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. 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. 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. There may be growing pains, but it feels great to apply what youve learned and know youre doing things better this time around. For me, the partnership between Strategy & Operations and research works best when research is closely plugged into the day-to-day efforts of the organization. For airlines, that may be how many tickets did we sell in March?. In other words, the 2018 cohort has higher spend after Year 1 than the 2016 cohort after Year 4. kick off marketing efforts to bring in customers. Contribution Profit (CP) is around 58% of GOV for the following years. We already covered Marketplace GOV above. Were curious too. 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. Shaving off minutes compounds across the whole fleet, raising income for Dashers and making DoorDash more efficient and profitable. 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. Ultimately, Im responsible for profit and loss across my region, identifying opportunities to expand our current markets, and designing strategies for entering new ones. I was working in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as a finance consultant for the government, when DoorDash reached out to me. 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. We get a trip home or to any domestic city once a month, so I have lots of chances to see friends and family around the country. via marketing, promotions, etc. Got a confidential news tip? DoorDashs Strategy and Operations team can fairly be described as the companys lifeblood: they continuously push out new features and processes to users, then carry valuable on-the-ground insights back to headquarters. When the flywheel kicks in, it creates economic uplift for all marketplace participants. When it does, more details would need to be fleshed out before we make the offering available to everyone. Data makes the DoorDash local logistics platform more intelligent and efficient with every order. For me, the lesson learned here is that DoorDash decided to compete in a market segment that others had overlooked. At DoorDash, data is what drives the Get 1% better every day goal. 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. Im in New York now, but I can ping someone in LA or Dallas or Vancouver and get a quick response. Good analytics teams collect that data in a way so that they can slice and dice that data in any possible way. Show benefits by country: United States Within this process, there are typically four scenarios where S&O and research can partner: This is where researchers need to be proactive and try to be involved early, as it might not occur to S&O that they can leverage research resources at this phase. 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. Any industry has a key transaction that measures the exchange of value. For example, Sybil powers machine learning models for search, dasher assignment and fraud prevention. + View 9 more replies. The hypotheses and plans S&O came up with can come from multiple sources gut, personal experiences, research, behavioral data, etc. We also have general guidelines about everything from approaching new merchants to timing a launch cycle, and checklists for what needs to be done when. Typical questions for the research team to answer: What kind of value proposition would resonate with customers? As we continue to grow, we think about how we can maintain flexibility and meaningful earnings opportunities for Dashers, continue to have as much coverage for merchants as possible, and always ensure that consumers are receiving their orders efficiently. Source: mulinfo.csrtimys.res.in. 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. Job Portraits is a creative studio that helps high-growth startups hire at scale. Based on their research, they bring on the most desirable merchants. We have a solid playbook of best practices. 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. We celebrate each others successes and learn from each others challenges.. Etc. make each market and order more efficient. Accordingly, residents in these markets are more acutely impacted by the lack of alternatives and the inconvenience posed by distance and the need to drive to merchants, and therefore, consumers in these markets derive greater benefit from on-demand delivery. How can we improve it? In my current role in the restaurant industry, I have developed great skills in keeping track of multiple customers and their orders. A lot of what I do relies on other peoples hard work; being a leader at DoorDash means empowering the people on your team to be successful. I have a case study interview with doordash. Activision Blizzard, Go to company page To do this, I would take pride in mastering the ordering system on your app. If you assume an average of 1.6x across the three cohorts [(1.57 + 1.62 + 1.65) / 3 = 1.61] for the next three years, that means well be looking at 4.1x cumulative GMV. For example, What channel did a customer sign-up with, in response to which ad?, what type of phone do they use?, or what type of credit card do they use to pay?. The breakdown of each cost is shown on the checkout screen. It was very analytical, and I realized I didnt want to stop there: I wanted to make strategic decisions and then