What is a Data Analyst at AURORA?

At AURORA, the role of a Data Analyst is pivotal to the company's mission of delivering self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly. You are not simply crunching numbers; you are interpreting the performance of the Aurora Driver—the hardware and software system that powers autonomous vehicles—or optimizing the workforce that builds it. Whether you are joining the Data Solutions team to monitor safety performance or the People Analytics team to drive organizational strategy, your work directly influences how the company scales and how safe its technology becomes.

This position requires navigating massive complexity. You will work with vast amounts of data generated by internal simulations, on-road testing, and business systems. Your insights will help leadership make high-stakes decisions, from validating safety metrics for commercialization to improving retention across the engineering organization. You act as the bridge between raw data and strategic action, ensuring that AURORA moves closer to a future where mobility is more accessible and efficient for everyone.

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparation for AURORA requires a shift in mindset. You need to demonstrate not just technical competence, but also a deep alignment with the company's "safety-first" culture and an ability to work cross-functionally in a highly technical environment.

Key Evaluation Criteria

Analytical Rigor & Problem Solving – You must demonstrate the ability to take ambiguous questions (e.g., "Is the vehicle driving safely?") and break them down into measurable metrics. Interviewers will evaluate how you structure your analysis, choose your data sources, and validate your conclusions against reality.

Technical Proficiency – Expect to be tested on your ability to manipulate data. Whether using SQL, Excel, or visualization tools like Tableau or PowerBI, you need to show that you can clean, aggregate, and present data accurately. For specific teams, familiarity with Python or specialized platforms (like Crunchr for People Analytics) is a significant asset.

Communication & Storytelling – Data at AURORA is useless if it cannot influence decision-making. You will be evaluated on your ability to translate complex datasets into clear, actionable narratives for executive stakeholders, engineers, and non-technical partners.

Mission Alignment & Culture – The autonomous vehicle industry is a marathon, not a sprint. Interviewers look for resilience, a collaborative spirit, and a genuine passion for the mission. You should be ready to discuss how you prioritize safety and integrity in your work.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process at AURORA is designed to be thorough and reflective of the actual work environment. It typically begins with a recruiter screen to assess your background and interest in the autonomous vehicle space. This is followed by a hiring manager screen, which often blends behavioral questions with high-level technical discussions. You should be prepared to discuss your past projects in detail, focusing on your specific contributions and the impact of your analysis.

Following the initial screens, the process generally moves to a technical assessment. This may take the form of a take-home case study or a live coding/analysis session. The goal here is to see your code quality, your attention to detail, and your ability to derive insights from raw data. Successful candidates then proceed to a final round (virtual onsite), which consists of a series of interviews covering technical skills, product sense, and behavioral alignment.

Throughout the process, AURORA places a heavy emphasis on your thought process. It is not enough to get the "right" answer; you must be able to explain why you chose a particular approach and how you would handle trade-offs. The atmosphere is professional but collaborative—interviewers want to see how you would work as a partner on their team.

The timeline above illustrates the typical flow from application to offer. Note that the Technical Assessment stage is a critical filter; invest time in ensuring your submission is polished and business-ready. The final panel interviews are comprehensive, so pace your preparation to maintain high energy through multiple back-to-back sessions.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

Your interviews will focus on several core competencies. Based on the role's demands, you should prepare for a mix of technical execution and strategic thinking.

SQL and Data Manipulation

Data at AURORA is complex and often resides in multiple disparate sources. You will be expected to write efficient SQL queries to extract and transform data. Be ready to go over:

• Joins and Aggregations – Handling complex joins across multiple tables (e.g., linking vehicle logs to safety reports or employee records to performance reviews).
• Window Functions – Using ranking, lead/lag, and moving averages to analyze time-series data.
• Data Cleaning – Identifying and handling NULLs, duplicates, and inconsistent data formats.
• Optimization – Writing queries that are performant on large datasets.

Analytical Case Studies

This is often the most challenging part of the interview. You will be presented with a vague business or product problem and asked to solve it using data. Be ready to go over:

• Metric Definition – Defining success metrics for a new feature or initiative (e.g., "How do we measure the 'smoothness' of a ride?").
• Root Cause Analysis – Investigating why a key metric (like retention or disengagement rate) has changed.
• Experimentation – Understanding the basics of A/B testing or observational studies to validate hypotheses.
• Trade-offs – Balancing conflicting metrics (e.g., speed vs. safety).

Example questions or scenarios:

• "We noticed a spike in safety disengagements last week. How would you investigate the cause?"
• "How would you measure the success of a new remote work policy using employee data?"
• "Define a 'safe left turn' using data available from the vehicle's sensors."

Data Visualization & Reporting

You must demonstrate the ability to visualize data effectively for different audiences. Be ready to go over:

• Dashboard Design – Principles of designing intuitive dashboards in Tableau or PowerBI.
• Insight Delivery – Moving beyond "what happened" to "so what?" and "now what?"
• Stakeholder Management – Adapting your presentation style for engineers vs. executives.

Key Responsibilities

As a Data Analyst at AURORA, your day-to-day work is highly cross-functional. You will spend a significant portion of your time collecting, cleaning, and analyzing data from sources like the Aurora Driver logs, HRIS systems, or safety reports. You are the owner of data integrity for your domain, ensuring that the numbers the business relies on are accurate and compliant with privacy policies.

You will partner closely with business leaders and engineering teams. For a Safety Data Analyst, this means automating the monitoring of vehicle performance and generating insights that accelerate commercialization. For a People Analytics role, this involves productizing insights to help leaders make better talent decisions. In both cases, you are responsible for building and maintaining data models and dashboards that serve as the "single source of truth" for your stakeholders.

