SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 180,000 - 250,000 / annual
Substack is seeking a Sales Manager to lead the Brand Partnerships team and build out the sponsorships revenue business from the ground up. This is a founding role on a small team where you'll own the playbook and drive a new revenue engine.
Key responsibilities include building the sponsorships revenue number and the pipeline, forecast, and pacing behind it. You'll sell directly to senior brand and agency decision-makers, leading the largest and most strategic deals from prospecting through close. You'll contribute to building the sales infrastructure a new business needs: territory and account coverage, pricing and packaging discipline, CRM hygiene, and a deal process that scales with volume.
You'll translate Substack's story into a pitch that resonates with CMOs and media planners, working with creative strategy to shape proposals that feel native to the platform. Close collaboration with publishers and their teams ensures sold campaigns are ones they genuinely want to run. You'll bring market signal back into the company, shaping product, pricing, and positioning based on buyer feedback.
The ideal candidate has 10+ years in media or advertising sales, with meaningful time selling premium, direct-sold sponsorships at a publisher, platform, or media company. You have a track record of closing seven-figure deals with brands and holding company agencies, and relationships you can activate immediately. You're comfortable operating without a playbook—you've sold something new to market before or built a sales function inside an early-stage business.
You understand how brands buy creator and content-led media, including measurement expectations, agency dynamics, and budget allocation. You have strong instincts for pricing and packaging, and the discipline to protect them under pressure. Exceptional communication skills are essential: you can pitch a CMO, coach team members, and help build products that land in market. A genuine belief in independent publishing and Substack's mission is important; bonus if you're already a Substack reader or writer.
