Director of Direct Agent Sales

Who you are

• Proven Scale Leadership: 7+ years of total experience in sales, account management, or customer-facing environments within the life insurance ecosystem
• 3+ years of experience leading inside sales and operations teams in a D2C environment, with a reputation for hiring top talent, building effective playbooks, and rapidly improving performance
• Licensing Compliance: Active Life Insurance Producer license in your home state, with the mandatory requirement and willingness to rapidly obtain reciprocal licensing across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Must be up to date with all NAIC guidelines
• Analytical Command: Mastery of modern CRM data architecture, telephony infrastructure, revenue forecasting, and rigorous pipeline management
• Startup Agility: Exceptional communication skills coupled with a tech-forward, high-bias-for-action mindset built to thrive within a highly disruptive, agile startup culture
• Geographic Flexibility: Availability to support standard operational business hours across any of the four mainland U.S. time zones
• Research shows that candidates from underrepresented backgrounds often don't apply for roles if they don't meet all the criteria – unlike majority candidates meeting significantly fewer requirements. We strongly encourage you to apply if you’re interested: we'd love to know how you can elevate our team with your unique experience!

What the job involves

• As the Director, Direct Agent Sales, you will serve as the architect and strategic leader of our high-volume, inside D2C agent sales and operations organization. This is a high-impact, "player-coach" leadership position designed for revenue operators who can balance front-line execution with corporate scale. You will oversee the complete sales pipeline, build the foundational operational framework for a rapidly expanding team, and directly influence our cross-functional product and marketing roadmaps to optimize unit economics and conversion velocity
• Leadership & Scaling: Build, scale, and inspire a team of licensed sales and operations professionals. Establish clear performance metrics, KPIs, and cultural accountability
• Sales Architecture & Playbooks: Design, implement, and continuously refine scalable playbooks, advanced scripting, and rigorous coaching rhythms (including call shadowing, systematic reviews, and certifications) to maximize conversion rates
• Operational Backbone Ownership: Command the end-to-end operational workflow—including state licensing compliance, complex suitability parameters, premium structures, and agent commission architecture
• Cross-Functional Strategy: Partner directly with Product, Engineering, and Marketing executives to turn customer insights into technical product requirements for our quoting engines, electronic applications (e-apps), and post-issue servicing
• Growth and Go-To-Market Alignment: Tighten the loop between inbound marketing lead quality and agent sales execution to accelerate consumer conversion funnels
• Hands-on Execution: Actively operate as a premier player-coach; maintain an active life insurance producer license to take live calls, manage pipelines, and lead by example on the floor from day one

Benefits

• One-time stipend to support remote and hybrid work
• Recurring stipend to cover WFH costs
• 401k Match: Ladder matches your 401(k) contribution, dollar-for-dollar, up to 4% of your salary.
• Commuter Benefits: We offer a pre-tax transit account, as well as free employee parking.
• Catered Lunch: In-office employees get catered lunch every day from a variety of local restaurants.
• Ladder Fit: Ladder reimburses up to $50 per month for eligible wellness-related expenses.
• Baby Bonding: We offer 10 weeks paid leave when you welcome a new addition.
• Vacation: We encourage our employees to take time off so they can return relaxed and refreshed.
• Awesome Benefits: We offer medical, dental, vision, life, FSA, and short & long term disability.