Head of APAC Sales

Speak · Seoul

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About us

Our mission is to reinvent the way people learn, starting with language.

Learning a language can change a life by opening doors to new cultures, careers, and communities. Two billion people around the world are actively trying to learn a language, but the best way to learn (one-on-one tutoring) is hard to access at scale and hasn’t been meaningfully improved in decades. Speak is building a human-level, AI-powered tutor in your pocket: a conversation-first experience that lets learners actually speak, get instant feedback, and progress through carefully designed lessons. The result is a complete path from beginner to confident speaker across multiple languages.

Speak first launched in South Korea in 2019, where Speak has now become the number one language learning app, and we now serve learners across many markets and 15+ languages. Speak is one of the world’s leading AI companies, with over $150m raised in venture investment from OpenAI, Accel, Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures, and more, with a distributed team across San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, and Ljubljana.

About This Role

Speak is on a mission to transform language learning for enterprises around the globe. With a rapidly expanding B2B segment (Speak for Business), we are looking for a Head of APAC Sales to drive exponential growth in the company’s most dynamic region (based on existing B2B accounts as well as strong B2C brand foundations). This role will lead all sales efforts across South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and future emerging markets, from new-logo acquisition among top-tier enterprises to expansion within our existing customer base, while also managing and mentoring local sales team leaders and members. You will partner closely with Marketing, Product, and CSM teams to ensure that Speak for Business resonates through the region.

What you’ll be doing

Set & Execute Regional Sales Strategy:

• Own the overall APAC go-to-market plan, aligning with global leadership to define regional priorities, revenue targets, and resource needs

Lead High-Performing Sales Teams:

• Manage and mentor local Sales team members (currently in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan) - directly manage Account Executives and SDR team leader

• Build upon a culture of accountability, clear communication, and high-velocity execution

Drive New Logo Wins & Account Expansion:

• Engage top enterprise prospects in key verticals, forging relationships with C-level stakeholders and decision-makers

• Partner with the CSM & Partner Operations teams to identify and pursue upsell/cross-sell opportunities, ensuring high renewal rates and long-term customer success

Own Outbound & Inbound Sales Processes:

• Build robust outbound motion to penetrate target accounts, fostering a “fearless” approach to lead generation, leading the SDR team and partnering closely with our Marketing team

• Refine inbound qualification and closing strategies to achieve near 100% conversion on inbound leads

Collaborate Cross-Functionally:

• Provide market-specific feedback to the Product, Engineering, and Content Teams, influencing roadmap priorities

• Partner with Global Finance/Operations Teams for accurate forecasting and quota-setting

What we’re looking for

• 10+ years of B2B Sales Experience, with 4+ years in leadership roles overseeing APAC or multi-country teams

• Proven Track Record in meeting/exceeding ARR targets in enterprise software, SaaS, L&D, or related tech sectors

• Team Builder & Coach: You’ve built distributed, multicultural sales teams from the ground up, not just inherited them, and you’re skilled at hiring, developing, and motivating people across markets

• Hands-On Coach: You coach sellers directly on live deals, hold the line on accountability with your AEs, and can point to win rates that moved because of it

• Executive Presence: You carry credibility in the room with senior external stakeholders, and you’ve personally opened and closed deals at the top of the enterprise market

• Playbook Builder: You’ve built sales playbooks and processes from scratch, covering prospecting through closing, renewals, and expansion

• Commercial Partner: You’ve worked with Product and Finance to shape pricing, selling strategies, and segmentation, not just executed what was handed to you

• Customer-Focused Communicator: Adept at building senior-level relationships and navigating complex enterprise buying cycles

• Cross-Cultural Competence: You understand how selling actually works across APAC markets at different stages of growth, including local sales etiquette and customs

• High Adaptability: Thrive in a fast-paced startup environment, comfortable with ambiguity, and eager to create solutions where they don’t yet exist

• Fluency in business English; communicating with the global team at Speak on a daily level should not be a blocker to get things done

While it’s not required, it’s an added plus if you also have:

• Complete coverage and experience across our existing markets (Korea, Japan, Taiwan)

• A multilingual or multicultural background, having lived or worked in more than one of our markets

• Experience selling to HR teams and leaders, especially in language learning or education category

Why work at Speak

1. Join a fantastic, tight-knit team at the right time: we're growing very quickly, we've most recently raised our Series C from some of the top investors in the valley, and we've achieved product-market fit in our initial markets. You'd join at a magical time when a single person could significantly change the course of the company.

2. Do your life's work with people you’ll love working with: we care strongly about our craft and want every person at Speak to feel like they're growing every day. We believe in the idea that working with people you both enjoy and have respect for makes everything better. We hire thoughtfully and only work with people we admire deeply.

3. Global in nature: We're live in over 40 countries and launching in a number of new markets soon. We have dedicated offices in San Francisco, Ljubljana, Seoul, Tokyo, and Taipei, and you’ll have the opportunity to talk to users in each of these regions on a regular basis as well as travel.

4. Impact people's lives in a major way: Learning a language is one of the single most life-changing skills one can learn, and right now 99% of people never achieve their goal because the process is broken. We’re helping millions of people achieve their goals and improve their lives.

Speak does 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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