Director, US Ads Sales

SmartNews was founded on June 15, 2012, with the mission of "delivering quality information to the people who need it." We operate the SmartNews news app in Japan and the U.S., leveraging cutting-edge algorithms and an optimized smart device interface to provide high-quality news to as many people as possible.

SmartNews has offices in Tokyo, Palo Alto, New York, and Singapore. If you're excited about working at a global startup to help achieve this mission, we encourage you to apply.

We are seeking a Director of U.S. Ads Sales to lead and scale our advertising business, drive revenue growth, and strengthen strategic partnerships across the digital media landscape. This role will be responsible for defining and executing the sales strategy, developing high-impact go-to-market plans, and building a world-class team. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in the digital advertising ecosystem, strong relationships with agencies and brands, and a proven track record of delivering measurable results at scale. This is a highly visible leadership role that requires strong cross-functional collaboration, operational excellence, and the ability to drive both long-term strategy and immediate execution.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the U.S. Ads Sales team at SmartNews, driving revenue growth and scaling the business.
• Define the sales strategy, develop proactive and reactive sales materials, align cross-functionally, and establish a go-to-market plan.
• Deliver strong business results by leading revenue-generating initiatives and optimizing performance across key metrics.
• Establish clear, mutual commitments around revenue, marketing, and service offerings, and build a structured management system for reporting, regular reviews, and corrective actions as needed.
• Hire, develop, and lead a high-performing team of managers and team members to drive outstanding results.
• Build and maintain executive relationships with key partners, agencies, and advertisers to foster long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships.
• Leverage market data, historical category performance, and industry insights to develop both long-term strategies and annual business plans.
• Analyze market feedback to identify revenue growth opportunities and competitive threats, define client challenges, size opportunities, and prioritize scalable and differentiated initiatives.
• Work closely with the SmartNews leadership team as a thought leader in shaping the company’s Ads Ecosystem.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience leading a business and delivering results across key revenue metrics, ideally at a hundred-million to billion-dollar scale.
• 5+ years of experience in Account Management and/or Sales Development.
• Strong expertise in the digital advertising industry, including native ads, programmatic, display ads, and search ads.
• Deep knowledge of and relationships within the U.S. digital media publishing and adtech space, including brands and agencies.
• Expertise in go-to-market strategies, both direct and through partners.
• Ability to hire, develop, and lead a world-class team, including people managers and frontline team members.
• Proven ability to translate strategy into execution and deliver impactful results, balancing multi-year planning with annual execution.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to align initiatives across internal teams and company-wide objectives.

Benefits

• Equity included
• 401(k) matching program
• 100% medical, dental and vision insurance coverage (for self and family)
• Benefit plan with monthly allowances
• Free lunch, snacks, drinks at the office

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Compensation range of $175,000~$260,000 base salary, plus bonus and equity.

Office Location: Palo Alto