Account Director, Startups

About the role

The owns the strategic relationships with the most promising startup customers globally, acting as their primary executive sponsor within our ecosystem. You will architect and execute comprehensive account plans that drive platform adoption, retention, and long-term growth for these key partners. This role demands fluency in both technical AI concepts and commercial strategy, enabling you to translate complex model capabilities into clear business value for each unique customer. You will leverage deep insights from the broader OpenAI organization to shape product direction and ensure our roadmap aligns with real-world startup needs. The position requires ownership of revenue targets while building cross-functional programs that deliver measurable outcomes for our partners. You will synthesize feedback from direct customer interactions to influence product, research, and marketing initiatives at scale. This role is pivotal in ensuring that OpenAI remains the foundational platform of choice for the next generation of AI-native companies. Through consistent advocacy and strategic foresight, you will strengthen the long-term relationship between OpenAI and the startup community.

Key facts

What you'll do

Develop and manage a strategic portfolio of startup accounts, creating multi-year roadmap plans that align OpenAI capabilities with evolving customer objectives.

Design and execute complex, cross-functional customer programs in collaboration with solutions engineering, research, and product teams to solve unique business challenges.

Own and drive consumption revenue targets, translating forecast data into actionable insights that inform commercial and product decisions.

Analyze granular account metrics and key performance indicators to generate detailed reports that provide strategic insights to internal leadership and external stakeholders.

Monitor the competitive landscape, tracking emerging players, partnership shifts, and technology trends to proactively influence OpenAI's product strategy and market positioning.

Partner closely with marketing, communications, and public relations to design and lead high-visibility customer events, including advisory boards, conferences, and product launch initiatives.

Act as the primary liaison between our startup customers and internal specialist teams, ensuring feedback is captured, prioritized, and communicated effectively across the organization.

Champion the startup experience by synthesizing qualitative and quantitative feedback to drive improvements in products, services, and operational workflows.

Collaborate with business operations and finance teams to refine pricing strategies, packaging options, and engagement models tailored to the startup segment.

Support talent acquisition and internal onboarding processes to help scale the Startups Go To Market team while maintaining a strong, cohesive culture.

Requirements

Possess 6 or more years of experience selling platform-as-a-service or software-as-a-service solutions in a B2B environment.

Demonstrate a proven track record of designing and executing complex deal strategies that navigate multi-stakeholder decision-making processes.

Bring direct experience working within the startup ecosystem, either as a founder, early-stage employee, or professional serving startup customers extensively.

Have a history of supporting the growth of fast-moving, high-performance companies in highly dynamic and competitive markets.

Maintain the ability to communicate effectively with C-level executives, presenting sophisticated concepts in a clear, concise, and compelling manner.

Showcase strong capabilities in communicating technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences across an organization.

Have experience leading high-visibility customer initiatives such as customer advisory boards, industry conferences, and flagship product launch events.

Demonstrate a strong aptitude for gathering, distilling, and processing complex market intelligence related to industries, competitors, customers, and prospective opportunities.

Practical notes

This role is based in London, UK. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

Hours: Full-time, standard business hours expected.

Travel: Occasional domestic and international travel may be required for customer visits and company events.

Visa: Sponsorship may be available for eligible candidates relocating to the UK.

Deadline: Applications should be submitted promptly to ensure full consideration.