Head of Business Development, LATAM

About the Role

The Head of Business Development, LATAM will lead OpenAI ’s regional BD strategy and execution. You will serve as the single-threaded point of contact for regional leadership across the full Business Development organization, setting priorities and coordinating the teams needed to deliver them.

The scope includes growth (consumer and SMB), plugins and MCP, search, commerce, B2B marketplaces, and ads/monetization partnerships. You will identify priorities, originate and lead deals, manage key partner relationships, and work with global program owners on deals and initiatives across these areas.

This is a senior, hands-on role based in São Paulo. As the first dedicated LATAM BD hire, you will personally lead complex deals, work closely with Product, Engineering, Finance and GTM/Sales, and build the team as resources become available. Success requires great judgment, product orientation, and consistent execution from negotiation through launch and ongoing performance.

Key Responsibilities:

Own the LATAM BD plan. Agree on priorities with regional and country leadership, identify where partnerships can materially improve outcomes, and allocate effort across markets and programs.

Represent the full BD organization in the region. Coordinate with global functional and program leaders, establish clear ownership for each opportunity, and resolve dependencies and decisions.

Lead strategic partnerships and programs end to end: sourcing, structuring, negotiation, internal approval, launch, and expansion.

Develop consumer and business growth partnerships across distribution, product integrations, enterprise ecosystems, and marketplaces. Work with carriers, financial institutions, payments providers, and technology platforms.

Build regional platform and agent partnerships. Work with local services and global product teams on apps, plugins, feeds, and other integrations that expand what users can do with OpenAI products.

Partner with global BD leaders on regional opportunities and clear agreement on strategic value, product readiness, and responsibilities.

Set success measures and delivery plans with Product, Engineering, Data Science, Marketing, Finance, Legal, Policy, and GTM. Track adoption, retained usage, revenue, and partner economics as appropriate; address launch blockers and adjust underperforming partnerships.

Build senior partner relationships and regional BD coverage. Maintain a focused pipeline, communicate progress and tradeoffs clearly, and hire and develop a small team as headcount becomes available.

Qualifications:

15+ years in business development, product partnerships, product management, engineering or related roles in technology industry.

Deep operating experience in LATAM, and an understanding of commercial, cultural, competitive, and regulatory differences across markets.

Experience in a startup or high-growth technology environment, setting priorities and delivering with limited initial resources.

Strong product judgment and technical fluency, including experience working with Product and Engineering on integration scope, feasibility, and roadmap tradeoffs.

Strong negotiation and commercial judgment, with experience structuring incentives, assessing economics, and declining deals that do not meet strategic or financial requirements.

Credibility with senior executives and the ability to lead across functions, countries, and time zones without relying on direct reporting authority.

Strong analytical and communication skills: clear business cases, explicit tradeoffs, concise writing, and disciplined measurement of partnership performance.

A collaborative, low-ego working style, with personal accountability, adaptability, and reliable follow-through.

Fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligen