Ad Sales Lead - West

Drive Capital; California (MO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Benefits package

Job summary

Duolingo seeks a Head of West Coast Sales to set regional strategy, build and lead a high‑performing team, and own revenue outcomes across priority verticals and agency groups. You’ll cultivate senior‑level relationships, shape pricing and packaging with leadership, and close high‑impact deals that delight learners and drive revenue while guiding a team of sellers.

This is an early‑stage opportunity to define how ads show up for hundreds of millions of learners while building repeatable,

Qualifications

• 8+ years of direct digital ad sales experience with a track record of hunting, closing, and renewing.
• Experience selling video and native formats and structuring innovative agreements with top advertisers/agencies.
• Ability to engage senior decision makers and build collateral, troubleshoot issues, and drive revenue personally.
• Strong understanding of ad tech and mobile app ecosystems with data-driven pricing/packaging.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills; comfortable operating with ambiguity at high velocity.

Responsibilities

• Own West Coast revenue targets and forecasting; build a healthy, predictable pipeline across named accounts and agency groups.
• Develop and execute the regional go-to-market strategy, including territory design, vertical focus, pricing/packaging inputs, and coverage plans.
• Hire, coach, and lead a small team of sellers over time; establish operating rhythms and CRM hygiene standards.
• Build and deepen senior relationships at brands and agencies; open new logos and expand strategic accounts.
• Lead complex deals end-to-end—from prospecting to close, renewal, and expansion—with cross‑team collaboration.
• Provide market feedback to inform pricing, packaging, measurement, and ad experiences.
• Operate with speed and rigor in a startup-like environment; scale sales motions and outbound cadences.

Skills

Digital ad sales

Video & native formats

Senior stakeholder relations

Ad tech knowledge

Strong communication

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 great ads are core to our mission. We’re hiring a Head of West Coast Sales to open and scale our West Coast region. You will set regional strategy, build and lead a high‑performing team, and own revenue outcomes across priority verticals and agency holding companies. As a player/coach, you’ll cultivate senior‑level relationships, shape pricing and packaging with leadership, and close high‑impact deals that both delight learners and drive revenue while leading a team of sellers. This is a high‑ownership, early‑stage opportunity to help define how ads show up for hundreds of millions of learners while building a repeatable, data‑driven go‑to‑market.

You will

• Own West Coast revenue targets and forecasting; build a healthy, predictable pipeline across named accounts and agency groups, and deliver against quarterly goals.
• Develop and execute the regional go‑to‑market strategy, including territory design, vertical focus, pricing/packaging inputs, and coverage plans as we scale.
• Hire, coach, and lead a small team of sellers over time; establish operating rhythms, deal reviews, and CRM hygiene standards that improve forecast accuracy and execution.
• Build and deepen senior relationships at brands and agencies; open new logos and expand strategic accounts with clear commercial narratives that map Duolingo’s unique strengths (design, IP, native formats) to client objectives.
• Lead complex deals end‑to‑end—from prospecting and positioning through negotiation, close, renewal, and expansion—partnering tightly with Account Management and Ad Ops for flawless delivery.
• Share actionable market feedback with sales and product leadership to inform pricing, packaging, measurement, and ad experiences while protecting the learner experience.
• Operate with speed and rigor in a startup‑like environment, building repeatable sales motions, outreach cadences, and team practices that scale from 0→1 and 1→N.

You have

• 8+ years of direct digital ad sales experience with a consistent track record of hunting, closing, and renewing in premium mobile or consumer app environments.
• Success selling video and native/custom formats and structuring innovative agreements with top‑tier advertisers and agencies.
• Proven ability to engage senior decision makers while rolling up your sleeves to build collateral, troubleshoot issues, and drive revenue personally.
• Strong understanding of ad tech and mobile app ecosystems, with skill using data to assess performance and inform pricing and packaging.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, and comfort operating with ambiguity at high velocity.

Exceptional candidates will have

• Established relationships across West Coast brand and agency decision makers.
• Experience introducing or scaling a new ads product from 0→1 within a publisher or platform environment.
• Experience shaping regional GTM, sales process, or coverage models beyond an individual book of business.
• Familiarity partnering with Account Management and Ad Ops on native/custom programs and live‑campaign storytelling to drive renewals.
• Vertical expertise in Entertainment, Gaming, Streaming, or Tech that accelerates early traction.

The offered salary is dependent upon several factors, including work experience, skills, and internal peer comparisons. The posted range is subject to change in the future. For this role, base salary is supplemented by equity compensation. We encourage you to talk with your recruiter for more information related to compensation for this role!

Salary Range: $140,000 — $210,000 USD

Benefits: Take a peek at how we care for our employees' holistic well-being with our benefits here.

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Accommodations: We will do everything we can within reason to make sure that your interview takes place in an environment that fairly and accurately assesses your skills. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact [e-mail].

Equal Employment Opportunity: Duolingo is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.