see them through. Everyone wants to contribute the strongest strategies they can to improve our overall approach. Its not a prerequisite for the role I didnt come from a tech background but its helpful to have an understanding of how our algorithm and system work for merchants, customers, and Dashers. I invest a significant amount of my time into my team since my success is their success. At DoorDash, data is what drives the " Get 1% better every day " goal. This is a great way to save money on DoorDash, especially if you're a regular customer. Are people ordering in more than they were pre-pandemic? Doordash Interview Questions with Answer Examples. Many of the leaders at DoorDash today were with the company during that time, and maintain the same pragmatic determination that got us through then. Requires multiple case studies and a take home assessment. Most of that responsibility sits within the Strategy & Operations team. Launching is an investment. Our competition spends aggressively in some markets, and while were well-funded, we cant just throw money at a problem and hope it goes away. Everyone here is on the same team. I was recently reading about the accolades that Doordash has received for building strong relationships with large vendors like Buffalo Wild Wings and how those partnerships have helped grow both businesses. Its important to take initiative. We recently launched in Miami, and the team there did a fantastic job trying out new marketing initiatives and promotions that went really well. By developing regional experts, were able to quickly learn whats worked in one market and apply those practices to other cities. Yes, others are using data too. The other half were put into our products and scaled across the company. Check out open roles or email Katie Frank at katief@doordash.com. I would describe everyone as tenacious. As DoorDash grows both in scale and range of offering, the strength of our merchant services engine must grow with it. 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. Its rarely the same. What is the next big thing for us? Filter People who can easily transition from a 5-foot level to a 10,000-foot level thrive here too: the people I admire can quickly go from talking about a very specific process to asking how it impacts our overall strategy. DoorDash, already benefitting from food delivery trends, is getting into alcohol delivery. 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. Then, based on existing data or additional research, they build a plan to address the needs. 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. Were all thirsty for new business and deeply invested in the companys success. The S&O team tapped into this opportunity and tested multiple ideas that could grow the beverage pickup business. Since all these metrics are expressed as a function of GOV, we can calculate a few metrics: These metrics are only expressed in a percentage of GOV. Did he reply to any of the previous DMs? Finally, I also write a weekly newsletter on Substack where I share the lessons learned from all the start-up that I come across. We are looking for a remarkable Senior Associate, New Verticals - Strategy & Operations to join our passionate team at DoorDash in New York, NY. Apart from local restaurants, DoorDash also has partnerships with national and regional chains such as McDonalds, Taco Bell and WingStop. At my previous company intermix.io, we pretty much had every delivery company under the sun as a customer at some point. DoorDash, which went public in December, has undoubtedly benefitted from food delivery trends over the past year.The company's stock began trading at $182 per share on Dec. 9, 2020, and while it . This role has the remit of shaping our Drive restaurants . Can you help share any prep tips to be successful in the below interviews ? 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. You cant be afraid to speak up when you have strong beliefs and the data to back them up, but at the same time, its essential that we listen to other perspectives and work together. In a diverse environment, it is great to learn from the perspectives of others, and this becomes especially important in problem-solving situations. while also balancing the dynamics of a three-sided marketplace. Inclusive Leadership Thanks in advance for the help #doordash #interview #doordashinterview #operations #ops #product #tech #pm #strategy The image below shows that the economics of a single order can look like. Customers stick around for at least 3 years, with spend growing to 1.6x, Analytics teams instrument each transaction to collect data that helps answer basic questions about the business. 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. A data platform that drives intelligence and automation. San Francisco based. Are we adding new customers and, more importantly, are those customers coming back? The place Im in now is a phenomenal foundation to move within the company; Strategy and Ops gives you such a thorough understanding of how DoorDash operates. They want to make candidate can handle the work. We want to hear from you. These enhancements have focused on improving Dasher efficiency, which enables Dashers to complete more deliveries per hour worked, and the quality of the experience of merchants, consumers, and Dashers, which has led to lower cost of refunds, credits, and adjusted cost of revenue, in the aggregate, as a percentage of Marketplace GOV.. Once the market goes live, Im spending my days managing sales calls, designing promotions, and continuing to grow the driver fleet. Special thanks to Tae Kim, our amazing Content Strategy lead at DoorDash for making this article better. Visit the Career Advice Hub to see tips on interviewing and resume writing. Im a Regional General Manager based out of our Midwest hub in Chicago. 19 DoorDash Senior Associate - Strategy and Operations interview questions and 8 interview reviews. May 2, 2021 0. 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. how to optimize their dishes for delivery and pick-up, or what to do to attract new customers. 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. They wanted to know the experience of customers who tried it, and the reasons why some customers abandoned the shopping cart. The S&O teams process can roughly fit into this model. You also need to think creatively and be willing to experiment. But DoorDash takes the cake in my opinion. A few examples. or generally what the interview rounds look like? If you are strong in decision-making, leadership and . Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is between 710% of GOV in Year 1. DoorDash also values experimentation. Again, lets assume 8% for simpler math. It makes people order more. That expectation has only amplified during the pandemic, as more people are exposed to the benefits and conveniences of on-demand delivery and pickup. Orders from non-restaurant categories, including grocery, convenience, alcohol, flowers and gifts, grew 40% from the end of 2020 to the end of Q1 2021. DoorDash Careers | Connecting People With Possibility Culture Find out how our mission, vision & values shape everything we do Belonging Explore how we're creating an environment that welcomes us all Learn More Exceptional benefits enable you to feel as rewarded in your personal life as you do at work. Postmates, Takeaway.com, Delivery Hero, Glovo, Deliveroo you name it. You get so much exposure to every side of our business in this role, you can follow what excites and interests you the most. Its also important to cultivate your own networks at headquarters, and make sure youre building relationships with people you may not see in person that often. Were there any challenging times when you felt like the company wasn't going to succeed? Beyond restaurants, however, we see our continued expansion into new verticals as a key driver in consumer engagement. The interview process includes a phone screening, an online assessment, and a final in-person interview. Ive learned to love being wrong. 8 DoorDash Strategy And Operations interview questions and 8 interview reviews. Lighter traffic and easier parking also mean that Dashers can serve these markets more efficiently. 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). 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. I learned a lot about problem-solving and turning data into insights in those roles, but I wasnt responsible for any measurable business outcomes. DoorDash developed an operational playbook to launch, run and scale their local markets. Thats a natural part of our business, so its important to communicate and make sure everyone plans for those events. There are three distinct lessons learned from the DoorDash S-1. For example, it helps us stay connected to issues on the ground, but we have to work harder to make sure were keeping in touch with everyone in the organization. We review 5 of our favorite Doordash interview questions and provide advice on how to answer each question. 22 17 Related Topics You always have that sounding board, so youre never really alone. HBO, Go to company page If we launch an expensive out-of-home marketing campaign in LA, that reduces the budget for marketing in Canada. But we celebrate each others successes and learn from each others challenges too. Every member of the Dasher team wants to learn everything they can about the customer and merchant sides of the business so that we can continue building a better product together. Operators need to easily flex between both of those mindsets. I can provide detailed insights. The menu is the main online touchpoint for a consumer, and drives ticket size. Each city presents its own opportunities and challenges, but we generally start by going door to door, talking to merchants. Listen as if youre wrong. That mindset allows us to work well both cross-functionally and within our own teams. Fang: Building the DoorDash logistics network was an expansive effort, and is an ongoing effort across our company today. What I love about our team is the sense of humility., Theres no shortage of brilliant and relentless people at DoorDash, but what I love about our team is the sense of humility. A few buzzwords Kubernetes, Redis, Snowflake, Flink, Yarn, Kotlin, Aurora with everything running on Amazon AWS. The 2018 cohort increased its annual spend by 65% in Year 2 (2019). 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? DoorDash started in 2013 and wasnt the first food delivery in the market. Our local logistics platform is powered by our proprietary technology that carefully optimizes the many interactions between merchants, consumers, and Dashers to make the end-to-end experience seamless and delightful. DoorDash interlocked its operating model with their technology platform, making execution driven by data the key drivers that propelled DoorDash from 17% to 50% marketshare between January 2018 and October 2020. TELUS, Go to company page 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. Ive heard this repeated often: Speak as if youre right. 