We're looking for a Business Development Representative to be the first point of contact for companies interested in OpenRouter. You'll qualify inbound leads, educate prospects on LLM optimization, and create a high-quality pipeline for our Account Executives. This role is perfect for someone early in their sales career who wants to become an AI/LLM technology expert, build sales processes from the ground up, and grow into a closing role at a fast-moving startup.

Responsibilities:

• Respond to inbound inquiries from prospective customers quickly and efficiently.

• Qualify leads based on fit criteria and route high-potential opportunities to Account Executives with thorough context.

• Educate prospects on how OpenRouter helps them optimize LLM costs, improve performance, and access the best models for their needs.

• Maintain meticulous CRM hygiene with detailed notes on prospect needs, objections, timeline, and opportunity size.

• Collaborate with Account Executives to improve the lead handoff process and incorporate feedback on lead quality.

• Partner with Marketing on campaign feedback, messaging effectiveness, and lead source performance.

• Meet or exceed monthly quotas for qualified opportunities created and meetings scheduled.

Qualifications:

• 2+ years of experience in a BDR, SDR, or inside sales role at a B2B SaaS company.

• Track record of consistently hitting or exceeding quota in a metrics-driven environment

• Strong discovery skills—you ask thoughtful questions, listen actively, and uncover real business needs.

• Ability to quickly learn technical products and explain them clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Excellent written and verbal communication with the ability to craft compelling, personalized outreach.

• Experience with CRM systems and comfort working in sales tools.

Nice to Haves:

• Being the first BDR hire at a startup or fast-growing company.

• Experience at an API-first, AI infrastructure company or technically similar.

• Experience with prompt engineering and LLM evaluation.