Agency Development Lead - Independent Agencies

Applovin • Los Angeles, CA

9d • $202,500 - $247,500

About The Position

AppLovin is seeking an Agency Development Lead to 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 within the independent agency community and establishing the platform as a core performance channel across agency client rosters.

The role focuses on winning new agency partnerships and expanding AppLovin’s presence within existing partners. The lead will develop executive-level relationships, understand each agency’s business and media strategy, and activate co-marketing, technology integration, enablement, and joint business-planning programs. They will work alongside Agency Success Managers to support onboarding, client spend growth, and retention, and partner with internal teams to connect agency relationships to direct brand opportunities and inform product development with agency feedback.

Requirements

• At least 10 years of experience in digital advertising, with significant agency development, agency sales, or agency partnerships experience at a leading ad tech, paid social, search, e-commerce, or technology company.
• Consistent track record of winning new agency business and expanding existing partnerships for performance-focused products or services.
• Deep understanding of agency operating models, economics, media planning, and channel decisions across independent agencies of different sizes.
• Established network of senior relationships across North American independent agencies.
• Executive presence and excellent communication, storytelling, negotiation, and presentation skills, with ability to build credibility from practitioner to C-suite.
• Strong prospecting and account-planning skills and sound judgment in prioritizing growth opportunities and actions.
• Analytical, data-driven operating style and ability to manage a high-volume, high-value portfolio of agency relationships.
• Builder mindset; ability to thrive in early-stage settings, work with ambiguity and minimal direction, and establish 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 agency incentive programs.
• 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 that drive multi-client activation and durable revenue growth.
• Build and manage a qualified agency-partner pipeline through account planning, targeted prospecting, executive referrals, inbound demand, and industry events.
• Lead joint business planning with agency partners, learning their client portfolios, commercial priorities, media-planning processes, and growth strategies.
• Work with Agency Success Managers and cross-functional teams to ensure 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.
• Serve as the primary point of contact, escalation point, and thought leader for agency partners.
• Design and deliver scaled enablement programs, including trainings, workshops, certifications, and roadshows on AppLovin Ads and performance advertising best practices.
• Partner with the Consumer Business Development team to connect agency relationships with direct brand opportunities and coordinate the experience for agency and brand partners.
• Drive co-marketing, thought leadership, and case study programs with agency partners.
• Translate partner feedback, competitive intelligence, and market trends into 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