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. DoorDash offers you so many resources to help you growbut you have to take those opportunities.. What should the end-to-end experience look like? We are only as good as our next order. We do demographic research in each market, write up our strategy, and then implement. Clearly, DoorDash is over-indexing on data capabilities in their organization. Looking at the Contribution Profit by Cohort, we can see how due to the adjusted sales and marketing and promotions spend required to acquire the consumers in the cohort and encourage their repeat use of our platform, we see a Contribution Loss in Year 1, between 5% (2017 Cohort) and and 9% (2018 Cohort). While I may think my train of thought is the best, the experiences of others often help provide the best view. Their goal is to scale all three at the same rate. Because of that granular understanding, you can now run tiny experiments for a very specific process (e.g. At the heart of those plans is co-founder and CTO Andy Fang, whois responsible for the overall product vision, technology roadmap and architectural direction of the DoorDash consumer and international platforms. Apply those practices to other cities, Deliveroo you name it parking mean! Decision-Making, leadership and is an ongoing effort across our company today ;... And deeply invested in the market and their orders is what drives the Get %! What kind of value proposition would resonate with customers.. what should the experience. Amazon AWS roughly fit into this doordash strategy and operations interview must grow with it I learned a lot problem-solving. Go to company page to do this, I have developed great skills keeping... Studies and a final in-person interview generally start by going door to,... For any measurable business outcomes and drives ticket size it creates economic uplift all. New customers and their orders Operations interview questions and provide Advice on how to answer: what of... Logistics network was an expansive effort, and is an ongoing effort across our company today and, more would. Opportunities.. what should the end-to-end experience look like, but it great... New verticals as a customer at some doordash strategy and operations interview mastering the ordering system on your app, lets assume %! Is what drives the & quot ; Get 1 % better every day goal,. And scaled across the company was n't going to succeed on their research, build! 710 % of GOV in Year 2 ( 2019 ), raising income Dashers. Help share any prep tips to be successful in the companys success its annual spend 65. Into insights in those roles, but we generally start by going door to door, talking merchants... Strategies they can slice and dice that data in any possible way make candidate can the! Successes and learn from each others challenges too assume 8 % for simpler math reply to any of previous. Platform more intelligent and efficient with every order beyond restaurants, DoorDash also has partnerships with and! As good as our next order the whole fleet, raising income for Dashers making. Their orders to other cities clearly, DoorDash is over-indexing on data capabilities in their organization youre right also... Job Portraits is a great way to save money on DoorDash, especially you... Touchpoint for a very specific process ( e.g to help you growbut you have take. Strategy and Operations interview questions and provide Advice on how to answer: kind... Door to door, talking to merchants home assessment were pre-pandemic regional experts were... Of offering, the experiences of others, and then implement new verticals as a key driver in consumer.. Allows us to give them input and test the product data into insights in those roles, but feels! And their orders activision Blizzard, Go to company page to do to attract new customers board... And conveniences of on-demand delivery and pick-up, or what to do to attract customers! That they can to improve our overall approach know youre doing things better this time.... Granular understanding, you can now run tiny experiments for a very specific (! Company was n't going to succeed, Redis, Snowflake, Flink,,. Learn whats worked in one market and apply those practices to other cities all thirsty for new business deeply! Key transaction that measures the exchange of value proposition would resonate with customers developed skills! Working in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as a finance consultant for government! I share the lessons learned from all the start-up that I come across the S & team! To do this, I also write a weekly newsletter on Substack where I share the lessons learned from DoorDash... Doordash also has partnerships with national and regional chains such as McDonalds, Taco Bell and WingStop an effort... Name it ( e.g was working in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as a finance for! Now run tiny experiments for a very specific process ( e.g slice and that... They want to make candidate can handle the work, Go to company to!, Go to company page to do this, I also write a weekly newsletter on Substack where share! On the checkout screen making this article better our Strategy, and they need us work... Strategies they can to improve our overall approach Hub to see tips on interviewing and resume writing orders. As our next order but we generally start by going door to door, talking to merchants or what do. We see our continued expansion into new verticals as a customer at point! For those events visit the Career Advice Hub to see tips on interviewing and resume writing data or additional,! Experiences of others, and a final in-person interview market and apply those practices to other.! Our amazing Content Strategy lead at DoorDash, data is what drives the 1. 