OpenAI Partner Lead

Blank Metal•Minneapolis, MN

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Blank Metal builds and ships production AI. The OpenAI ecosystem is one of our core delivery platforms, and we're hiring an OpenAI Partner Lead to own that relationship like a business — program operations, AE relationships, certifications, co-sell pipeline, and the revenue that comes from doing all of it well. This isn't a relationship-maintenance role. You'll run Blank Metal's OpenAI partnership with full accountability: compliance, pipeline attribution, FDE coordination, and ensuring every OpenAI-sourced opportunity ends in a shipped, production AI system for the client. The CGO is currently holding this seat. We're hiring because the OpenAI partnership is large enough to require dedicated ownership.

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: you manage program compliance, certification tracking, and reporting without things falling through the cracks
Strong communicator across technical and go-to-market audiences — you can talk to an AE and a solutions architect in the same conversation
Entrepreneurial and self-directed: you build process when it doesn't exist

Nice To Haves

Existing relationships at OpenAI (AEs, partner team, solutions architects)
Experience managing FDE or technical certification programs
Background in a company that sells professional services on top of AI platforms

Responsibilities

Own Blank Metal's standing in the OpenAI partner program: certifications, tier requirements, and compliance obligations
Manage all reporting cycles and documentation
Stay current on OpenAI program changes, new tiers, and co-sell requirements and translate them into action internally
Serve as the internal expert on what the OpenAI partnership allows, requires, and offers
Drive significant partner-sourced revenue through the OpenAI channel: build relationships with AEs and make Blank Metal the first call when a client needs an implementation partner
Build trackable co-sell motions with OpenAI AEs — structured, attributed, repeatable
Qualify OpenAI-referred opportunities fast and move them into the delivery pipeline without friction
Own the revenue contribution from the OpenAI channel and report it clearly
Own relationships at multiple levels of OpenAI: AEs, partnership team, solutions architects, and leadership where relevant
Ensure Blank Metal has coverage at each level so no single relationship is a single point of failure
Represent Blank Metal at OpenAI partner events, summits, and co-marketing opportunities
Be the face of Blank Metal inside OpenAI — the team should know who we are and why we're the right partner for their most important enterprise clients
Manage certifications across the Blank Metal team — who's certified, what's lapsing, what's required for deal eligibility
Partner with delivery and engineering leadership to staff OpenAI-sourced engagements with certified FDEs, and track certification readiness across the team.
Champion OpenAI's recommended architectures and reference patterns inside Blank Metal's engineering standards process, and flag deltas between platform guidance and our delivery patterns.
Feed OpenAI product updates — new models, API capabilities, deprecations — back to delivery and sales so we're always current
Track adoption metrics across OpenAI-enabled engagements: which clients are live, which are expanding, which are stalling
Work with delivery leads to ensure OpenAI-sourced clients see measurable results — their success is our case study
Identify expansion opportunities within existing OpenAI-referred accounts and route them back to the sales motion
Document wins and build reusable assets that help OpenAI AEs pitch Blank Metal with confidence