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Strategic Technology Negotiations Lead

OpenAI· Finance
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Hybrid (San Francisco)$234k - $295k + equityFull-timePosted 2mo ago

About the role

Senior individual contributor role leading complex technology negotiations, focusing on data platforms, infrastructure, observability, and enterprise SaaS, with hybrid work in San Francisco and relocation assistance.

Responsibilities

  • Personally lead complex, high-value, and business-critical technology negotiations from initial strategy through signed agreement.
  • Develop fact-based negotiation plans that define objectives, leverage, alternatives, sequencing, roles, decision points, and escalation paths.
  • Rapidly synthesize technical requirements, supplier economics, market dynamics, adoption patterns, dependencies, and business priorities.
  • Partner with leaders across Engineering, Research, IT, Systems, Finance, Legal, Corporate Development, and other teams to establish a unified negotiation strategy.
  • Assess each negotiation within the broader supplier ecosystem, identifying interconnected relationships that may create value, constraints, dependencies, or leverage.
  • Shape complex deal structures with cost, equity, revenue, partnership, risk, and long-term strategic implications.
  • Advise executives through clear, decision-ready narratives covering deal strategy, financial impact, alternatives, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations.
  • Lead supplier engagement at working-team and executive levels, including difficult escalations and negotiations conducted under significant pressure.
  • Create commercial structures that deliver meaningful savings and cost avoidance while improving scalability, flexibility, performance, and risk allocation.
  • Turn lessons from major negotiations into reusable playbooks, market intelligence, and stronger negotiation practices for Strategic Sourcing.

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of experience leading complex commercial negotiations in strategic sourcing, technology procurement, strategic partnerships, deal strategy, corporate development, or a related field.
  • Expert negotiator who enjoys personally developing the strategy, leading the room, and driving difficult deals to resolution.
  • Previously managed or led teams and seeking a senior individual contributor role centered on direct ownership, influence, and execution.
  • Personally led large-scale enterprise software or technology agreements with sophisticated pricing, commitment, licensing, consumption, or partnership structures.
  • Understanding of enterprise software business models, including usage-based pricing, multi-year commitments, ramp structures, pooled consumption, growth protections, and performance-based economics.
  • Ability to evaluate a deal across cost, revenue, equity, partnership value, supplier leverage, risk, and long-term ecosystem implications.
  • Negotiated agreements involving data platforms, infrastructure software, observability, enterprise SaaS, or similarly complex technology categories.
  • Ability to engage credibly with deeply technical teams and influence senior executives through structured thinking, clear communication, and sound commercial judgment.
  • Remain effective under pressure, build alignment among stakeholders with competing objectives, and know when to challenge, escalate, create alternatives, or close.

Skills

Required:Strategic negotiationTechnology deal structuresExecutive communication

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts
  • Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit)
  • 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
  • Paid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents and 20 weeks for non-birthing parents), plus paid medical and caregiver leave (up to 8 weeks)
  • Paid time off: flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees
  • 13+ paid company holidays, and multiple paid coordinated company office closures throughout the year for focus and recharge, plus paid sick or safe time
  • Mental health and wellness support
  • Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage
  • Annual learning and development stipend
  • Daily meals in offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible
  • Relocation support for eligible employees
  • Additional taxable fringe benefits such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends
Last updated Jul 30, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About OpenAI

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