Director, Partnerships - OpenAI for Government

OpenAI•Washington, DC

14h

About The Position

OpenAI’s mission is to build safe artificial general intelligence (AGI) which benefits all of humanity. This long-term undertaking brings the world’s best scientists, engineers, and business professionals into one lab together to accomplish this. In pursuit of this mission, our Go To Market (GTM) team is responsible for helping customers learn how to leverage and deploy our highly capable AI products across their business. The team is made of Sales, Solutions, Support, Marketing, and Partnership professionals that work together to create valuable solutions that will help bring AI to as many users as possible. We are seeking a Partnerships leader to support execution of our government go-to-market strategy by building and managing high-impact partnerships across the federal ecosystem. This role sits at the intersection of business development, strategic partnerships, and technical product alignment, supporting the pursuit and delivery of large-scale government programs. The candidate will work closely with internal leadership to structure partnerships, manage a high volume of partner relationships, and support capture efforts for major procurements. The ideal candidate brings experience working with technology companies, system integrators, and federal agencies, with a strong ability to manage complex external relationships while maintaining operational discipline across multiple engagements. They will help identify and craft partnership agreements, coordinate partner resources, and align internal teams to deliver scalable solutions that meet mission requirements. This role requires strong judgment, the ability to operate in fast-moving environments, and familiarity with how technology companies successfully sell into both enterprise markets and the U.S. government.

Requirements

8–12+ years of experience in business development, partnerships, government contracting, or related roles.
Demonstrated experience managing multiple strategic partners simultaneously in complex technology or government environments.
Experience drafting and negotiating partnership agreements, teaming arrangements, or commercial contracts.
Experience selling technology solutions into enterprise customers and/or U.S. government agencies.
Familiarity with federal procurement processes including RFIs, RFPs, and proposal development as well as government acquisition structures.
Strong ability to collaborate across legal, finance, engineering, and product teams.
Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage high volumes of partner engagements and/or sales opportunities.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with or partnering alongside technology providers.
Familiarity with mission domains such as AI/ML, data platforms, cybersecurity, or defense systems.
Experience supporting capture efforts for large federal programs.
Prior experience in both technology companies and government-facing organizations.
Active security clearance or eligibility to obtain one.
Engineering degree or prior technical experience.

Responsibilities

Manage a portfolio of strategic partners including government-facing technology companies and mission-focused startups.
Evaluate inbound partnership opportunities and prioritize engagements that align with company strategy and government program pursuits.
Maintain strong working relationships across a large partner ecosystem to support joint pursuits, product integrations, and program delivery.
Coordinate partner activities across multiple simultaneous engagements while maintaining clear communication and operational rigor.
Support the pursuit of government programs by coordinating with internal teams and external partners during capture and proposal development.
Help structure partner roles and technical contributions for joint government opportunities.
Contribute to capture strategy development, competitive positioning, and partner teaming decisions.
Assist with preparation of proposal materials including partnership frameworks, technical narratives, and supporting documentation.
Draft, review, and negotiate partnership agreements including teaming agreements, memoranda of understanding, and revenue-sharing frameworks.
Work closely with legal, finance, and compliance teams to structure agreements that meet regulatory requirements and align partner incentives.
Support negotiations with external partners to ensure agreements are scalable and aligned with company objectives.
Partner with product, engineering, legal, and compliance teams to align internal resources with government and partner-driven opportunities.
Represent the company at government and industry forums to strengthen partner networks and identify new opportunities.