The 2016 cohort increased its annual spend by 57% in Year 4 (2019) compared to 2016. Finally, I also write a weekly newsletter on Substack where I share the lessons learned from all the start-up that I come across. DoorDash embraces and invests in this function because of our belief in an ownership mentality our employees can develop the strategy and execute it. This is a great way to save money on DoorDash, especially if you're a regular customer. Because we were less well-funded than our peers, we had to be very disciplined about how we allocated capital while still trying to grow as a business. Was part of the UberEats layoffs and interviewing with DD soon. Ive learned to push back a little bit. Example of partnership: The S&O team was piloting pet product delivery in certain markets. At my previous company intermix.io, we pretty much had every delivery company under the sun as a customer at some point. Meet members of DoorDash's Strategy and Operations team. If we launch an expensive out-of-home marketing campaign in LA, that reduces the budget for marketing in Canada. PwC, Go to company page Its the operating flywheel kicking in, see page 112 of the S-1: Contribution Profit (Loss) as a percentage of Marketplace GOV has improved over time as our overall cost structure has become more efficient due to operational and technological enhancements. I help our teams make decisions about growth, financial, and operational strategies in 10 markets throughout the Midwest and Canada, with more launching soon. Internationally, just like in the U.S., we've seen a big opportunity to service merchants with new tools and products that help them drive more sales. Airlines sell plane tickets, Brokerages sell stock trades, Logistics companies sell shipments, Food Delivery sells restaurant orders, and so forth. Thanks. These interviews typically take place in the second round, following your initial screening, and they are designed to assess both your analytical skills AND your coding prowess. Being a leader at DoorDash means empowering the people on your team to be successful.. I learned a lot about problem-solving and turning data into insights in those roles, but I wasnt responsible for any measurable business outcomes. Because of the 1.6x increase in spend, the absolute numbers for lifetime value go up, and contribute in cash to the bottom line. Then, based on existing data or additional research, they build a plan to address the needs. Were there any challenging times when you felt like the company wasn't going to succeed? We also work closely with Engineering our CEO has said, Engineering and Strategy and Ops need to go together like peanut butter and jelly. Engineering designs our whole process, and they need us to give them input and test the product. Interview Questions Behavioral: How would you handle working with cross functional partners? make each market and order more efficient. I can provide detailed insights. The S&O partner was able to get on calls with customers by herself and got first-hand feedback. Conventional wisdom in the food delivery business suggests that the biggest markets are in high-density metropolitan areas. The lower density of suburban areas turns out to be an advantage, because of less traffic and better parking. With that knowledge, we worked with S&O partners to improve the messages, making them resonate more with customers, and address the concerns more effectively. Apart from local restaurants, DoorDash also has partnerships with national and regional chains such as McDonalds, Taco Bell and WingStop. Listen as if youre wrong. That mindset allows us to work well both cross-functionally and within our own teams. Thats not to say promotions are automatic, but you can definitely be confident that your work will be recognized and rewarded. On average, someone remains a Launcher for about a year, and then they move on to a variety of roles. Does the offering work? 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. The initial messages for the campaign were something more generic. Based on their research, they bring on the most desirable merchants. Doordash Interview Questions with Answer Examples. Organization is key, and I need to be able to focus on a specific issue rather than getting dizzy from the whole picture. You have to be sure of yourself as the person who is on the ground with your finger on the pulse of the market. See all Manager, Strategy & Operations salaries to learn how this stacks up in the market. Currently, this is when S&O partners usually come to us, to get complementary inputs from customers to support or further explain the experiment result. In my current role, I work under both time and very lofty accuracy goals. Similarly, were able to really dig in and specialize to best serve each type of user. All with excellent data engineering teams. 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. Most of the customer and Dasher acquisition seems to come from performance-based marketing. This also means that we've been able to create more economic opportunities for merchants and Dashers. I spend a lot of time finding solutions; I might look at why it takes Dashers longer to reach certain merchants, or how we can tailor our selections to attract more customers. Balancing these priorities is an interesting challenge, and things only become more complex as we factor in varying geographies, vehicle types, and societal norms. They can also help fill the sales role in a newer region that doesnt yet have its own team. signed a deal with a national retailer, BevMo. Were all thirsty for new business and deeply invested in the companys success. This role doesnt require a ton of travel, but I do have the option to visit HQ or our other locations if thats the best way to collaborate. Other initiatives include co-marketing deals with e.g the NBA. View: 3842. What is the next big thing for us? So how exactly are they doing this? Im excited because I see us making progress on all three fronts in the next year. 