← Back to jobs

Partner Director, Mckinsey Alliance

openai

OnSite San Francisco
IT Governance

Job Score

80 pts
On-site model (+70) IT Governance (+10)

About the Team

OpenAI’s GTM Partnerships team builds a strategic, global partner ecosystem designed to accelerate customer success, enable enterprise AI adoption, and drive durable growth in support of OpenAI’s mission. We work closely across Product, Research, Sales, Legal, Communications, and regional leadership to ensure a cohesive strategy and disciplined execution with our most strategic partners.


About the Role

We are hiring a Partner Director, Global McKinsey Alliance to lead and scale OpenAI’s relationship with McKinsey & Company.

This role will serve as the single accountable executive owner of the alliance globally. You will define the partnership strategy and operating model, translating executive alignment into scaled commercial and transformation outcomes across regions and industries.

You will work closely with McKinsey’s global leadership, industry and functional practices, and technology organizations—including QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey—to develop differentiated enterprise AI offerings, pursue complex transformation opportunities, and help customers move from strategy to production deployment and measurable value.

The role carries responsibility for the health, performance, and long-term expansion of the partnership. Success requires senior executive presence, sound judgment, commercial discipline, technical fluency, and the ability to operate effectively across a complex, partner-led organization.


In this role, you will:

  • Own the global McKinsey relationship, including alliance strategy, pipeline growth, enterprise impact, deployment scale, and long-term expansion across priority industries.

  • Define and run the partnership’s operating model across executive governance, joint planning, regional execution, opportunity management, resource allocation, and escalation.

  • Serve as OpenAI’s senior executive counterpart to McKinsey’s global leadership and relevant industry, functional, technology, and regional leaders.

  • Develop a differentiated alliance strategy that combines McKinsey’s strategy, industry expertise, transformation capabilities, and executive relationships with OpenAI’s research, models, products, and technical expertise.

  • Build a deep working relationship with QuantumBlack and other McKinsey technology and AI teams to develop repeatable solutions and move customer programs from strategy and experimentation into production.

  • Set joint priorities, establish clear ownership, resolve escalations, and coordinate execution across global and regional teams.

  • Shape and lead the co-selling of complex, CxO- and board-level enterprise AI transformation opportunities.

  • Engage directly with enterprise executives alongside McKinsey leaders to frame AI strategy, operating models, use-case portfolios, governance, adoption plans, organizational change, and value realization.

  • Identify priority industries, transformation plays, and lighthouse accounts where the partnership can create differentiated and repeatable customer value.

  • Coordinate OpenAI stakeholders across Product, Research, Sales, Solutions Architecture, Technical Success, Legal, Finance, Communications, and Operations to support strategic pursuits and deployments.

  • Establish clear rules of engagement and guardrails for intellectual property, solution quality, safety, delivery, commercial ownership, and customer accountability.

  • Build McKinsey’s capability to position, design, and deliver solutions powered by OpenAI through executive alignment, technical enablement, solution patterns, readiness programs, and disciplined delivery handoffs.

  • Develop joint assets and offerings that can scale beyond individual engagements while maintaining the rigor required for highly strategic customers.

  • Allocate OpenAI resources based on strategic value, revenue potential, customer impact, repeatability, delivery readiness, and partner performance.

  • Build and lead a dedicated alliance pod over time, spanning partner management, technical leadership, enablement, and operations.

  • Establish durable reporting, metrics, and operating cadences covering pipeline, conversion, production adoption, customer outcomes, partner readiness, delivery quality, and return on OpenAI investment.

You might thrive in this role if you have:

  • Partner, Senior Partner, Managing Director, or equivalent senior leadership experience at McKinsey, another leading strategy firm, or a top-tier technology or transformation organization.

  • A strong combination of technology fluency and commercial leadership across business development, enterprise transformation, industry advisory, GTM, or strategic alliances.

  • Proven ownership of a global, multi-year strategic partnership with executive accountability and measurable commercial and customer outcomes.

  • Demonstrated success shaping and closing high-stakes, board-level transformation opportunities and moving them from strategy through production deployment.

  • Experience designing and scaling operating models between senior, partner-led organizations, including governance, incentives, account planning, staffing, delivery handoffs, and escalation.

