OpenAI Partner Lead
About the role
Own the OpenAI Partnership at Blank Metal, a company building and shipping production AI. This role requires full accountability for compliance, pipeline attribution, FDE coordination, and ensuring every OpenAI-sourced opportunity results in a shipped, production AI system.
Responsibilities
Partner Program Operations & Compliance: Own Blank Metal's standing in the OpenAI partner program, manage certifications, tier requirements, and compliance obligations, and stay current on OpenAI program changes.
Pipeline & Partner-Sourced Revenue: Drive significant partner-sourced revenue through the OpenAI channel, build relationships with AEs, and move opportunities into the delivery pipeline.
Program-Level Partner Relationships: Represent Blank Metal at OpenAI partner events, summits, and co-marketing opportunities, and ensure Blank Metal has coverage at all levels of the partnership.
FDE Coordination, Certifications & Solution Design Standards: Manage certifications across the Blank Metal team, staff OpenAI-sourced engagements with certified FDEs, and track certification readiness.
Partner Adoption Success: Track adoption metrics, ensure OpenAI-sourced clients see measurable results, identify expansion opportunities, and document wins.
Requirements
5+ years in a partner, alliance, or channel role at an AI company, system integrator, or technical professional services firm.
Direct experience working with or inside a hyperscaler, AI platform, or foundation model company partner program.
Understanding of how enterprise AI partnerships work: co-sell motions, deal registration, tier mechanics, attribution.
Familiarity with the OpenAI platform, GPT model family, Responses API, Agents SDK, and OpenAI's enterprise deployment patterns.
Track record building partner relationships that generate attributed, measurable revenue.
Operationally sharp: manage program compliance, certification tracking, and reporting without things falling through the cracks.
Strong communicator across technical and go-to-market audiences.
Entrepreneurial and self-directed: build process when it doesn't exist.
Qualifications
Existing relationships at OpenAI (AEs, partner team, solutions architects) are a plus.
Experience managing FDE or technical certification programs is a plus.
A background in a company that sells professional services on top of AI platforms is a plus.
Skills
Technical proficiency with OpenAI platforms and APIs.
Strategic thinking and ability to build and maintain strong relationships.
Operational excellence and attention to detail.
Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Benefits
Competitive base salary with a revenue-based variable comp structure tied to partner-sourced pipeline and revenue contribution.
Comprehensive health coverage.
401(k) with match.
Flexible time off.
Flexible work arrangements.
Support for professional development.
Pay
Competitive base salary with a revenue-based variable comp structure tied to partner-sourced pipeline and revenue contribution.
Schedule
Hybrid schedule, with flexibility to work from either Minneapolis, MN or San Francisco, CA.