Strategic Sourcing Leader - Enterprise & Engineering Technology

Compensation

$266K – $295K • Offers Equity

The base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. If the role is non-exempt, overtime pay will be provided consistent with applicable laws. In addition to the salary range listed above, total compensation also includes generous equity, performance-related bonus(es) for eligible employees, and the following 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 (1 hour per 30 hours worked, or more, as required by applicable state or local law)

• Mental health and wellness support

• Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage

• Annual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growth

• Daily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible

• Relocation support for eligible employees

• Additional taxable fringe benefits, such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends, may also be provided.

About the Team

OpenAI’s Strategic Sourcing team helps the company scale responsibly, efficiently, and at speed. We partner with technical and business leaders across Engineering, Security, IT, Finance, Legal, and Privacy to shape supplier strategy, negotiate critical agreements, and build resilient supplier ecosystems that support OpenAI’s mission.

About the Role

OpenAI is seeking a Leader of Strategic Sourcing, Enterprise & Engineering Technology to lead complex technology sourcing work across a portfolio critical to how our teams build, secure, operate, and scale. This role will report to the Head of Strategic Sourcing.

This is a senior sourcing leadership role for a recognized expert who can shape category direction, lead multiple complex workstreams, influence senior stakeholders, and solve high-stakes commercial problems with structured thinking and deep expertise. You will manage experienced sourcing professionals, guide strategic supplier negotiations, and help build scalable sourcing practices that strengthen OpenAI’s growth.

Responsibilities

• Lead sourcing strategy and execution across enterprise and engineering technology categories, including infrastructure software, engineering platforms, security technology, enterprise systems, IT, and hardware.

• Independently define, prioritize, and lead multiple complex sourcing workstreams, shaping supplier strategy and commercial decisions without regular oversight.

• Own strategic supplier negotiations, including major renewals, enterprise license agreements, infrastructure software commitments, security technology agreements, engineering platform agreements, and hardware-related sourcing decisions.

• Manage and develop experienced category leads, creating clarity, improving commercial judgment, and empowering the team to deliver strategic goals without heavy managerial intervention.

• Build scalable category tools and frameworks, including category cards, negotiation playbooks, supplier segmentation, renewal calendars, reporting dashboards, and escalation paths.

• Partner with senior leaders across the CTO, CISO, and IT organizations to translate technical roadmaps, security requirements, platform dependencies, adoption plans, performance needs, and supplier constraints into sourcing strategies and commercial structures.

• Advise senior leaders on major supplier decisions by presenting clear deal narratives, financial impact, risk, tradeoffs, supplier context, and recommendations.

• Create cost and commercial structures aligned to OpenAI’s business model, including usage-based pricing, flexible consumption models, pooled commitments, ramp structures, scale protections, and performance-based economics.

• Set direction for coordinators and category partners supporting quick-turn negotiations, ensuring routine work moves quickly with consistent standards, strong documentation, and appropriate escalation.

• Establish supplier governance and portfolio reporting across pipeline health, savings, risk, renewal exposure, supplier performance, forecast accuracy, QBRs, escalation management, and value realization.

• Influence difficult or highly opinionated stakeholders by building trust, clarifying tradeoffs, creating alignment, and positioning sourcing as a strategic partner in technical, security, and commercial decision-making.

Requirements

• Are a recognized sourcing expert with deep experience across enterprise technology, infrastructure software, engineering tools, security technology, IT platforms, hardware, or adjacent technology categories.

• Have led complex, high-stakes supplier negotiations and can balance cost, leverage, speed, flexibility, risk, security requirements, and long-term partnership value.

• Can independently lead multiple complex workstreams, prioritize tradeoffs, and shape strategic decisions in ambiguous environments.

• Have managed experienced sourcing professionals or category leads, and know how to build clarity, accountability, ownership, and sustainable team performance.

• Can influence senior stakeholders and mentor peers through strong communication, structured thinking, commercial judgment, and calm leadership.

• Have built scalable sourcing tools or operating mechanisms, such as category cards, negotiation playbooks, reporting dashboards, supplier governance models, or renewal planning processes.

• Know how to create commercial models that go beyond standard enterprise pricing and reflect usage growth, technical adoption, platform dependency, security requirements, and OpenAI’s business model.

• Care deeply about responsible growth, disciplined supplier management, and the well-being of OpenAI’s teams.