  • Credibility with senior leaders in strategy consulting and enterprise technology, with a practical understanding of partnership economics, regional structures, and decision-making networks.

  • Strong executive presence and the judgment to make tradeoffs, resolve conflict, and maintain momentum under ambiguity and scrutiny.

  • The ability to influence Product, Research, Sales, Technical, Legal, Finance, Communications, and partner organizations without relying on direct authority.

  • Deep literacy in enterprise AI, data, cloud, security, governance, and organizational transformation, with credibility among CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, CDOs, and other senior executives.

  • Experience working with data science, AI engineering, or advanced analytics organizations such as QuantumBlack or comparable groups.

  • Industry expertise in at least one priority vertical, such as financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, retail and consumer, technology, industrials, or energy.

  • Experience building repeatable solutions or transformation plays from high-value strategic engagements.

  • A disciplined approach to portfolio management, including deciding when to invest, scale, redirect, or decline an opportunity.

  • Preferably, experience with private-equity value creation, portfolio transformation, capability building, or large-scale operating-model change.

What success looks like:

  • OpenAI and McKinsey have a clear alliance thesis, differentiated value proposition, executive governance model, and measurable joint plan.

  • The partnership generates qualified, strategically aligned pipeline and converts priority opportunities into production deployments with demonstrable customer value.

  • McKinsey teams can confidently identify, position, design, and support enterprise transformations powered by OpenAI.

  • The relationship with QuantumBlack and other McKinsey technology teams produces strong technical collaboration, repeatable solution patterns, and disciplined paths from prototype to production.

  • OpenAI resources are allocated transparently and concentrated on opportunities with the greatest strategic, commercial, customer, and repeatable impact.

  • Joint assets and transformation approaches move beyond bespoke engagements into reusable, industry-relevant offerings.

  • OpenAI’s field understands when and how to engage McKinsey, and McKinsey teams understand OpenAI’s standards, guardrails, resources, and escalation paths.

  • The alliance demonstrates sustained executive sponsorship, high-quality delivery, partner accountability, production adoption, and year-over-year growth.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. 

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.

Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.

OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy

At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.

What did you think of this job?

Comments 0

Want to leave a comment?
Sign in or create your account in seconds to join the discussion.
Loading comments...

About IT Governance

IT Governance is the area responsible for ensuring that information technology resources are used strategically, efficiently, and in compliance with standards and regulations. IT governance professionals ensure that technology supports business objectives in a secure and reliable manner.

Key skills include IT service management (ITIL), IT audit and compliance, risk management, business continuity, disaster recovery, metrics and indicators (SLAs, KPIs), and strategic alignment between IT and business. Frameworks like COBIT, ITIL, ISO 27001, and compliance standards are essential.

IT Governance professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master ITSM, IT audit, and risk management. The field offers opportunities from governance analyst to CIO/CTO, with a focus on efficiency, compliance, security, and business value.

Discover Other Areas

Understand the scope of work, key skills, and tools used in different career areas.

About Marketing

The Marketing area is strategic for the growth and positioning of any company. It encompasses traditional marketing, brand management, market research, trade marketing, product marketing, and market intelligence. Marketing professionals are responsible for planning and executing strategies that connect brands to their target audience.

Key skills include brand management, market research, competitive analysis, product marketing, trade marketing, pricing, relationship marketing, and channel development. Knowledge of research tools (Nielsen, Kantar, Ipsos), BI, and advanced spreadsheets is a differentiator.

Marketing professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master product marketing, go-to-market strategy, and data-driven marketing. The field offers opportunities from analyst to CMO, with a focus on growth, brand positioning, and return on investment.

About Customer Service

The Customer Service / Client Relations area is essential for ensuring customer satisfaction, retention, and a good relationship. Professionals in this field are the primary interface for communication, handling inquiries, requests, feedback, and ensuring a high-quality day-to-day experience. Skills in communication, problem-solving, empathy, and patience are indispensable.

About Social Media

The Social Media area is one of the most dynamic and constantly evolving fields in digital marketing. Social media professionals are responsible for creating, managing, and optimizing brand presence on digital platforms, building engagement and community with the target audience.

Key skills include social media management (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube), social media content creation, community management, paid social media (Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads), metrics analysis, and strategic planning. Tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer, Later, and analytics platforms are essential.

