Sales Engineer, Gist Ads

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE Gist, a ProRata brand, is redefining advertising for the AI era — building AI-powered, contextual ad experiences across premium digital media environments and emerging AI surfaces. Founded by Bill Gross, the inventor of pay-per-click advertising, ProRata brings unmatched credibility and conviction to the future of media monetization. We're looking for a Solutions/Sales Engineer who is at home in a technical conversation — someone who can sit with a publisher's ad ops team, a AdTech solutions architect, or a platform engineer and go deep on implementation, troubleshoot in real time, and design integration approaches that actually work. Day-to-day, you'll be deeply embedded with Ads Engineering and BD, spending most of your time on partner integrations, ad ops collaboration, and technical solutioning — not in sales cycles. This role reports to the CRO but operates primarily in the technical and partnership layer of the business. You'll be the connective tissue between Gist's internal engineering capabilities and the technical realities of our publisher, SSP/DSP, and platform partners — ensuring every integration is scoped correctly, implemented cleanly, and performing. WHAT YOU'LL DO Partner Integrations & Ad Ops • Own technical integrations end-to-end with publisher partners, SSPs, GAM, DSPs, and platform technology partners — from discovery and scoping through implementation and QA • Lead technical working sessions with partner ad ops teams, solutions architects, and engineers to understand their infrastructure, tag architectures, and inventory configurations, then design integration approaches that fit their stack • Serve as the primary technical point of contact during and after integration — triaging issues, coordinating with Gist's Ads Engineering team, and driving resolution • Own implementation support for Gist's ad unit formats —AI-contextual formats — across web, app, and emerging AI environments • Evaluate new tech partnership opportunities: assessing API compatibility, data flow requirements, and integration complexity to inform BD deal structuring Business Development Support • Work hand-in-hand with the BD team on publisher, GAM, SSP/DSP, and platform partnership development — providing technical scoping, feasibility assessment, and integration planning to support deal structuring and close • Translate Gist's ad product capabilities into clear, technically credible narratives for partner engineering and ad ops counterparts • Build and maintain integration documentation, tag specs, API guides, and technical FAQs that accelerate partner onboarding • Represent Gist at industry events and partner meetings where technical depth and hands-on credibility are required Engineering Collaboration & Feedback • Serve as the primary feedback loop between live partner integrations and the Ads Engineering and Product teams — surfacing implementation pain points, partner requests, and ecosystem patterns that should shape the roadmap • Collaborate with Engineering during new ad unit development to ensure partner feasibility and real-world integration constraints are built into the spec from the start • Help define and evolve Gist's technical integration standards, tag specifications, and API documentation as the product and partner ecosystem grows Occasionally support the Sales team with technical pre-sales needs — RFP responses, solution design, proof-of-concept scoping — but this is not the primary focus of the role WHAT YOU BRING • 5–9 years of experience in AdTech, programmatic advertising, or digital media with hands-on technical depth — ideally in a Sales Engineering, Solutions Engineering, Ad Ops, or Technical Account Management role • Mastery of the programmatic ecosystem: OpenRTB, header bidding (Prebid.js), SSP/DSP integrations, ad serving (GAM/DFP), tag management, and bid stream mechanics • Experience working across the supply chain — publisher-side ad ops, SSP solutions, DSP integrations, or agency trading desk technical teams • Comfort reading and writing code at a functional level (JavaScript, Python, or similar); ability to review tag implementations, debug API calls, and interpret log-level ad data without hand-holding from Engineering • Strong understanding of ad quality, brand safety, viewability measurement, and third-party verification (IAS, MOAT, DV) as they apply to display and emerging format types • Experience supporting integrations with major SSPs (Index Exchange, Magnite, PubMatic, Xandr, Teads, Sovrn, or similar) and/or DSPs • Exceptional communication skills — able to lead technical conversations with engineers and simplify complex concepts for non-technical stakeholders in the same meeting • Startup mindset: you thrive in environments where the product is still being defined, the playbook doesn't exist yet, and you're expected to build it • Bonus: experience with AI ad surfaces, contextual targeting, or native ad units; familiarity with GEO/AEO concepts and AI-driven content environments WORK ENVIRONMENT This is a remote/hybrid role. We are open to candidates based in Los Angeles, CA, New York City, NY, Chicago, IL, Austin, TX or other major US markets. Employees are expected to have a reliable internet connection and a suitable home office setup. Travel required (~25–30%) for partner visits, integrations, and industry events. COMPENSATION The compensation for this position is competitive and commensurate with experience, including: • Base salary range: $150,000 – $175,000 • Equity participation What We Offer - Opportunity to work at the forefront of AI technology - Collaborative and innovative work environment - Competitive salary and benefits package - Professional development and growth opportunities - Chance to make a significant impact on the company's success Equal Employment Opportunity - ProRata is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All employment decisions are made based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. California Specific Notices - At-Will Employment: Employment at ProrataAI is at-will. This means that either the employee or the employer may terminate employment at any time, with or without cause or prior notice. - Salary Disclosure: In compliance with California law, salary information is provided to ensure transparency and fairness. - California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): ProrataAI complies with the CCPA. Personal information collected during the recruitment process will be used for employment purposes only. *This open position is not eligible for Company sponsorship of a visa that would require a new H-1B visa petition that is subject to the $100,000 payment requirement announced in the Presidential Proclamation titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,” dated September 19, 2025 (or any extensions or modifications of the Proclamation).