Strategic Account Executive

About the role

ABOUT OPENROUTER OpenRouter is the open AI routing and infrastructure layer that enterprises use to access, manage, and optimize the best large language models across providers—without lock-in, capacity constraints, or unnecessary cost. We power some of the most advanced AI teams in the world by giving them the flexibility to move fast, scale confidently, and stay future-proof as models evolve. As enterprise adoption of AI accelerates, OpenRouter sits at the center of how organizations operationalize LLMs across research, product, and production workloads. ABOUT THE ROLE As a Strategic Account Executive, you will develop our partnerships with our largest and most complex enterprise customers by creating long-term alignment between OpenRouter and your accounts' business strategy, technology roadmap, and AI adoption journey. This is a high-impact role focused on multi-stakeholder deals, long sales cycles, and strategic AI infrastructure conversations with technical, financial, and executive decision-makers. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Proactively build and manage a robust pipeline of high-impact outbound sales campaigns to identify and engage key decision-makers at target accounts, establishing the value proposition early in the sales cycle. - Be accountable for the relationship and business developed between OpenRouter and a limited number of Strategic Accounts - Build, document, and implement account strategies that are mutually beneficial to the customers you manage and OpenRouter - Build, develop, and orchestrate multi-level executive relationships across CTO, CIO, CFO, and AI leadership - Own the full sales cycle from lead to close to activation for large enterprise deals, including demos, proposals, and ROI analyses - Contribute to shaping our enterprise go-to-market strategy and building repeatable processes and scaled engagement models - Stay abreast of AI trends, competitive landscapes, and regulatory changes to inform sales strategies and provide feedback to the product team - Attend industry conferences, client meetings, and networking events (up to 30% travel required) WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR - 7-10+ years of sales experience managing large, strategic accounts, selling complex technical solutions, and closing seven-figure deals with consistent overachievement in quota - Demonstrated ability to thrive in highly ambiguous, unstructured environments, with a proven capacity to create clarity, define processes, and navigate complex challenges independently. - A proven track record of moving sales processes forward from inception to close by leading complex, multi-party sales in a highly consultative manner, understanding customer strategies and leading with value - Great listening skills and the ability to quickly become a trusted resource for C-level decision-makers across technology and finance organizations - An ability to understand complex technical and business problems and articulate how OpenRouter's platform can address them - Experience selling technical or infrastructure products (AI/ML platforms, developer tools, cloud, data, or APIs) - Proven ability to lead complex negotiations involving bespoke commercial agreements, with strong business acumen around pricing, contracts, and enterprise buying processes - Superior verbal, written, and presentation skills - A positive attitude and tireless work ethic when encountering blockers to success, whether external or internal - Strong interest in technology and a deep understanding of the AI/LLM space - Meticulous approach to CRM hygiene and experience utilizing thorough sales forecasting metrics on a weekly/quarterly basis and communicating them in a succinct manner NICE TO HAVES - Experience selling AI, ML, or developer-first products - Familiarity with LLM ecosystems (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, open-source models) - Experience working with global or multi-region enterprise customers - Prior startup or high-growth company experience If you don't think you meet all of the criteria below but still are interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box, and we're looking for someone who is excited to join the team.