Social media professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master paid social, social media analytics, and content strategies for different platforms. The field offers opportunities from analyst to head of social media, with a focus on growth, engagement, and return on investment.

About Communications

The Communications area is strategic for building and maintaining a company's institutional image. It encompasses corporate, internal, and external communication, public relations, press office, and reputation management. Communications professionals are responsible for delivering consistent messages that strengthen the employer brand and market positioning.

Key skills include strategic writing, communication planning, crisis management, media relations, corporate content production, event organization, and digital communication. Knowledge of communication CRMs, press release distribution platforms, and media monitoring tools (Meltwater, Cision) is a differentiator.

Corporate communicators in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master change communication, employee engagement, and digital communication. The field offers opportunities in startups, scale-ups, and large corporations, with a focus on storytelling, organizational culture, and innovation communication.

About UX Design

The User Experience (UX) Design area focuses on optimizing the overall user experience when interacting with a product or service. UX professionals conduct user research (UX Research), map journeys, create wireframes, perform usability tests, and define navigation flows to ensure the product is intuitive, useful, and meets users' real needs.

Career Guides

Technology Career Guide

Planning, skills, interviews, and professional growth in IT, Data Science, DevOps, and Product.

Read full guide →

Design Career Guide

UX/UI, Graphic Design, Product Design. Portfolio, tools, interviews, and growth in the Design field.

Read full guide →

Marketing Career Guide

SEO, Paid Media, Growth, Content Marketing. Certifications, tools, and strategies to grow in Digital Marketing.

Read full guide →

Finance Career Guide

Financial market, investments, corporate finance, certifications, and strategies to grow in the financial field.

Read full guide →

Communication Career Guide

Journalism, PR, Corporate Communication, Content Marketing, and Multimedia Production.

Read full guide →

Administration Career Guide

Business Management, HR, Logistics, Consulting, Project Management, and Entrepreneurship.

Read full guide →

Data Career Guide

Data Science, Data Engineering, BI, Machine Learning, and AI. From training to the job market.

Read full guide →

Product Career Guide

Product Management, Product Ownership, Agile, Scrum, and OKRs. From strategy to execution.

Read full guide →

Tech & Remote Glossary

Stop getting lost in interviews and job descriptions

The job market, especially within tech and global companies, has developed its own dialect. Not understanding these acronyms can make you lose valuable opportunities or poorly negotiate your contract. To end this problem, we created the Definitive Glossary for the Remote Professional.

🏢 Work Models & Routine

Async (Asynchronous Work)
A communication model where responses don't need to be immediate. Instead of back-to-back meetings, the team relies on well-structured documents, threads, and messages. It's the gold standard for global companies spanning multiple time zones.
Sync (Synchronous Work)
The opposite of Async. It requires the team to be online and available at the same time for meetings, live chats, and real-time collaboration.
Daily / Stand-up
A quick daily meeting (usually 15 minutes) common in Agile (Scrum) methodologies. The team answers three questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Are there any blockers?
All-Hands / Town Hall
A company-wide meeting involving all employees. Usually led by the founders (C-Levels) to present results, new goals, and answer team questions.
1:1 (One-on-One)
A recurring individual meeting between a professional and their direct manager. It is used for career alignment, feedback, and problem-solving, not just for project status updates.

💰 Contracts, Benefits & Compensation

PTO (Paid Time Off)
Instead of strict, categorized leave policies, modern US companies usually offer a flexible pool of days (e.g., 20 days of PTO, or even "Unlimited PTO") that you can use for vacations, sick days, or personal matters, while receiving your regular compensation.
Equity / Stock Options
Company ownership. The startup offers you the right to buy shares at a heavily discounted strike price in the future. If the company grows, goes public, or is acquired, these shares can be highly lucrative.
Vesting (Vesting Schedule)
The rule that controls your Equity. It usually lasts 4 years. You don't get all the shares on day one; you "earn" them gradually as you stay with the company. A "1-year Cliff" means you must stay for at least one year to receive your first batch of shares.
RSUs (Restricted Stock Units)
Unlike Stock Options (where you have the right to buy the stock), RSUs are actual shares the company grants you as a bonus or part of your compensation package, following a strict Vesting schedule.
Independent Contractor (1099 / B2B)
The most common international hiring model for global talent working for US companies. You act as a service provider (business-to-business), receiving the gross salary (often six-figure compensation) without standard local payroll tax deductions at the source.

