Ad Sales Lead, Programmatic

New York, NY · USD 152,000-228,000 · 8+ years experience · Posted Sep 28, 2026

At a glance

The Ad Sales Lead, Programmatic will build a deal-led book of business for Duolingo's premium programmatic advertising.
This role involves owning buy-side relationships with agency holding companies, trading desks, and premium programmatic buyers to drive revenue through native formats and first-party learner signals.
It is a high-ownership, early-stage opportunity to define the programmatic strategy while balancing learner-first standards.

Own a programmatic revenue target and forecast while building a predictable pipeline.
Lead the shift from open auction to premium, deal-led PMP/PG by packaging native formats and first-party learner signals.
Negotiate annual and upfront commitments to ensure durable revenue.
Run joint business planning and secure Duolingo's position on preferred supply paths and curated marketplaces.
Build the programmatic value proposition and measurement story through proposals and pricing narratives.
Partner with Ad Platform Operations and Ad Ops on deal setup, targeting, floors, pacing, and troubleshooting.
Coordinate with direct sellers and Account Management to drive renewal and expansion.
Feed structured market intelligence regarding pricing, packaging, and audience segments back to leadership.
Establish the operating rhythm for the programmatic business, including account planning and CRM pipeline rigor.

8+ years in digital advertising.
At least 4 years selling programmatic on the sell side or in a holding-company programmatic/investment role.
Demonstrated experience carrying and hitting a quota.
Demonstrated experience with PMP/PG selling and trading-desk engagement.
Proven book of PMP and PG business personally sourced, negotiated, and grown.
Experience selling premium mobile or consumer app inventory through programmatic channels.
Strong understanding of ad tech and mobile app ecosystems, including DSP/SSP workflows, deal IDs, and verification/measurement.
Excellent communication and presentation skills.

Deep, current relationships with programmatic leads at major agency holding companies and larger independents.
Experience moving partners from open-auction to always-on/custom PMP/PG alongside direct sales.
Experience selling against first-party audience segments or custom data products.
Hands-on partnership with Ad Ops on deal setup, SSP onboarding, and campaign QA.