In this role, you will:

📍Devise and implement a comprehensive strategy for our software procurement—particularly cloud services—aligning with OpenAI’s broader financial, operational, and technology objectives. 📍Oversee the development and execution of category strategies, promoting a proactive approach to understanding internal stakeholders’ procurement needs and ensuring timely and effective sourcing solutions. 📍Own the strategic sourcing process for key software spend areas, ensuring a streamlined approach for managing RFPs and vendor selection. 📍Engage with internal customers across various departments, understand their procurement needs, and ensure a streamlined procurement request and approval process to improve operational efficiency and fiscal discipline within OpenAI. 📍Support the continuous improvement process by taking ownership of supplier performance metrics, ensuring thorough and timely evaluations to enhance supplier quality and performance. 📍Manage and optimize our sourcing systems, ensuring seamless procurement operations and data-driven decision-making. 📍Take a hands-on role in managing key supplier relationships, including contract negotiations and performance evaluations, to ensure alignment with 📍OpenAI’s financial policies and procedures. Lead reporting and analytics initiatives within the software procurement domain, generating insightful reports and dashboards to monitor performance, identify trends, and support data-driven decision-making aligned with OpenAI's financial and operational goals. 📍Hire and lead a team of category specialists, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team environment.

We’re looking for a blend of:

📍Strong Category Experience: 10+ years of experience in technology procurement, with a strong focus on cloud services at fast-growing technology companies. 📍Technical Credibility: Proven ability to engage credibly with engineering teams, leveraging your technical background to understand their needs and challenges. 📍People Management: Experience in managing and leading teams, with the ability to hire, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of category managers and specialists. 📍Relationship Management: Strong skills in managing relationships with key suppliers, negotiating contracts, and working closely with internal stakeholders to understand and address their procurement needs. 📍Negotiation Mastery: Demonstrated excellence in negotiating contracts and terms with vendors, ensuring favorable outcomes for OpenAI (e.g. custom contracts, unique terms) while maintaining strong supplier relationships. 📍Strategic Insight: Ability to develop and implement robust procurement strategies that align with OpenAI's broader financial and operational objectives, ensuring cost-effectiveness and risk management in software spend areas. 📍Analytical Capability: Aptitude for leading reporting and analytics initiatives, generating insightful data to monitor performance, identify trends, and support informed decision-making. 📍Collaborative Engagement: Ability to collaborate effectively with various internal departments as well as Legal and Security teams to ensure compliance and timely vendor assessments. 📍Proactive Leadership: A proactive approach in engaging with internal departments, refining the procurement function, and contributing significantly to operational efficiency and fiscal discipline within OpenAI. 📍Mission-Driven Focus: An understanding and commitment to supporting OpenAI’s ambitious projects and long-term mission of ensuring that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity, through strategic procurement practices.