Samba is a media intelligence company. We know what the world is watching, reading, and thinking about — in real time, at scale, across every screen. Our data exists with the consent of over a billion people, organized into the most complete picture of consumer attention ever built. The biggest brands in the world use that picture to make smarter decisions. We think it’s the most interesting data asset on the planet, because it’s the most culturally relevant. 
Independent agencies are some of the sharpest, fastest-moving buyers in media — and one of Samba’s biggest growth opportunities. As our Director, Independent Agencies, you’ll own this segment end to end. It’s a true player-coach role: you’ll carry your own revenue target and close your own deals while hiring, coaching, and leading the team that scales the business. You’ll define how Samba goes to market with independents — segmentation, prioritization, packaging, and pricing — and represent the segment as its senior voice, both internally and across the industry. If you want to build a business within a business, this is it.

What You'll Do

• Carry your own revenue target across a portfolio of strategic independent media agencies, with full accountability for pipeline, forecasting, and close.

• Lead as a player-coach: set the standard by closing your own deals while building, coaching, and developing the team that owns the independent agency segment.

• Hire, onboard, and mentor a team of agency sellers; level up everyone around you and create a high-performing, collaborative culture.

• Define and execute Samba's go-to-market approach for the independent agency segment — segmentation, prioritization, packaging, and pricing.

• Prospect, qualify, close, and scale new agency partnerships across Samba's measurement, targeting, and attribution solutions.

• Deepen relationships with existing agency partners, expanding adoption across teams, clients, and product lines.

• Persuasively communicate Samba's offerings and unique value proposition to agencies via email, phone, and in-person presentations.

• Set targets, forecast, and report on both team and individual performance, instilling strong pipeline and Salesforce discipline across the team.

• Partner cross-functionally to ensure campaign success and growth of partnerships, and channel agency feedback to product and measurement science.

• Represent Samba at industry events as a senior voice and knowledge leader for the independent agency space.

Who You Are

• Demonstrated ability to perform against quota and excel in a highly competitive market.

• 8+ years of experience in advertising, digital media, adtech, or data/analytics sales, with a track record selling into or alongside media agencies.

• People-leadership experience — you've built, coached, and retained high-performing sales talent, whether formally or as a player-coach.

• A genuine player-coach mindset: you still love to sell and carry a number, and you get energy from developing others and multiplying their success.

• Deep familiarity with the independent agency landscape and the buyers, decision-makers, and dynamics that define it.

• Demonstrated strategic, consultative, and analytical sales approach with a focus on building partnerships with clients.

• Customer-focused leadership with excellent communication, networking, and negotiation skills.

• Fluency in cross-screen measurement, targeting, and attribution, and the confidence to lead that conversation with senior agency stakeholders.

• Proficiency in Salesforce and a disciplined approach to pipeline and forecast management.

• Currently requiring 3 days a week on-site in office, with a possibility of increasing in the future.

• Willingness to travel to outside markets and to entertain clients during evenings and occasionally weekends.

• Bachelor's Degree.

• Existing, current relationships with media buying decision-makers at independent agencies favored.

• Knowledge of the TV/online/mobile advertising industry and data a plus.

Samba is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.  We strive to empower connection with one another, reflect the communities we serve, and tackle meaningful projects that make a real impact.   Samba may collect personal information directly from you, as a job applicant, Samba may also receive personal information from third parties, for example, in connection with a background, employment or reference check, in accordance with the applicable law. For further details, please see Samba's Applicant Privacy Policy. For residents of the EU , Samba Inc. is the data controller.