Partner Incentive Design & Execution Lead

About The Role

OpenAI is building the infrastructure for the next generation of AI-native businesses — and our partners are central to that mission. The Agentic AI Deployment Funding Program is one of the most strategically important initiatives in our partner ecosystem: a $150M+ annual investment designed to accelerate real-world deployment of OpenAI's models through our global partner network. We are looking for a builder-scaler — someone who can move from blank-page program architecture to operational reality without losing precision or speed.

What You Will Own

• Program Architecture & Design
  • Lead end-to-end design of OpenAI's Agentic AI Deployment Funding Program — including tier structure, eligibility criteria, investment sizing logic, and payout trigger mechanics.
  • Build and maintain a differentiated incentive framework across partner segments: Global Systems Integrators, regional consultancies, and domain-specialist AI implementers.
  • Design program governance model: approval workflows, partner-facing terms, compliance architecture, and mid-cycle rebalancing protocols.
  • Design program versioning and evolution strategy — including deprecation and migration pathways as market conditions change.
• Execution & Operations
  • Own the operational backbone of the deployment fund: claim intake, eligibility validation, calculation methodology, payout operations, and dispute resolution.
  • Build or oversee the data and calculation infrastructure required to run incentive operations at scale — including upstream API/billing integrations, partner portal touchpoints, and Finance reconciliation processes.
  • Manage program calendar, partner communication cadence, and cross-functional delivery against committed program timelines.
  • Partner closely with Legal, Finance, and Compliance to ensure program terms are defensible and payouts are audit-ready.
• Measurement & Optimization
  • Design and own the measurement framework for the deployment fund — defining leading and lagging indicators, establishing baselines, and building the reporting infrastructure for executive audiences.
  • Conduct ongoing program performance analysis: adoption cohort analysis, ROI modeling, partner segment diagnostics, and investment efficiency assessment.
  • Generate and present regular program performance reviews to senior leadership, including Finance and GTM leadership, with clear recommendations.
  • Lead post-launch optimization cycles: identify underperforming design elements, develop hypothesis-driven modifications, and test changes rigorously before scaling.
• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Engagement
  • Drive alignment across Sales, Product, Finance, Legal, Marketing, and Partner Success on program design decisions — navigating competing priorities with rigor and speed.
  • Serve as the subject matter expert on partner incentive design for cross-functional working groups, including new product launches and GTM strategy reviews.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with key partner stakeholders — including C-suite contacts at strategic partners — to ensure program design reflects real deployment dynamics.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in partner incentive program design, commercial program operations, or partner economics — ideally within a technology platform company at scale.
• Demonstrated experience owning the full lifecycle of a large-scale incentive program — from design through operational execution and measurement — not just strategy or analysis.
• Strong command of program financial mechanics: investment sizing, payout waterfall design, ROI modeling, and scenario analysis.
• Experience building or overseeing the data and calculation infrastructure for incentive operations — including upstream integrations, payout processing, and audit controls.
• Track record of driving alignment across Sales, Finance, Legal, and Partner teams on complex program design decisions.
• Exceptional analytical capability: comfortable with cohort analysis, attribution modeling, and building measurement frameworks from scratch where none exist.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills — able to present complex program logic and performance data to senior executives with clarity and conviction.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience designing or operating Deployment Funds, Market Development Funds, or similar investment vehicles at $50M+ scale.
• Background in the AI or cloud partner ecosystem (hyperscalers, AI platform companies, or ecosystem-first businesses).
• Experience adapting mature incentive program frameworks to early-stage or rapidly evolving market contexts.
• Familiarity with API/consumption-based billing models and the unique challenges of measuring deployment success in AI workloads.
• Experience working in a startup or high-growth environment where program infrastructure did not yet exist and had to be built.