--- title: 'Director of Ad Sales - West at Duolingo' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-ad-sales-west-duolingo-california-bvdja2xnvr3g' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-08' --- # Director of Ad Sales - West at Duolingo - **Company:** Duolingo - **Location:** California - **Compensation:** $183k–$275k - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-08-28 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08 - **Apply:** https://careers.duolingo.com/jobs/8761234002?gh_jid=8761234002 ## 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](https://blog.duolingo.com/?utm_source=greenhouse.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=generalblog_gh_091224) 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: $183,200—$274,800 USD Benefits: Take a peek at how we care for our employees' holistic well-being with our benefits [here](https://careers.duolingo.com/#benefits). Job Alerts: Sign up for job alerts [here](http://my.greenhouse.io/users/sign_in?job_board=duolingo). 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](https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTX9GKeRMOMA9Vtm0vfGibrYPYz8ysl0Dg8KSXgj_PxeT5ChsdnNZZWtpxu4t7xillTPGnngnKCjIbV/pub). ## About Duolingo ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Duolingo is a gamified language-learning platform that makes education free, fun, and accessible to everyone, and is the most downloaded education app in history. - **Entity Type**: Public (NASDAQ: DUOL) - **Headquarters**: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA (with offices in New York, NY and Seattle, WA) - **Founded**: 2011 - **Founders**: Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker ## Core Business - **Primary Industry/Industries**: Education technology (EdTech), language learning, digital assessment - **Target Customers**: B2C (individual learners of all ages, globally), B2B/B2G (institutions through the Duolingo English Test) - **Mission**: “To develop the best education in the world and make it universally available.” [investors.duolingo.com](https://investors.duolingo.com/company-strategy-overview-0) ## Products & Services - **Duolingo (main app)**: The core language-learning app offering 98 courses across nearly 40 languages. Freemium model (free with ads/limited hearts; paid Super Duolingo removes ads and adds unlimited hearts). Uses bite-sized, game-like lessons. - **Duolingo English Test (DET)**: A web-based, high-stakes English proficiency exam accepted by 6,100+ institutions, including 98 of the top 100 U.S. universities. Provides a certified Duolingo Score. - **Duolingo Math**: An app for elementary math and brain training (mental math). - **Duolingo ABC**: An app teaching reading fundamentals to preschool through second-grade children. - **Duolingo Score**: An in-app proficiency estimate (0–129) that aims to become the universal standard for language ability. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Approximately $16 B as of early 2025. [blog.duolingo.com](https://blog.duolingo.com/handbook/) - **Key Metrics (as of Q4 2025)**: - 52.7 million daily active users (DAUs) - 133.1 million monthly active users (MAUs) - 12.2 million paid subscribers - 90%+ annual employee retention rate [investors.duolingo.com](https://investors.duolingo.com/company-strategy-overview-0) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Publicly traded; major institutional shareholders. Key partners include universities and institutions that accept the Duolingo English Test. - **Growth Signals**: - Headcount grew to 850+ employees (up from ~800 in early 2025). - Massive AI investment: published 20,500 skills in language courses in Q1 2026 alone (up from 7,100/quarter in 2025). - Launched Video Call feature for real-time AI conversation practice with character Lily. - Expanding beyond language into Math and ABC apps. - DET acceptance grew to 6,100+ institutions. ## Competitive Advantages - **Freemium model at massive scale**: Free product drives 500 M+ learners, generating unmatched data for efficacy improvements, while paid subscriptions fund the mission. - **Gamification & design mastery**: “Make It Fun” principle turns learning into an addictive game, driving daily habit formation. - **AI & data flywheel**: Runs 1,000+ A/B tests per quarter; uses learner data to continuously improve content, personalization, and outcomes. - **Long-term thinking**: Culture of “Take the Long View” prioritizes retention and product quality over short-term tricks. - **The Green Machine**: A proven, experiment-driven approach to building products that has produced consistent innovation. - **Strong brand & quirky culture**: Wholesome but unhinged brand identity creates viral moments and deep user loyalty. ## Strategic Focus - **Current priorities**: Growing users (reducing friction in free experience) and teaching better (AI-driven features, new subjects). - **Becoming the proficiency standard**: Push the Duolingo Score as the universal metric for language ability, supported by the DET. - **Expanding subjects**: Math, reading (ABC), and future courses beyond language. - **AI investments**: Continue using AI/automation to rapidly create and improve course content (skills, Video Call, etc.). - **Long-term**: Build a “100‑year company” that transforms global education. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Unique, quirky, and not copied from a tech playbook – built “from scratch by a few dozen nerds in an office above a sports bar.” Core principles: Take the Long View, Raise the Bar, Ship It, Show Don’t Tell, Make It Fun. [handbook.duolingo.com](https://handbook.duolingo.com/) - **Work environment**: Hybrid – in-office Tuesday–Thursday (Pittsburgh, New York, Seattle), remote optional Monday and Friday. Offices designed to be “quirky and welcoming.” [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/duolingo) - **Engineering excellence**: Lean, scrappy teams with high autonomy. Emphasis on rapid experimentation and “The Green Machine.” High bar for hiring but also “genuinely kind” people. 90%+ annual retention indicates strong employee satisfaction. - **Impact**: Work on a product that reaches over half a billion learners worldwide, with a mission-driven focus on global education. - **Perks**: Not fully detailed in provided sources, but the culture emphasizes long-term growth, continuous learning, and a supportive environment for generalists. ## Sources 1. [handbook.duolingo.com](https://handbook.duolingo.com/) – The Duolingo Handbook (company values, culture, Green Machine) 2. [careers.duolingo.com](https://careers.duolingo.com/) – Official careers page (mission, principles) 3. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/duolingo) – Duolingo profile on Built In (offices, hybrid policy, tech stack, employee count) 4. [investors.duolingo.com](https://investors.duolingo.com/company-strategy-overview-0) – Company Strategy Overview (mission, pillars, key metrics, growth signals) 5. [blog.duolingo.com](https://blog.duolingo.com/handbook/) – Inside the Duolingo Handbook (valuation ~$16B, principles, culture details) ## Other roles at Duolingo - [Senior Site Reliability Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-site-reliability-engineer-duolingo-pittsburgh-8nvfwjjdkbxm) — Pittsburgh, PA - [Senior Site Reliability Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-site-reliability-engineer-duolingo-new-york-kjw9h58hqx0s) — New York, NY - [Senior Engineering Manager, AI Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineering-manager-ai-platform-duolingo-pittsburgh-5085b5znwcr1) — Pittsburgh, PA - [Senior Engineering Manager, AI Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineering-manager-ai-platform-duolingo-new-york-bx23s2pzvw30) — New York, NY - [Senior Performance Marketing Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-performance-marketing-manager-duolingo-new-york-98b9e45xe14j) — New York, NY - [Staff Product Researcher](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-product-researcher-duolingo-new-york-43ckr2bd1zxr) — New York, NY - [Senior Enterprise Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-enterprise-engineer-duolingo-pittsburgh-66mbpgpc0h61) — Pittsburgh, PA - [Senior Enterprise Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-enterprise-engineer-duolingo-new-york-kgav9px05zgs) — New York, NY - [Senior Marketing Analytics Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-marketing-analytics-manager-duolingo-new-york-1zxfwyhmhn1a) — New York, NY - [Staff Technical Program Manager, Duolingo English Test](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-technical-program-manager-duolingo-english-test-duolingo-pittsburgh-3pwbad0x89dz) — Pittsburgh, PA