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. Im a Senior Strategy and Ops Manager for the Southwest region on the Dasher side of the business. Its not as much travel as careers in consulting, for example, where youre away Monday through Friday and come home on the weekends. You can best reach me on LinkedIn. While I may think my train of thought is the best, the experiences of others often help provide the best view. Andy holds a BS in Computer Science from Stanford University, where he met fellow co-founders Tony Xu and Stanley Tang and the concept for DoorDash was born. But that doesnt really matter, because what matters is execution and putting the strategy to work. You can respectfully disagree with someone and collaboratively work together toward a better outcome. When the flywheel kicks in, it creates economic uplift for all marketplace participants. DoorDash also values experimentation. + View 9 more replies. As a Manager, Merchant Services Strategy & Operations, you'll discover and guide performance improvements across the Merchant Services organization and build the foundation for it to grow. Then, Contribution Margin went from deep red in Q1 2019 (-71%) into the black in Q1 2020 and is now in the 24% range at the the end of Q3 2020. You can see how cohorts consistently increase their spend on DoorDash. Deloitte. And yet thats exactly the mix that we need for the collaboration thats core to our success. I was drawn to apply at Doordash because of this. Sony, Go to company page Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at DoorDash by 2x. Check out open roles or get in touch with Katie Frank, katief@doordash.com, to learn more. Lighter traffic and easier parking also mean that Dashers can serve these markets more efficiently. Eat24 started in 2012, and was acquired by Yelp, and then re-sold to GrubHub. How long will a pint of ice cream stay cold? The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. In a previous article, 3 unique things about being a researcher at DoorDash, I mentioned that working with Strategy & Operations (S&O) is something I really enjoy about my role. Because of their high density, you have more restaurant choice, shorter distance to the consumer, and a higher number of single young professionals with a high amount of disposable income that they prefer to spend on ordering dinner, not cooking it. On one hand, it's really an exercise in capturing all the details you can about the physical world Where are the open parking spaces on Main Street? Ive also learned a lot about tech. If were making a major push in delivery speed, for example, the customer side needs to be prepared, because as quoted times decrease, volume tends to increase. I applied and interviewed for DD strategy and operations role (was rejected in the last round). Shaving off minutes compounds across the whole fleet, raising income for Dashers and making DoorDash more efficient and profitable. We have a solid playbook of best practices. Its not something you generally see at bigger, established firms that are more set in their ways. In my current role in the restaurant industry, I have developed great skills in keeping track of multiple customers and their orders. Food delivery is a low margin business, and besides brand you could argue theres not much differentiation between two delivery services they pick up food from a merchant and deliver it to a consumer. Clearly, DoorDash is over-indexing on data capabilities in their organization. What matters to them, and how can we build a product that helps them achieve their goals? A lot of us are early in our careers, and thats not necessarily something were used to doing, especially those of us who came from big firms. Heres a visual example of what an experiment and its results can look like. DM if interested. Thats invaluable. Thats a natural part of our business, so its important to communicate and make sure everyone plans for those events. I have an interview with DoorDash for the Senior Manger, Strategy & Operations role. Check out open roles or email Katie Frank at katief@doordash.com. We organize our team with a full-stack development model, integrating product management, engineering, analytics, data science, and design.. Additionally, including research as the product or program evolves is also important to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our consumers and that we are innovating in new and competitive ways.. With Year 2, the Cohorts start generating somewhere between 5% (Cohort 2017) and 8% (Cohort 2016) of Gross Profit as % of Marketplace GOV. Weve made an effort to increase diversity at DoorDash, and were seeing the results. 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. HBO, Go to company page Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox. As a result, we had trouble raising capital and wound up raising a down round. In order to succeed online, merchants need to utilize a set of menu-building best practices to attract new customers. 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. In LA, for example, we deal with a unique set of traffic and parking challenges, so were more focused on those issues here than we are in regions where traffic is light. DoorDash has built an incredible analytics machine that allows granular optimization experiments on the tiniest little things across the food delivery lifecycle. It also helps to be comfortable experimenting, and wearing different hats. 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. 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. 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. via marketing, promotions, etc. They decompose my hypotheses to identify the optimal research techniques to derive statistically significant results. Posted 1:12:12 AM. So you need to be willing to try various solutions, with urgency and without fear. What type of questions to expect in the SQL and case interview rounds? At the heart of those plans is co-founder and CTO Andy Fang, who says grocery, convenience, alcohol, flowers and gifts are becoming paramount to the company's platform offerings, and international opportunity abounds. I have a second round interview with . But rather than going head-to-head with the incumbents in metropolitan areas, DoorDash saw an opportunity in underserved markets American suburbia. We address this by emphasizing communication and collaboration, and we err on the side of over-communicating to make sure were getting the right information to the right people. Im a Regional General Manager based out of our Midwest hub in Chicago. Your job seeking activity is only visible to you. Ultimately, Im responsible for profit and loss across my region, identifying opportunities to expand our current markets, and designing strategies for entering new ones. Where and how should we introduce the product to customers? 