Group Director, Technical Program Management - Strategic Partnerships - AI Natives

Walmart•San Bruno, CA

2d•$254,000 - $481,000

About The Position

Walmart is seeking a Group Director of Strategic Partnerships to lead its most strategic foundation-model partnerships, including OpenAI and Anthropic. The role owns end-to-end partner relationships across consumer and enterprise use cases, translating frontier AI capabilities into differentiated consumer experiences and enterprise advantage at Walmart scale. Working across Product, Global Technology, and commercial strategy, the leader shapes joint roadmaps, structures and negotiates complex agreements, and drives enterprise-wide execution. The role is accountable for ensuring partnerships create durable value while meeting Walmart’s standards for security, governance, reliability, and customer trust. The position defines partnership strategy and multi-year roadmaps; evaluates opportunities across consumer AI, agentic commerce, enterprise productivity, developer tooling, model access, and emerging technical capabilities; and leads complex deal execution and negotiations. It converts agreements into measurable outcomes through joint plans, launches, integrations, pilots, co-development, governance, and performance management. The role also leads matrixed collaboration across business, product, technology, legal, privacy, security, procurement, finance, and other teams, while serving as the primary relationship owner for OpenAI and Anthropic and advising Walmart executives on partnership performance, risks, and opportunities.

Requirements

15 or more years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, corporate development, product strategy, or a related field.
8 or more years of experience negotiating and managing the implementation and execution of complex commercial agreements with strategic technology partners.
Proven track record sourcing, structuring, and scaling enterprise-level partnerships that deliver measurable product, technology, or business impact.
Demonstrated experience working with foundation-model providers, hyperscalers, AI-native companies, or leading technology platforms.
Strong understanding of AI product and platform concepts, including foundation models, APIs, enterprise deployments, data and intellectual property considerations, security, and responsible AI governance.
Experience influencing and presenting to VP, SVP, C-suite, and external executive stakeholders.
Ability to lead and influence highly matrixed cross-functional teams, manage ambiguity, and drive decisions and execution at scale.
Bachelor’s degree in business, a quantitative discipline, technology, or a related field; an MBA or advanced degree is preferred.
Minimum qualification option 1: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, engineering, or a related area and 9 years of experience in engineering, engineering program management, technical program management, product management, or a related area.
Minimum qualification option 2: 11 years of experience in engineering, engineering program management, technical program management, product management, or a related area.

Nice To Haves

Experience building partnerships spanning consumer-facing products and enterprise technology deployments.
Background in retail, eCommerce, enterprise technology, consumer technology, digital advertising, marketplace platforms, or ecosystem businesses.
Experience with global strategic partnerships, multi-party ecosystems, and technical co-development programs.
Certification in Project Management.
Master’s degree in Business Administration, with specialization in strategy, supply chain, finance, information systems, or a related area, and 7 years of experience in product design.
Supervisory experience.
Knowledge of inclusive digital experiences, WCAG 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, digital accessibility best practices, and accessibility standards and guidelines.

Responsibilities

Define and lead Walmart’s partnership strategy and multi-year roadmap with OpenAI and Anthropic, aligned with consumer product priorities, enterprise AI strategy, and Global Technology’s platform roadmap.
Identify, evaluate, and prioritize partnership opportunities across consumer AI experiences, agentic commerce, enterprise productivity, developer tooling, foundation-model access, and emerging technical capabilities.
Develop executive-ready recommendations outlining strategic value, tradeoffs, investment requirements, and buy, build, or partner implications.
Track foundation-model developments and partner roadmaps to anticipate market changes, influence priorities, and identify opportunities and risks.
Lead end-to-end deal execution, including exploratory discussions, internal alignment, term sheets, commercial negotiations, contract execution, and renewal strategy.
Structure agreements covering model access, APIs and platform integrations, capacity and commercial commitments, data rights, intellectual property, security, privacy, governance, co-development, and go-to-market collaboration.
Partner with Legal, Privacy, Information Security, Procurement, Finance, and Global Technology to create scalable agreements that protect Walmart while enabling innovation.
Lead negotiations with senior external stakeholders and secure alignment with internal executive decision-makers.
Translate strategic agreements into measurable outcomes through joint plans, operating cadences, success metrics, and escalation paths.
Drive cross-functional execution of launches, integrations, pilots, and co-development initiatives across consumer and enterprise use cases.
Establish governance and performance-management mechanisms to track commitments, resolve technical and operational dependencies, and realize partnership value.
Identify and remove execution barriers while balancing partner momentum with Walmart’s standards for reliability, responsible AI, and customer trust.
Lead matrixed teams across Product, Global Technology, eCommerce, Enterprise Technology, Data Governance, Legal, Privacy, Procurement, Finance, Marketing, and business stakeholders.
Advise product and technology leaders, bringing external market perspective and partner insight into product, platform, and investment decisions.
Align internal stakeholders on partnership priorities, roles, dependencies, and decisions.
Serve as primary relationship owner for OpenAI and Anthropic, building relationships with their product, engineering, commercial, and executive leaders.
Represent Walmart’s strategic priorities externally and advise partners on how they can support Walmart’s consumer and enterprise AI agenda.
Prepare senior leaders for partner engagements and provide actionable updates on performance, opportunities, risks, and decisions.

Benefits

Competitive pay and performance-based bonus awards.
Medical, vision, and dental coverage.
401(k).
Stock purchase program.
Company-paid life insurance.
Paid time off, including sick leave.
Parental leave.
Family care leave.
Bereavement leave.
Jury duty leave.
Voting leave.
Short-term and long-term disability.
Company discounts.
Military Leave Pay.
Adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement.
PTO and/or PPTO that may be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes.
Live Better U Walmart-paid education benefit for eligible full-time and part-time associates, covering tuition, books, and fees for programs ranging from high school completion to bachelor’s degrees, English Language Learning, and short-form certificates.
Stock compensation may be included for certain positions.