Business Development Director

About the role

This role is for the first dedicated partnerships hire at OpenRouter, tasked with establishing and scaling the company's partner strategy. You will build and manage relationships with key technology providers to drive AI adoption and revenue growth.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Establish strategic alliances with complementary AI/ML companies to foster technical integrations, broaden distribution, and accelerate customer adoption.
• Monitor partner contributions to customer acquisition, product usage, and expansion throughout the partnership lifecycle to meet revenue and growth objectives.
• Analyze the AI/ML landscape to identify key partners, understand competitive dynamics, and uncover new opportunities, while maintaining expertise in AI infrastructure and partnership trends.
• Manage complex multi-sided platform dynamics by coordinating with internal teams, technology partners, and customers to create mutually beneficial agreements.
• Negotiate detailed partnership agreements covering technical integrations, data privacy, go-to-market commitments, and commercial terms, while developing efficient onboarding processes.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Sales, Marketing, and Legal teams to prioritize partner integrations, create joint marketing efforts, and align partner needs with product direction.

Requirements

• A minimum of 8 years in partnerships, business development, or strategic alliances, including 3-5 years in a leadership capacity building partnership programs from the ground up.
• Experience managing significant partnerships with major technology companies, such as AI model providers, API platforms, or SaaS companies, including developing technical integrations, API distribution plans, and growth initiatives.
• Demonstrated success in scaling consumption-based or usage-based partnership models within API platforms, developer tools, or infrastructure, resulting in a measurable impact of at least $10 million in influenced consumption or revenue.
• Strong understanding of commercial and legal aspects, with experience negotiating complex agreements that include data governance, service level agreements, consumption economics, and technical integration requirements.
• A technical background or deep familiarity with API platforms, developer tools, and cloud infrastructure, enabling effective communication with engineering teams on integration architecture, authentication, and data flow.
• Ability to think strategically, balancing long-term ecosystem development with immediate execution, and comfort with ambiguity and building initiatives from inception.

Skills & tools

• API Platforms
• Developer Tooling
• Cloud Infrastructure
• AI/ML Ecosystem Analysis
• Partnership Strategy Development
• Agreement Negotiation

Practical notes

• Applications are welcome from candidates who may not meet every listed qualification but are enthusiastic about joining the team.