VP of Strategy and Corporate Development

• Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. It's a big mission, and that's where you come in!
• At Duolingo, you'll join a team that cares about educating our users, experimenting with big ideas, making fact-based decisions, and finding innovative solutions to complex problems.
• You'll have limitless learning opportunities and daily collaborations with world-class minds — while doing work that's both meaningful and fun.
• Join our life-changing mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world.
• Read our blog to learn more.

About the role

• We're looking for a VP of Strategy and Corporate Development to join Duolingo's Senior Leadership Team and drive strategy, planning and our growth via M&A.
• Reporting to the Chief Business Officer, the VP of Strategy and Corporate Development will manage our Strategy and Business Operations and Corporate Development functions.
• Strategy and Business Operations at Duolingo is fast moving and iterative and represents the majority of this role.
• We're seeking a leader who's excited to work at a founder-led company, comfortable with ambiguity, and collaborates well with product and technical teams.
• Corporate Development at Duolingo supports key company priorities, with a focus on acqui-hires and targeted capability acquisitions rather than large transformational deals.
• We've used M&A to build functions, establish offices, and expand into new subjects.
• We're excited to continue and expand our M&A activity.
• This role is based in our Pittsburgh, PA or New York, NY office on a hybrid (4+1) work schedule.

🧠 You will...

• Partner with leaders across the company to develop strategies spanning our main Pillars: Growth, Monetization, Language Learning, and New Subjects (Math, Music and Chess).
• Generate insights that directly influence product experiments and drive impact.
• Run company-wide strategy and planning, driving alignment on strategic direction and resource allocation, including leading planning for Duolingo Board of Directors meetings.
• Support Duolingo's growth through M&A, fully aligned with our strategy and key priorities, and working closely with Duolingo's product and executive teams.
• Own Corporate Development end-to-end: source, evaluate, negotiate, and close acquisitions; coordinate cross‑functional diligence; and drive thoughtful integration.
• Lead and manage Strategy and Business Operations and Corporate Development teams (~10 people), setting the bar for your functional craft and empathizing with your team as people.
• Encourage your team to continue embracing new tools and technologies for insight generation and analysis, automation, and communication.

✅ You have...

• 20+ years relevant work experience in strategy, consulting, M&A, investment banking, or product management, and significant experience in technology companies.
• A demonstrated understanding of Duolingo's business and future growth opportunities.
• A demonstrated track record of success in fast paced entrepreneurial work environments.
• Experience working closely with product and engineering colleagues.
• Excellent communication and analytical skills.
• Team leadership experience with a track record of hiring, developing, and managing high‑performing teams.
• Ability to work from our Pittsburgh, PA or New York, NY office on a 4+1 hybrid work schedule.

⭐ Exceptional candidates will have...

• Significant experience using Duolingo, and opinions about how to improve it.
• Leadership experience at a founder-led company.
• Experience at a leading consumer app.

• The offered salary is dependent upon several factors, including work experience, skills, and internal peer comparisons.
• The posted range is subject to change in the future.
• For this role, base salary is supplemented by equity compensation.
• We encourage you to talk with your recruiter for more information related to compensation for this role!

Salary Range:

$330,000 — $550,000 USD

Benefits

Take a peek at how we care for our employees' holistic well-being with our benefits here .

We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

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