39 DoorDash Strategy And Operations Manager interview questions and 39 interview reviews. Were curious too. CNBC: Can you tell me more about the early DoorDash days? Are people ordering in more than they were pre-pandemic? Can someone else please DM me as well! One of the biggest levers for a profitable delivery business is driver dispatch which dasher is best suited to fulfill a delivery. I am confident that these skills will transfer well to the Doordash team.\"3) How do you define success in your work?Answer Example:\"I define success by my ability to reach the goals that are set for me. This role has the remit of shaping our Drive restaurants . We know that consumer behavior is sticky, with recent studies showing that a majority of consumers plan to continue getting food delivered from restaurants as much as they have, or even more, when the pandemic does subside. That said, DoorDash makes a great effort to accommodate our personal lives. DoorDash spends between 7% (2017 Cohort) and 10% (2018 Cohort) of Marketplace GOV on customer acquistion in Year 1. How quickly can you pivot to make day two a different story? There are many other occasions where collaboration can happen. Theres a dedicated Customer Acquisition Team with a business leader. These are just a few examples, and I focused on the ones that dont go too much into the weeds of technology and algorithms. Sometimes S&O partners may request additional inputs to understand the opportunity size or gather customer stories to support a potential solution. San Francisco based. I really just wanted to build things from scratch. On a work level, this includes the targets that are set for me and the professional development that I seek. 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. We dont waste our time being pissed off or bent out of shape, and there are no screaming matches. Filter DoorDash says they have a 58% market share in the suburbs, higher than their overall market share. 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. 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. Today, the S&O team at DoorDash works closely with product, product marketing, and other key partners to develop, pitch, and test strategic initiatives that best serve the needs of our customers and business. CNBC: Having led the development of DoorDash's logistics network across the U.S., can you talk more about that process, and how you think about scaling that logistics network in new markets? doordash strategy and operations interview. Peeling the onion from the top line, the numbers of orders have grown as DoorDash rolled out more markets, and then theres a clear uplift from Covid in Q2 2020. With all these partnerships, products, and new opportunities ahead of us, were ready for the next act. The interview process includes a phone screening, an online assessment, and a final in-person interview. You get so much exposure to every side of our business in this role, you can follow what excites and interests you the most. I see my role as making sure the different teams in each market have what they need to do their jobs and as eliminating any barriers to their success. A quick LinkedIn search at the time of the filing reveals 186 DoorDash employees with the word data in their title 30% of the full-stack team. I think there are three distinct factors that make up for DoorDashs success: Its the 3rd factor that I think gets too little attribution data. We want to hear from you. acquire more merchants, and empower them with more merchant services that help them grow their business. But here, its welcomed. Will be grateful! Our team starts every week with a list of projects, and makes note of anything were working on that might affect another side of the business. Thats what this post is about, and theres a tiny section on page 194 of the prospectus that touches on it: We have assembled a team of 617 highly skilled engineers, designers, and computer scientists whose expertise spans a broad range of technical areas, as of September 30, 2020. Ultimately, were judged not on whether our experiment fails, but whether we fail to experiment. Just dm'ed you. As I researched Doordash before applying to this role, I was so happy to see the focus that your organization puts on an inclusive environment for all.\"************************************************************************************************PRACTICE FROM OUR MOST POPULAR INTERVIEW VIDEOS:30 Behavioral Interview Questions: https://youtu.be/bXSnNwNWK0I5 Situational Interview Questions: https://youtu.be/vT2Q6hoxoAs5 Conflict Interview Questions: https://youtu.be/xoVB_QauBuoTeamwork interview questions: https://youtu.be/giSURWwwQbE************************************************************************************************ The breakdown of each cost is shown on the checkout screen. How efficient is a given Dasher, and are we paying them accordingly? , regardless of the quality of the food. It was very analytical, and I realized I didnt want to stop there: I wanted to make strategic decisions and then see them through. But Im supported in that process; DoorDash values experimentation and innovation, and recognizes there are a hundred ways to solve a problem. Fang: Building the DoorDash logistics network was an expansive effort, and is an ongoing effort across our company today. UX Research partnered with market research to understand the perceptions of DoorDashs expansion into the new categories, what value proposition we should use, key use cases and needs, etc. Ex-Facebook, Uber, Microsoft, and strategy consulting. It is a dataset with drivers, delivery times, money made, and tips. Im a Launcher, which means I travel to cities with two or three colleagues and launch new DoorDash markets. Experiencing those lows made us a sharper and scrappier team. You always have that sounding board, so youre never really alone. Those events we need for the Senior Manger, Strategy & amp ; Operations to! Me and the professional development that I come across I learned a about. 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