Agency Development Lead - Independent Agencies

AppLovin • Los Angeles, CA

10d • $202,500 - $247,500

About The Position

The Agency Development Lead will build and own partnerships with independent agencies based in North America. This is a highly visible, externally facing, zero-to-one role focused on defining how AppLovin Ads engages and grows with the independent agency community and establishing the platform as a core performance channel across agency client rosters.

The role is responsible for winning new agency partnerships and expanding AppLovin’s presence within existing partners. The lead will build relationships with agency leadership, develop a deep understanding of each agency’s business and media strategy, and activate programs involving co-marketing, technology integration, enablement, and joint business planning. The role serves as a consultative, executive-level growth partner to agency leadership and the client teams they represent.

The Agency Development Lead will work alongside Agency Success Managers and cross-functional teams to support agency and client onboarding, spend growth, and retention. The position also represents agency perspectives internally, contributes to team development, and represents AppLovin at industry events and executive briefings.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in digital advertising, with significant experience in agency development, agency sales, or agency partnerships at a leading ad tech, paid social, search, e-commerce, or technology company.
• A consistent record of winning new agency business and expanding existing partnerships for performance-focused products or services.
• Deep understanding of agency operating models, economics, and how media-planning and channel decisions are made across independent agencies of varying sizes.
• Established network of senior relationships across North American independent agencies.
• Executive presence and strong communication, storytelling, negotiation, and presentation skills, with the ability to build credibility from practitioner to C-suite.
• Strong prospecting and account-planning skills, including sound judgment in prioritizing growth opportunities, relationships, and actions.
• Analytical, data-driven operating style and the ability to manage a high-volume, high-value portfolio of agency relationships.
• Builder mindset; ability to thrive in early-stage business settings, work with ambiguity and minimal direction, and create programs from scratch.

Nice To Haves

• BA/BS degree preferred.
• Direct agency management experience at a performance advertising platform, such as a paid social, search, mobile, or programmatic company.
• Experience structuring and negotiating commercial agreements, joint business plans, or incentive programs with agency partners.
• Experience building scaled agency partnership, certification, and training programs from an early stage.
• Agency-side experience in media planning, investment, or performance marketing.
• Understanding of the mobile advertising ecosystem and performance advertising for e-commerce.
• Willingness to travel as and when possible.

Responsibilities

• Own full-cycle sales opportunities with North American independent agency prospects and existing partners, building relationships with senior agency leadership, pod leads, and media buyers to drive multi-client activation and durable revenue growth.
• Build and manage a qualified agency-partner pipeline through account planning, prospecting, executive referrals, inbound demand, industry events, and conferences.
• Lead joint business planning conversations to understand agency client portfolios, commercial priorities, media-planning processes, and opportunities for AppLovin Ads to support growth strategies.
• Work with Agency Success Managers and cross-functional teams to help new agencies and their clients launch successfully on the platform.
• Expand agency partnerships by identifying and activating new clients within agency rosters, in coordination with Agency Success Managers who own growth for clients already spending on the platform.
• Serve as the trusted primary contact, escalation point, and thought leader for agency partners.
• Design and deliver agency enablement programs, including trainings, workshops, certifications, and roadshows, covering AppLovin Ads and performance best practices for creative, measurement, and campaign setup.
• Partner with the Consumer Business Development team to connect agency relationships to direct brand opportunities and coordinate the experience for agency and brand partners.
• Drive co-marketing, thought leadership, and case study programs with agency partners to establish AppLovin as a full-funnel performance advertising channel.
• Translate agency feedback, competitive intelligence, and market trends into prioritized business cases that inform the product roadmap and agency offering.
• Represent AppLovin at industry events, agency summits, and executive briefings.
• Mentor and develop Agency Partnerships team members, improve best practices and playbooks, and help build the team as the channel grows.

Benefits

• Equity eligibility and other forms of incentive compensation, depending on the position offered.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Unlimited discretionary time off.
• 10 paid holidays per year.
• 80 hours of paid sick leave per year.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed