Business Development Representative at Openlayer (S21)

$50K - $70K •

The fastest way to ship airtight AI

San Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)

Full-time

3+ years

Apply now

About Openlayer

Openlayer is a testing and debugging platform for machine learning models. Openlayer makes it easy for ML teams to find failures and biases, figure out their root causes, and create unit tests to ensure they stay fixed — all baked in with experiment tracking and versioning (think GitHub for ML). The company was founded by three previous Siri engineers who contributed to over 15 different AI/ML projects at Apple.

Openlayer is currently working with several well-known enterprise companies worth over $1B, helping them rapidly improve the quality of their models and datasets and save tons of time and money.

We're looking for a founding engineer to help us build the future of sustainable, performant, and ethical machine learning.

We're backed by Y Combinator and several of the top investors and funds in the world, including the founders of companies like Instagram, Voyage, Instacart, Sendbird, Mercury.

About the role

About the Role

As a Business Development Representative (BDR) at Openlayer, you’ll be on the front lines of our sales strategy, helping to expand our reach in the AI/ML industry. You will play a crucial role in identifying and qualifying potential customers, building relationships, and supporting the growth of our customer base. This role offers an exciting opportunity to join a fast-growing company and make a tangible impact on our growth trajectory.

What You’ll Do

Identify and Qualify Leads: Research and identify new business opportunities, focusing on outbound lead generation. Use tools and data to qualify leads and ensure a strong pipeline of potential customers.

Conduct Outreach: Engage with prospective customers through personalized emails, calls, and social media. Spark interest in Openlayer and schedule meetings or demos with the sales team.

Collaborate Across Teams: Work closely with sales, marketing, and product teams to align messaging and ensure a seamless customer journey from the first touchpoint.

Track and Report: Maintain accurate records of all activities in our CRM. Regularly report on key performance metrics and share insights with the broader team.

Grow with Us: Develop a deep understanding of the AI/ML industry, our products, and the value we bring to customers. Leverage this knowledge to effectively communicate Openlayer’s value proposition and improve conversion rates.

What We’re Looking For

Experience: 3+ years in a BDR, SDR, or related role, ideally within SaaS or tech. Experience in the AI/ML space is a bonus but not required.
Strong Communicator: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage prospects and convey complex value propositions clearly.
Motivated and Resilient: Self-driven and resilient, with the ability to handle rejection and stay focused on meeting outreach targets.
Organized and Data-Driven: Detail-oriented, with experience using CRM tools to track activity and measure results.
Team Player: Able to work collaboratively in a cross-functional environment and contribute to team goals.

Why Openlayer?

High Impact: Play an essential role in expanding our reach in the AI industry, helping companies enhance the reliability and performance of their models.
Growth Opportunities: As a fast-growing company, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your career in sales and grow alongside us.
Hybrid Culture: Work remotely or in person — the choice is yours.
Innovative Team: Join a collaborative, passionate team focused on creating meaningful solutions in the AI space.

Benefits

Competitive salary & equity
Health, vision, and dental insurance
Flexible PTO
Hybrid culture
Regular team off-sites and social events (virtual and in-person)

If you’re excited about developing your career in business development and making an impact in a fast-growing AI company, we’d love to hear from you!

Technology

Frontend

Next.js + Typescript

Backend

Flask + SQL (Postgres) + RQ workers for long-running tasks. We are deployed on AWS but offer an on-prem, cloud-agnostic version of the product. Several SoTA ML models used to generate insights and data-centric tests.

Interview Process

Our interview process is designed to be efficient, transparent, and focused on finding the right fit for both Openlayer and the candidate. At each phase, we will be quick to make decisions and share our feedback.

Phone Screen

This is an informal conversation to get to know each other. We’ll discuss the BDR role, your background in sales or business development, and assess your fit with Openlayer. We’re looking for candidates with a strong interest in tech sales, ideally within SaaS, AI, or ML. This is also an opportunity for you to learn more about Openlayer and determine if this role aligns with your career goals.

Outbound Strategy Discussion

In this stage, you’ll have a remote conversation with a member of our sales or marketing team to discuss your approach to lead generation, outreach, and engagement. We’ll explore your past experience in developing and nurturing a pipeline, your preferred outreach methods, and how you measure success. This helps us understand how you would engage prospects and contribute to building a strong pipeline at Openlayer.

Role-Play Exercise

For this part of the interview, you’ll participate in a role-play exercise where you will simulate an outreach call or email to a prospective customer. We’ll provide background information on a mock prospect, and you’ll be asked to structure a conversation that captures interest and addresses common objections. This exercise allows us to see how you communicate with prospects, handle objections, and maintain a persuasive yet empathetic tone.

Founders Chat

As a BDR, you’ll work closely with the Openlayer sales and marketing leadership team. In this stage, you’ll have a discussion with one of our founders, focusing on your background, motivations, and adaptability in a fast-paced environment. This conversation is a great opportunity to learn more about Openlayer's mission and culture and to ask questions about our vision for the future.

On-site Interviews

The on-site portion of the interview process is designed to further explore your skills, communication style, and overall fit with our team. This round includes:

Outbound Strategy & Pipeline Building: We’ll discuss how you approach lead generation, your methods for qualifying leads, and strategies for moving prospects through the pipeline. This interview focuses on your organizational skills and your approach to staying persistent and proactive in outreach.
Collaborative & Cross-functional Discussion: Given the close collaboration between sales, marketing, and customer success teams, you’ll meet with leaders from these departments. This interview will focus on how you work cross-functionally and leverage team insights to optimize your outreach and follow-up strategies.
Objection Handling & Customer Communication: Effective objection handling is key for BDRs. You’ll walk us through your approach to addressing common objections, how you re-engage disinterested prospects, and your strategies for building strong initial relationships with leads.
Final Founder Interview: In this final interview, you’ll again meet with one of our founders to discuss your motivations, long-term goals, and vision for your role at Openlayer. This is a great time to ask any remaining questions and gain a deeper understanding of our company’s culture and mission.

We’ll host the on-site interviews at our SF office, with lunch provided to meet additional team members. (If necessary, we cover travel and accommodations.) We may shorten or adjust the interview process based on our assessment at each stage.

Timing

The typical interview process takes 2-3 weeks from start to finish, though we can accelerate timelines if needed. If you have competing offers or a tight timeline, please let us know, and we’ll do our best to accommodate.

We look forward to the opportunity to meet you and explore whether Openlayer is the right fit for your next chapter!