Strategic impact is a core component of the role. You are not just fulfilling ticket requests; you are conducting ad-hoc analyses to support major initiatives. This could involve modeling retention scenarios, analyzing the safety impact of a new software release, or developing external-facing reports for regulators and partners.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

Candidates who succeed at AURORA typically possess a blend of strong technical skills and domain adaptability.

• Must-have Technical Skills:

  • SQL: Advanced proficiency is non-negotiable. You need to be comfortable querying complex databases.
  • Visualization Tools: Strong experience with Tableau, PowerBI, or similar platforms to build interactive dashboards.
  • Excel/Spreadsheets: Mastery of Excel for quick modeling and analysis is expected.

• Experience Level:

  • Senior and Staff roles typically require 5-8+ years of relevant experience.
  • Experience working with specialized data sets (e.g., People Data for HR roles, or Telemetry/Sensor Data for Safety roles) is highly valued.

• Soft Skills:

  • Cross-functional Collaboration: Ability to work with Product Managers, Engineers, and Legal/Safety teams.
  • Communication: Exceptional skill in presenting data to non-technical audiences.
  • Ambiguity: Comfort working in a fast-paced environment where requirements may shift.

• Nice-to-have Skills:

  • Python or R for advanced statistical analysis or automation.
  • Experience with specific platforms like Crunchr, Visier, or OneModel (for People Analytics).
  • Background in the automotive, robotics, or transportation industries.

Common Interview Questions

The following questions are representative of what you might face. They cover technical execution, analytical thinking, and behavioral fit.

Technical & SQL

These questions test your raw coding ability and data fluency.

• "Write a query to find the top 3 performing drivers/employees per region based on this dataset."
• "How would you handle missing values in a dataset containing critical safety logs?"
• "Explain the difference between a LEFT JOIN and an INNER JOIN and when you would use each."
• "Given a table of employee start and end dates, calculate the monthly retention rate for the last year."

Product & Business Cases

These questions assess your ability to apply data to AURORA's specific challenges.

• "We want to understand if a software update improved vehicle safety. What metrics would you look at?"
• "A stakeholder asks for a metric that doesn't exist yet. How do you proceed?"
• "How would you determine if a decline in employee satisfaction is statistically significant?"
• "Design a dashboard for the executive team to monitor the progress of the Aurora Driver."

Behavioral & Culture

These questions evaluate your alignment with company values and working style.

• "Tell me about a time you had to deliver bad news based on data. How did you handle it?"
• "Describe a situation where you had to influence a stakeholder who disagreed with your analysis."
• "How do you prioritize your work when you have requests from multiple different teams?"
• "Why do you want to work in the autonomous vehicle industry specifically?"

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How technical is the interview process? The process is moderately technical. While you won't be asked to write production-level software code, you must be fluent in SQL and comfortable with data modeling concepts. The "technical" bar also includes your ability to think logically about metrics and causality.

Q: Do I need prior experience in Autonomous Vehicles? No, prior AV experience is not strictly required, though it is a plus. What is more important is your ability to learn the domain quickly and apply your data skills to new, complex problems. For People Analytics roles, domain expertise in HR data is expected.

Q: What is the work culture like at AURORA? The culture is described as collaborative, mission-driven, and highly focused on safety. Employees are passionate about solving complex problems. Ratings suggest a good work-life balance (4.0/5) and a supportive environment, though the work is rigorous.

Q: Is this role remote? Many Data Analyst roles at AURORA are listed as Remote or have flexibility. However, specific teams (like Safety or Vehicle Operations) may have hubs in Mountain View, Pittsburgh, or San Francisco. Always verify the specific location requirements in the job posting.

Q: What differentiates a Staff Data Analyst from a Senior Data Analyst? A Staff Analyst is expected to drive the roadmap, not just execute tasks. You will own entire data products (like the People Analytics platform), mentor junior analysts, and influence strategic decisions at the organizational level.

Other General Tips

Understand the "Aurora Driver": Even if you are applying for a People Analytics role, take the time to understand the company's core product. Read their blog posts about the Aurora Driver. Showing that you understand the business context will set you apart.

Focus on Data Integrity: In the AV industry, bad data can lead to safety risks. During your interviews, emphasize how you validate your data and ensure accuracy. Being "directionally correct" is often not enough when safety is on the line.

Be Honest About What You Don't Know: If you are asked a technical question you don't know the answer to, admit it and explain how you would find the solution. AURORA values intellectual honesty and a growth mindset over pretending to be an expert in everything.

Prepare Questions for Your Interviewers: Ask about their data stack, their biggest data quality challenges, and how data is viewed by leadership. This shows you are evaluating them as much as they are evaluating you.

Summary & Next Steps

Becoming a Data Analyst at AURORA is an opportunity to work at the cutting edge of transportation technology. You will join a team that values rigorous analysis, intellectual honesty, and safety above all else. Whether you are optimizing internal operations or monitoring the performance of self-driving trucks, your work will have a tangible impact on the real world.

To succeed, focus your preparation on SQL fluency, business case structuring, and effective communication. Practice explaining complex data concepts in simple terms, and be ready to demonstrate how you have used data to drive strategic change in the past. Review the Aurora Driver technology and come prepared with a perspective on how data can accelerate its deployment.

The salary range for this position is competitive, reflecting the high level of expertise required. For a Staff Data Analyst, the range typically spans $143,000 to $229,000 USD, depending on location and experience. This compensation package often includes equity, making you a true partner in the company's long-term success. Approach the process with confidence—your skills are the fuel that will help AURORA drive the future.