Strategy & Planning Associate

About the Company

Otter builds software that helps restaurants succeed in the digital food-delivery space. The company supports restaurateurs by improving sales performance, lowering order mistakes, and reducing the operational friction that comes with delivery. Its platform is trusted by major brands as well as independent restaurants.

Role Overview

This role is focused on helping shape business strategy through analysis, planning, and cross-functional execution. The associate will work closely with teams across product, sales, marketing, finance, and operations to evaluate growth opportunities, support commercial decisions, and move high-priority initiatives from idea to delivery. The position requires strong analytical thinking, commercial awareness, and the ability to turn data into practical recommendations for leadership.

Go-to-Market Strategy and Commercial Planning

• Assist in building and rolling out launch plans for new products, product features, partnerships, and expansion into new markets.
• Assess customer groups, market potential, and competitor activity to shape commercialization approaches.
• Work with stakeholders across teams to recommend pricing, packaging, acquisition, and growth tactics.
• Review performance data and market signals to refine go-to-market execution and improve results.

Strategic Analysis and Business Insights

• Carry out detailed analyses to uncover opportunities, obstacles, and areas where growth can be accelerated.
• Formulate hypotheses, conduct both quantitative and qualitative research, and present clear recommendations to senior leaders.
• Create business cases and financial models to evaluate investments, partnerships, and new initiatives.
• Convert complex data into concise, decision-ready insights for executive teams.

Cross-Functional Program Management

• Coordinate strategic initiatives across multiple departments, making sure priorities stay aligned and actions are completed.
• Collaborate with Product, Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Operations teams on company-wide priorities.
• Track project schedules, dependencies, stakeholder updates, and risk-reduction plans.
• Measure initiative progress and look for ways to improve execution and efficiency.

Process Improvement and Operational Excellence

• Spot workflow gaps, inefficiencies, and scaling challenges across the organization.
• Design and implement operational changes that improve business outcomes and team productivity.
• Set up reporting structures, KPIs, and regular operating cadences to track success.
• Support continuous improvement using data, stakeholder input, and industry best practices.

Executive Reporting and Communication

• Prepare presentations, analysis packs, and strategic recommendations for senior management.
• Share insights and project updates with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Help leadership with planning, prioritization, and strategic decision-making.

Experience and Background

The ideal candidate brings 2 to 5 years of experience in strategy, business operations, corporate strategy, management consulting, investment banking, private equity, venture capital, go-to-market strategy, or a similar analytical field. Experience with pricing and packaging, commercialization, strategic partnerships, market expansion, or go-to-market execution is especially relevant. The role also calls for the ability to work through ambiguous problems, build structured hypotheses, perform analysis, and present actionable recommendations.

Preferred Professional Exposure

The company especially values candidates with exposure to management consulting firms such as McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, Accenture Strategy, LEK, Oliver Wyman, EY-Parthenon, or Strategy&, as well as backgrounds in investment banking, private equity, venture capital, corporate strategy, business operations, GTM strategy, product strategy, revenue strategy, high-growth technology or SaaS companies, fintech, payments, or marketplace businesses.

Educational Preference

There is a strong preference for candidates from highly selective universities with demanding programs in analytics, business, economics, engineering, or quantitative disciplines, including Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Duke, Northwestern, the University of Chicago, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, UC Berkeley, UCLA, the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, and Georgia Tech. Equivalent international institutions and exceptional candidates with strong professional experience are also welcome.

Why This Role Stands Out

• The online food-delivery market is expanding quickly, creating meaningful room for impact and growth.
• You will contribute to work that helps restaurants improve their performance in digital delivery.
• The environment is collaborative, with support from experienced colleagues and managers, and close partnership across teams.

Work Arrangement

This position is based in Los Angeles and is office-based. The team works onsite five days a week because close collaboration is considered essential to the way the company operates.

Compensation and Benefits

The base salary range for this position is $100,000 to $125,000 per year. Final compensation depends on the candidate’s experience, skills, and qualifications. In addition to base pay, the role may include equity awards and an annual performance-based bonus.

Full-time exempt employees in the US may be eligible for a benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage with multiple plan options including HSA-compatible plans; company-paid short- and long-term life and disability insurance; optional accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity coverage; supplemental life insurance for the employee, spouse, and children; a pet insurance discount; a 401(k); an HSA; and flexible spending accounts for healthcare, dependent care, and commuting expenses.

Time-off benefits may include discretionary vacation days, 8 paid holidays per year, paid sick leave, paid bereavement leave, and paid parental leave. Benefits may be modified at the company’s discretion.

Applications

Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis.