Ad Sales Lead - West

Req ID: R-01199

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.

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.

Salary Range: $152,000—$228,000 USD