Associate, Strategic Initiatives

About the Team The Merchant organization powers DoorDash's growth engine. We're the strategic backbone that enables 500,000+ restaurants to thrive on our platform, driving $50B+ in annual GMV. Our Strategy & Operations team sits at the intersection of data, technology, and business strategy - we're the architects of operational excellence who turn complex problems into scalable solutions. You'll join our Strategic Initiatives team, where we're building the infrastructure that enables world-class decision-making across the Merchant organization's Product, Engineering, Analytics, and Sales teams. This is where strategic vision meets tactical execution at scale. About the Role We're looking for an exceptional operator to drive strategic planning and operational excellence across DoorDash's Merchant organization. You'll be the connective tissue between strategy and execution - building the systems, templates, and coordination mechanisms that power high-quality decision-making across our Merchant teams. This role combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution. You'll design planning frameworks for the Merchant organization, coordinate cross-functional initiatives worth millions in impact, and work directly with senior leaders to operationalize our most critical priorities. If you get energized by turning chaos into clarity and building elegant solutions to complex problems, this role is for you. You're excited about this opportunity because you will… • Drive Strategic Planning Excellence – Own and optimize the Merchant organization's annual and quarterly planning cycles, building templates and systems that enable our teams to align on priorities and execute effectively • Build Scalable Operations – Transform manual processes into automated solutions, creating repeatable frameworks that scale across our Merchant business • Enable Executive Decision-Making – Partner with Director+ level stakeholders across Merchant Product, Engineering, and Analytics to synthesize insights, track progress, and drive accountability on strategic initiatives • Optimize Cross-Functional Coordination – Be the operational backbone for complex Merchant initiatives, ensuring seamless execution across Product, Engineering, Sales, and Operations teams • Pioneer AI-Enabled Efficiency – Implement cutting-edge productivity tools and automation to 10x our Merchant organization's operational capacity while maintaining quality • Shape Organizational Effectiveness – Design and implement systems that improve how the Merchant team operates, from stakeholder communication to decision-making processes We're excited about you because… • You're an exceptional operator – You have 1-3 years of experience in investment banking, consulting, FP&A, or strategic operations where you've demonstrated excellence in process optimization and stakeholder management • You think in systems – You see manual processes and immediately envision scalable solutions. You've built models, templates, or frameworks that others rely on • You thrive in complexity – You can juggle multiple workstreams, coordinate diverse stakeholders, and maintain meticulous attention to detail without losing sight of the big picture • You communicate with impact – You can synthesize complex information for executive audiences and your written communication is clear, concise, and action-oriented • You're technically proficient – You're advanced in Excel/Google Sheets (financial modeling, complex formulas) and eager to adopt new tools. SQL knowledge or willingness to learn is a plus • You have executive presence – You're comfortable presenting to senior leaders, managing up effectively, and navigating high-stakes conversations with diplomacy and professionalism • You're a builder at heart – You don't accept "this is how we've always done it." You actively identify inefficiencies and build solutions that last Notice to Applicants for Jobs Located in NYC or Remote Jobs Associated With Office in NYC Only We use Covey as part of our hiring and/or promotional process for jobs in NYC and certain features may qualify it as an AEDT in NYC. As part of the hiring and/or promotion process, we provide Covey with job requirements and candidate submitted applications. We began using Covey Scout for Inbound from August 21, 2023, through December 21, 2023, and resumed using Covey Scout for Inbound again on June 29, 2024. The Covey tool has been reviewed by an independent auditor. Results of the audit may be viewed here: Covey Apply tot his job