OpenAI

Head of Strategic Sourcing – Services

OpenAI

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Hybrid

Location: San Francisco • California • United States

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Salary

💰 $347,000 - $385,000 per year

Job Level

Lead

About the role

  • Lead sourcing strategy across a broad services portfolio that supports teams across OpenAI.
  • Partner across every business unit to shape sourcing strategies for professional services, ensuring teams can access the capabilities they need with the right balance of speed, value, and governance.
  • Serve as a trusted advisor to senior and executive leadership on services strategy, supplier ecosystems, commercial tradeoffs, and risk.
  • Define category strategies, supplier segmentation approaches, negotiation playbooks, and commercial frameworks that improve speed, consistency, and leverage.
  • Engage early on high-impact services decisions to shape supplier selection, deal structures, and commercial outcomes in the areas that matter most to OpenAI’s speed, resilience, and stewardship.
  • Guide high-stakes sourcing decisions across a diverse set of services categories, including areas such as Real Estate and Workplace services.
  • Build supplier strategies that drive value beyond cost, including speed, service quality, resilience, flexibility, and access to critical capabilities.
  • Leverage market insight and supplier intelligence to inform strategy, strengthen negotiations, and improve business outcomes.
  • Independently prioritize and lead multiple highly complex workstreams across a fast-evolving services landscape.
  • Build scalable sourcing models, governance mechanisms, and automation-enabled ways of working that improve decision quality and increase leverage across the team.
  • Establish supplier KPIs, scorecards, and business review mechanisms across critical service providers.
  • Build visibility into pipeline, cycle times, supplier performance, commercial outcomes, and category risks so leaders can make faster, better-informed decisions and drive stronger execution across the portfolio.
  • Be accountable for team performance, operating outcomes, talent development, and management excellence across a high-performing team of experienced sourcing professionals.
  • Set direction, establish priorities, and strengthen the capabilities, leadership, and organizational capacity needed to scale services sourcing over time.

Requirements

  • 12+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, vendor management, or commercial leadership, with significant depth across services categories.
  • Proven success leading high-stakes sourcing initiatives with enterprise-wide visibility across business units or critical categories.
  • A track record of defining long-term supplier strategies and partnerships that drive value beyond cost — through innovation, speed, resilience, and capability growth.
  • Strong experience guiding complex commercial decisions across a wide range of professional and operational services.
  • Excellent executive presence and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders, align cross-functional partners, and navigate complex tradeoffs with sound judgment.
  • Experience designing scalable sourcing models, frameworks, and tools that reduce complexity and improve outcomes.
  • Strong judgment in ambiguity and the ability to independently define, prioritize, and lead multiple highly complex workstreams.
  • Demonstrated people leadership, including leading experienced teams, developing talent, and balancing near-term execution with long-term capability building.
  • Experience building trusted cross-functional relationships and operating effectively in fast-moving, high-growth, high-ambiguity environments.
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.
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
strategic sourcingprocurementvendor managementcommercial leadershipsupplier strategiesnegotiation playbookssourcing modelssupplier KPIsbusiness review mechanismscategory strategies
Soft Skills
executive presencestakeholder managementinfluencejudgment in ambiguitypeople leadershiptalent developmentcross-functional relationshipsdecision qualityorganizational capacitycomplex tradeoffs