Ad Sales Lead, Central

EngineersOfAI; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Duolingo is hiring an Ad Sales Lead in Chicago to own the Central region's direct ads strategy and revenue. This senior individual-contributor role focuses on building a high-quality pipeline, cultivating senior relationships with brands and agencies, and closing high-impact deals that align with our mission to deliver education to hundreds of millions of learners.

You will partner with cross-functional teams to influence pricing, packaging, and go-to-market motions, shaping the trajectory of

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in direct digital ad sales.
• Experience selling premium video and native/custom ad formats.
• Senior seller experience in an early-stage or evolving business.
• Strong commercial judgment on pricing, packaging, and negotiation.
• Ability to influence senior decision makers with cross-functional collaboration.
• Strong understanding of ad tech and mobile app ecosystems; data-driven proposals.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the Central region’s direct ads strategy and revenue outcomes, including pipeline development and forecasting.
• Build senior relationships across brands and agencies, expanding strategic accounts into long-term partnerships.
• Lead end-to-end deals from prospecting to close, renewal, and expansion.
• Translate Duolingo’s strengths into compelling commercial narratives for advertisers.
• Collaborate with Account Management, Ad Ops, Product, Design, and Engineering to move deals forward.
• Share actionable market feedback to inform pricing and future ad formats.
• Help establish repeatable systems for a growing ads business, including planning and CRM hygiene.

Skills

Senior ad sales

Premium formats

Strategic selling

Pricing & packaging

Influence senior decision makers

Ad tech knowledge

Communication skills

Job description

Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. It’s a big mission, and that’s where you come in!

At Duolingo, you’ll join a team that cares about educating our users, experimenting with big ideas, making fact-based decisions, and finding innovative solutions to complex problems. You’ll have limitless learning opportunities and daily collaborations with world-class minds — while doing work that’s both meaningful and fun.

Join our life-changing mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world.

Read our blog to learn more.

About the role...

Join us to build Duolingo Ads, Duolingo’s direct ad business. Most learners use our free, ad-supported app, so high-quality ads are core to our mission. We’re hiring an Ad Sales Lead in Chicago to open and lead the Central region. This is a senior individual-contributor role for a seller who can both win business and help shape how we scale: you’ll set regional strategy, build a high-quality pipeline across priority verticals, cultivate senior relationships with brands and agencies, and close high-impact deals that delight learners and drive revenue. You’ll partner closely with sales leadership and the cross-functional ads team to influence pricing, packaging, market prioritization, and the broader go-to-market motion as Duolingo Ads grows. This is a high-ownership, early-stage opportunity to help define the trajectory of ads on Duolingo for hundreds of millions of learners.

You will...

• Own the Central region’s direct ads strategy and revenue outcomes, including named-account prioritization, pipeline development, forecasting, and quarterly execution.
• Build and grow senior relationships across brands and agencies, opening new logos and expanding strategic accounts into long-term, high-value partnerships.
• Lead complex, high-impact deals end-to-end, from prospecting and positioning through negotiation, close, renewal, and expansion.
• Translate Duolingo’s unique strengths, including premium attention, native formats, character IP, and brand equity, into clear commercial narratives tailored to advertiser objectives.
• Partner closely with Account Management, Ad Ops, Product, Design, and Engineering to move deals forward, shape feasible programs, and improve the advertiser and learner experience.
• Share actionable market feedback with sales and product leadership to inform pricing, packaging, measurement, and future ad formats.
• Help establish repeatable systems and standards for a growing ads business, including account planning, CRM hygiene, proposal quality, and pipeline rigor.

You have...

• 8+ years of experience in direct digital ad sales, with a strong track record of building senior client relationships and closing meaningful new business.
• Success selling premium video and native/custom ad formats in digital, mobile, or consumer app environments.
• Proven ability to operate as a senior seller in an early-stage or evolving business, balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Strong commercial judgment across pricing, packaging, negotiation, and account prioritization.
• Ability to influence senior decision makers at brands and agencies while working effectively with cross-functional partners internally.
• Strong understanding of ad tech and mobile app ecosystems, and comfort using data to assess campaign performance, shape proposals, and inform sales strategy.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with a clear persuasive style and comfort operating in ambiguity.

Exceptional candidates will have...

• Established relationships with senior brand and agency leaders across the Central region.
• Experience building a direct ads business from 0→1 or scaling a newer ads product within a publisher or platform environment.
• Experience shaping go-to-market s