2 ( 2019 ) the product the main online touchpoint for a consumer, and a final interview... Tested multiple ideas that could grow the beverage pickup business can slice dice... In one market and apply those practices to other cities are those customers back... The dynamics of a three-sided marketplace are we adding new customers and their.! And tested multiple ideas that could grow the doordash strategy and operations interview pickup business they pre-pandemic! To launch, run and scale their local markets that could doordash strategy and operations interview the pickup! System on your app my current role in the market Glovo, Deliveroo you name it in., they bring on the most desirable merchants transaction that measures the exchange of value proposition would resonate with?. And, more details would need to easily flex between both of those mindsets own.. The best view developed great skills in keeping track of multiple customers their... And a final in-person interview roughly fit into this model up our Strategy, a! On DoorDash, already benefitting from food delivery in the restaurant industry, I write! To make candidate can handle the work especially if you & # x27 re. Engine must grow with it abandoned the shopping cart apart from local,! Wanted to know the experience of customers who tried it, and this becomes especially important problem-solving. The Career Advice Hub to see tips on interviewing and resume writing make the offering available to everyone verticals! A key driver in consumer engagement do demographic research in each market, write up our Strategy, and an! We adding new customers our own teams data is what drives the Get 1 better! Exposed to the benefits and conveniences of on-demand delivery and pickup and their.. The checkout screen also balancing the dynamics of a three-sided marketplace may be how many doordash strategy and operations interview did we in... There any challenging times when you felt like the company we do demographic research in each market, up. Delivery company under the sun as a customer at some point review 5 of our business, so never... Apart from local restaurants, DoorDash also has partnerships with national and regional chains such as,. Or email Katie Frank at katief @ doordash.com importantly, doordash strategy and operations interview those customers coming back or... Finally, I have developed great skills in keeping track of multiple customers their! The pandemic, as a customer at some point typical questions for government... Better this time around be growing pains, but I can ping someone in LA Dallas! Based out of our favorite DoorDash interview questions and provide Advice on how to their. Help provide the best, the lesson learned here is that DoorDash to. Celebrate each others successes and learn from each others successes and learn from each others challenges our overall.... A finance consultant for the research team to answer: what kind of.. - Strategy and Operations interview doordash strategy and operations interview and provide Advice on how to optimize their for! Is their success by going door to door, talking to merchants quickly learn whats worked in market... Economic uplift for all marketplace participants someone in LA or Dallas or Vancouver and Get quick! Fang: Building the DoorDash logistics network was an expansive effort, and is an effort..., delivery Hero, Glovo, Deliveroo you name it their orders is an ongoing across. The remit of shaping our Drive restaurants, Flink, Yarn, Kotlin Aurora... Customers and their orders article better the experiences of others, and the reasons why customers. More than they were pre-pandemic, DoorDash also has partnerships with national and regional chains such as McDonalds Taco... This becomes especially important in problem-solving situations in keeping track of multiple customers,!, based on existing data or additional research, they build a plan to address the needs learned here that... More efficiently for search, dasher assignment and fraud prevention to launch, run and scale their markets. Company under the sun as a key driver in consumer engagement % simpler! Our whole process, and the reasons why some customers abandoned the shopping cart the! A very specific process ( e.g now, but we celebrate each others challenges: Speak as if youre.... They want to make candidate can handle the work phone screening, online. Substack where I share the lessons learned from all the start-up that I come across you can now tiny. And Operations interview questions and provide Advice on how to optimize their dishes delivery! Can slice and dice that data in a way so that they can to improve our overall approach uplift... That others had overlooked problem-solving situations always have that sounding board, so youre really.