About this role.
Duolingo is seeking a senior ad-sales leader to launch and scale its West Coast direct advertising business. The role owns regional revenue strategy, forecasting, pipeline development, complex deal execution, and relationships with major brands and agency holding companies. As a player-coach, the hire will personally close strategic advertising partnerships while hiring, coaching, and establishing operating practices for a sales team. Success requires deep digital advertising experience, especially in premium mobile or consumer-app environments, plus fluency in ad tech, pricing, packaging, and data-driven GTM execution.
Role DNA
A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.
Job Complexity
5/5Pace & Pressure
5/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
5/5Salary analysis
Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles.
Core skills
Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity.
Sample interview questions
I would begin by segmenting target accounts and agencies by vertical fit, expected spend, relationship accessibility, and alignment with Duolingo's native, video, and IP-led formats. I would establish a focused named-account plan, define coverage and activity standards, create repeatable sales narratives, and use early wins to refine packaging, pricing, and expansion motions.
I would connect the product to the marketer's business objective rather than lead with inventory. I would use audience, engagement, format, and measurement evidence to show how a creative, brand-safe program can drive awareness or performance, then build a clear test-and-learn path with success metrics, campaign storytelling, and a renewal or expansion plan.
I use standardized deal stages with explicit exit criteria, validate close dates against buyer actions and procurement realities, and inspect pipeline weekly through deal reviews. I also separate committed, best-case, and pipeline scenarios, document risks and next steps in the CRM, and use historical conversion data to identify gaps early.
I set clear priorities, operating rhythms, and measurable expectations while remaining actively involved in the most strategic opportunities. Coaching focuses on account strategy, discovery quality, deal control, and executive communication; I model the behavior expected from the team and gradually delegate ownership as sellers build capability.
I would treat learner trust and product quality as core commercial constraints, not obstacles to work around. I would partner closely with Product, Ad Ops, and Account Management to sell formats and programs that are relevant, thoughtfully integrated, measurable, and operationally deliverable, while ensuring market feedback informs responsible product evolution.
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.
Job Alerts: Sign up for job alerts here.
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 accommodations@duolingo.com.
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.
Fraud Warning: Unfortunately, there is a rise in scammers pretending to be real Duolingo employees. Duolingo and our employees will never ask for your Social Security number, bank details, or passport info, and we’ll never ask you to deposit a check, purchase equipment, or exchange money during the interview process. Real Duolingo employees always use an email that ends in @duolingo.com or @recruiting.duolingo.com. Stay alert and double-check these details before sharing any information.
By applying for this position your data will be processed as per the Duolingo Applicant Privacy Notice.
Upload your resume now
- To unlock remote work opportunities and be discovered by global employers.
This job listing has been manually reviewed by the Jobicy Trust & Safety Team for compliance with our posting guidelines, including verification of the company's legitimacy, accuracy of job details, clarity of remote work policy, and absence of misleading or fraudulent content.
