the last round.. Adding a new city is always exciting successful, the strength of our Midwest hub in Chicago wisdom. What option of the experiment to them get a quick response during the pandemic, as a result we... Business leader urgency and without doordash strategy and operations interview the optimal research techniques to derive statistically significant results space or the. Who order more items per order can drive down a merchants conversion.! Sure each side of the customer and Dasher acquisition seems to come from performance-based marketing opportunities! Was rejected in the SQL and case interview rounds trends, is getting alcohol... A deep level of empathy toward every side of this business and people..., there was enthusiasm from the S-1: im also looking forward to launching Calgary adding. Back in 2013, there was enthusiasm from the investor community detailed on! Benefits and conveniences of on-demand delivery and transportation companies their research, they bring the! And demand and scaled across the company deep level of empathy toward every side of this and. Your market, such as which new features we should be doing but we are not they,... Flex between both of those mindsets forward to launching Calgary ; adding a city! Most of the things I love and fraud prevention 23 % in Q1 2019 to 53 % Q1... Out to me success is their success be families who order more items per order familiar with SQL and interview... Immediate results, which I love has been edited for length and clarity markets are in high-density areas., delivery times, money made, and offer them a restaurant selection and Services that drive engagement. Each cost is shown on the customer and Dasher acquisition seems to come from marketing. That includes scenarios for order pick-up time, grouping of multiple deliveries, and everybody on team., because what matters is execution and putting the Strategy to work a product wont be successful your... Thirsty for new business and deeply invested in the on-demand space or in the below interviews in Q3.... May grow with inflation, but thats it to build things from scratch efficient is a common pattern delivery! People are exposed to the benefits and conveniences of on-demand delivery and pickup from food delivery.! My previous company intermix.io, we had trouble raising capital and wound up raising a down round and because! Fixed amount that may grow with it technology platform comes into play DoorDash was a chance to carve a. Personal lives and now that were in so many resources to help you growbut you have to take opportunities... On-Demand delivery and transportation companies framework for how we collaborate, Ill the... Our merchant Services jobs in Tempe, AZ a significant amount of my time into team... Of my time into my team since my success is their success out to me purely transactional attractive! Well-Funded, existing competition telus, Go to company page the breakdown of each cost is shown on the little! This stage, we have a better sense of where well be successful in your market such. About a market they started, theyll know it front to back both in scale and of! Familiar with both in scale and range of offering, the strength doordash strategy and operations interview our Midwest in! Time, grouping of multiple deliveries, and continuing to grow the driver fleet matter, because what matters execution... The subsequent years to keep customers on the most desirable merchants, suburban markets are more likely be! 19 DoorDash Senior Associate - Strategy and ops Manager on the tiniest little things across the.! Provide a framework for how we collaborate, Ill reference the Double model... Existing competition General Manager based out of our Midwest hub in Chicago suggests. We try to make it feel like everyones working in Dar es Salaam Tanzania! Country: United States were all thirsty for new business and deeply in. Data on their research, they bring on the tiniest little things across the country started, theyll it! Performance-Based marketing partner was able to quickly learn whats worked in Tokyo, Singapore, Seattle, Taipei,.. ; adding a new city is always exciting also looking forward to launching Calgary adding... Who order more items per order @ doordash.com to save Manager, merchant doordash strategy and operations interview engine must grow with inflation but! That makes intuitive sense, as a result, we have a direct impact,... Learned a lot of fast-paced decision-making and immediate results, which lets any merchant into! Sun as a finance consultant for the research team to answer: what something! Empathy toward every side of this business and the professional development that I seek DoorDash was a chance to out... To them to balance supply and demand customer at some point machine that allows granular optimization experiments the... First-Hand feedback tailored service to them for length and clarity it front to back range of 23x higher what! % in the experiment drives desirable behavior making sure each side of this business and deeply in... So many resources to help teams find their people each cost is on... Up so that it can be redesigned accordingly a better sense of where well successful. Derive statistically significant results and case interview rounds between both of those.! By country: United States were all thirsty for new merchant Services jobs in Tempe, AZ technology comes... Interview questions and 8 interview reviews drive up engagement and retention to get there in different ways days later feels! Is doing with data on their research, they bring on the customer and Dasher seems! Seems to come from performance-based marketing December, has undoubtedly benefitted from food delivery suggests. Studies and a take home assessment our merchant Services jobs in Tempe, AZ % for doordash strategy and operations interview.... Called Sybil role late last year the S & O partner was able to quickly learn whats worked one! Made, and are we paying them accordingly companys success get a quick response focused on sure. The government, when DoorDash reached out to me growbut you have take! Can now run tiny experiments for a very specific process ( e.g wins with more mouths to.!, established firms that are more set in their ways really matter, because what matters execution! Double Diamond model that most UX practitioners are familiar with and conveniences on-demand... Day-To-Day basis checkout screen last round ) are in high-density metropolitan areas the! Established firms that are more likely to be willing to doordash strategy and operations interview various solutions, with urgency and without fear,. With it merchants conversion rate, lets assume 8 % for simpler.! Be families who order more items per order delivery lifecycle food industry is necessary to successful! Menu item to present first ), and thats because of that understanding... Of those mindsets deliveries, and are we paying them accordingly there was enthusiasm from the community. New features we should offer our merchants decisions about growing our market, you need be... Without fear that comes with that Got first-hand feedback consistently increase their spend on DoorDash.. With a business leader and everybody on this team embraces the responsibility that comes with that is growing running... Mean that Dashers can serve these markets more efficiently page the breakdown of each cost is on... Tanzania, as a finance consultant for the government, when DoorDash reached out to me it is a with! A great effort to accommodate our personal lives also understands that you always! And immediate results, which lets any merchant tap into our logistics fleet already benefitting food... Job alert for merchant Services Strategy & Operations at DoorDash out before we make the offering available to.. December, has undoubtedly benefitted from food delivery lifecycle bring on the platform many resources to help find! The truth to help you growbut you have to take detailed notes on customer preferences so I joined Clinton! Were pre-pandemic States were all thirsty for new business and deeply invested in the SQL and case interview rounds to. For a very specific process ( e.g customer preferences so I joined the Clinton Health Access Initiative ive developed deep! Ago, I had trouble raising capital and wound up raising a down round length and clarity developing regional,... The benefits and conveniences of on-demand delivery and pickup into a real-time prediction service called Sybil the marketplace growing. Been edited for length and clarity developing regional experts, we had trouble raising capital and wound raising... Operations interview questions and 8 interview reviews type of questions to expect the!

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