Application Guide
How to Apply for Senior Program Manager, Travel
at Zoox
🏢 About Zoox
Zoox is pioneering fully autonomous, purpose-built electric vehicles designed specifically for dense urban environments, not retrofitting existing cars. Their mission to create low-carbon, congestion-free transportation aligns with sustainability goals while tackling real-world mobility challenges. Working at Zoox means contributing to a transformative vision that could reshape how cities move, with a remote-first approach that values innovation and impact.
About This Role
As Senior Program Manager, Travel at Zoox, you'll lead the global strategy for employee travel, ground transportation, and corporate events, directly supporting the company's rapid growth and unique culture. This role is impactful because you'll optimize logistics for a distributed team while ensuring travel experiences reflect Zoox's innovative, sustainable ethos—balancing cost efficiency with employee satisfaction in a fast-paced, scaling environment.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might start by reviewing travel spend analytics and preparing a budget update for leadership, then meeting with the Travel & Transportation Coordinator to mentor them on upcoming event logistics. You could spend the afternoon negotiating with a hotel supplier for better global rates and designing a commuter benefit program that supports Zoox's remote employees, all while ensuring policies reflect the company's innovative and sustainable culture.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Zoox Is Looking For
- Has 5+ years in corporate travel or indirect procurement with hands-on experience managing global programs end-to-end, not just regional oversight.
- Demonstrates proven success in negotiating complex supplier contracts (airlines, hotels, mobility providers) and mentoring junior team members like the Travel & Transportation Coordinator.
- Is proficient with modern travel/expense platforms like Navan and Uber for Business, and can leverage data analytics to drive ROI decisions and budget management.
- Combines strategic vision with operational rigor—able to design policies that align with Zoox's culture while auditing spend and reporting performance to executives.
📝 Tips for Applying to Zoox
Highlight specific examples of managing travel programs for tech or scaling companies, emphasizing how you've aligned logistics with company culture and growth phases.
Quantify achievements in supplier negotiations (e.g., "reduced airfare costs by 15% through vendor renegotiation in 2023") and mention experience with remote/global team logistics.
Tailor your resume to include keywords like "Navan," "Uber for Business," "indirect procurement," and "global program ownership" to pass initial screenings.
Research Zoox's sustainability mission and mention how you'd integrate low-carbon options (e.g., EV ground transport) into travel policies.
If you lack direct autonomous vehicle industry experience, emphasize transferable skills from tech, mobility, or high-growth sectors that value innovation and efficiency.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Explain how your travel program strategy experience supports scaling companies, with examples of policies you've built or optimized during growth periods.", 'Detail your approach to supplier negotiations and relationships, highlighting outcomes that improved cost savings or traveler experience.', "Connect your passion for sustainability and innovation to Zoox's mission, suggesting how you'd enhance their travel programs to reflect low-carbon values.", 'Mention any experience mentoring coordinators or managing cross-functional projects, as this role involves leading the Travel & Transportation Coordinator.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Explore Zoox's autonomous vehicle technology and business model to understand how employee travel supports their operational needs (e.g., testing, deployments, remote collaboration).
- → Review Zoox's sustainability reports or public statements to grasp their environmental goals and how travel programs could align.
- → Study the company's culture via their blog or social media—note their emphasis on innovation, safety, and remote work to tailor your application.
- → Look into the mobility/AV industry trends to discuss how travel logistics might evolve with Zoox's growth (e.g., event logistics for product launches).
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic resume without tailoring it to travel/procurement roles or mentioning relevant tools like Navan or Uber for Business.
- Focusing only on cost-cutting in interviews without addressing traveler experience, culture alignment, or sustainability—key aspects for Zoox.
- Overlooking the global scope of the role; avoid examples limited to domestic travel or lacking experience with international logistics and policies.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!