Founding Head of Ad Sales

Koah Labs

$150K — $200K *
Media
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8-15 years of experience in ad sales
  • Proven track record of closing deals over $100k in ad spend
  • Experience with large brands or agencies
  • Ability to transition from individual contributor to team leader
  • Prior experience in a startup environment
  • Strong existing relationships in advertising sales
  • Familiarity with AI tools like Claude for workflow automation

Responsibilities

  • Own and close direct advertiser and agency deals
  • Develop ad sales strategies for a new advertising format
  • Establish the go-to-market process, including pricing and legal considerations
  • Leverage existing relationships and forge new ones with senior buyers
  • Recruit and develop top sales talent for the team
  • Represent the company at industry events and discussions

Benefits

  • Opportunity to lead and shape a new ad sales team
  • Direct impact on the company’s revenue and growth
  • Work at the forefront of AI ad technology
  • Dynamic, fast-paced startup environment
  • Collaborative culture that adapts to change
Full Job Description
As **Founding Head of Ad Sales**, you'll be setting the foundation of our ad sales team as we grow significantly in the coming months. You'll be our top seller, while defining the sales process, pitch, and pricing that the rest of the team will run. You'll sell a new ad format in a new category, which means you'll need to educate buyers, handle objections that don't have canned answers yet, and shape how advertisers think about reaching consumers inside AI experiences. This is a **hands-on, execution oriented role** where you also set the tempo for a growing sales team. Today, the category is incredibly interested in what we're doing, so getting meetings set up is fairly low friction. We'll be focused more on what and how to sell, and how to set customers up for success. What you'll do - Own and close a pipeline of direct advertiser and agency deals - Create the ad sales strategy for a new format in a new category. Including how to retain and upsell existing customers. - Codify our GTM motion including outbound, pitch materials, pricing, legal, deal structures, etc. - Bring in existing relationships, and build new ones with senior buyers at brands and agencies - Build out the ad sales team including recruiting and hiring A+ talent - Represent Koah at industry events and in market conversations **What We're Looking For** - 8-15 years of experience in **ad sales** - Experience closing deals of $100k+ per month in ad spend historically - Experience selling into large brands, agencies, or performance marketing teams - Knows how to be an IC and build out / manage a team - Has been at a small startup before - Has existing advertising sales rolodex to bring in - Is OK joining a company where the product and playbook changes every couple weeks. - You're AI-native yourself. It's a requirement that you know how to use Claude etc. effectively to amplify your efforts and automate your work. **Why This Role Matters** AI is creating an entirely new interface for the internet, and ads are already quickly following the attention. You'll be leading the ad sales team for the most prominent company in AI adtech today and be a primary revenue driver for the business. This role will define how advertisers participate in that shift, and you'll be the one opening those doors.

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