🤖 Recruitment & Hiring Process

ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
The "robot" that reads your resume. Software like Greenhouse, Ashby, and Workday are used to filter candidates by keywords before a human even looks at the document. (Pro tip: this is why your resume must be clean, semantic, and have the right keywords).
JD (Job Description)
The document that lists the responsibilities, technical requirements, and benefits of the open position.
Cultural Fit
The interview stage that evaluates if your core values, communication style, and worldview align with the company's culture. This is the ultimate test of your Soft Skills.
Onboarding
The integration process. It's the period of your first few weeks at the company, where you get your access credentials, learn about the culture, study the internal documentation, and understand how the product works.

🚀 How to use this to your advantage?

The secret isn't just knowing what these acronyms mean, but using them actively. If during an interview for a premium tech role you ask, "How does your PTO policy and Vesting schedule work?", the recruiter will immediately perceive you as a high-level professional, familiar with the global market standards.

The remote job market requires preparation. And having the right vocabulary is the first big step to securing six-figure proposals and standing out among thousands of applicants.

Expert Tip

The Current State of the Cloud & DevOps Market

By Mondywork | The ultimate guide for tech professionals looking to level up their careers, land global remote roles, and master modern infrastructure.

The End of the "SysAdmin" and the Rise of Platform Engineering

If you've been tracking the most sought-after roles at startups and Fortune 500 companies, you've probably noticed a drastic shift. The Cloud Computing and DevOps market is no longer just about "keeping the app online." Today, companies demand extreme resilience, automation, and cost optimization (the famous FinOps).

DevOps culture has evolved. We are now in the era of Platform Engineering, where infrastructure teams build internal platforms to grant developers full autonomy (Self-Service). For those aiming for global remote roles with six-figure compensation, understanding this transition isn't just a plus—it's a strict requirement.

"Elite DevOps teams deploy code 973 times more frequently and boast a Mean Time To Recovery (MTTR) that is 6,570 times faster than low-performing teams."

— State of DevOps Report (DORA / Google Cloud)

What Do Recruiters and ATS Systems Really Look For?

Automated filters (ATS platforms like Greenhouse, Ashby, and Workday) are hardwired to scan for a very specific set of skills in Cloud/DevOps resumes. Simply listing 20 tools won't cut it anymore; you must demonstrate culture and real-world impact.

  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Forget clicking around the AWS console. Declarative tools like Terraform, Pulumi, and Ansible are the true industry standards.
  • Container Orchestration: Mastery of Docker and, above all, Kubernetes (K8s) is practically mandatory for premium roles.
  • CI/CD Culture: Building automated pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, ArgoCD) that guarantee continuous and secure deployments.
  • Cloud Providers and Architecture: Proficiency in at least one major public cloud provider (AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure), with a strong focus on Serverless, microservices, and system resilience.

How to Transition: The Roadmap to Success

Many Back-End developers, support analysts, and network professionals want to pivot to Cloud and DevOps. If that's your goal, follow this market-validated roadmap:

  1. Master the Basics (Linux and Networking): Modern DevOps runs on Linux. Understanding permissions, processes, bash scripting, and the fundamentals of TCP/IP, DNS, and Load Balancers is your foundation.
  2. Learn to Code: A DevOps engineer doesn't need to be a Senior Developer, but you must know how to automate tasks. Python and Go (Golang) are currently the most highly valued languages in this ecosystem.
  3. Are Certifications Worth It? Yes, especially to get past the initial HR screening. Certifications like the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate or the CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) carry massive weight in the global market.
  4. Build a Real Portfolio: Publish a project on GitHub where you provision infrastructure via Terraform, set up a CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions, and deploy a simple app to a Kubernetes cluster. Practical projects always beat theoretical resumes.

Essential References and Study Links

To stay up-to-date, we highly recommend following official organizations and annual market reports:


🚀 Want access to the best remote Cloud & DevOps jobs?

Join our mailing list and get the best jobs delivered straight to you, tailored to your areas of interest. Currently, we partner with over 200 companies that advertise their premium, remote-first roles with us. Sign up now and get the best opportunities in the global market right in your inbox!