In the case of a programmatic infrastructure platform such as Fliwe, business development is tightly connected with growth.
The company works on both sides of the programmatic market, bringing together advertisers and premium inventory that is verified by the platform in all display, video, mobile, and CTV formats. The company’s ecosystem includes over 500 premium publishers in over 150 countries and more than 150 platform partners, namely DSPs, SSPs, and ad servers.
It makes the position of Business Development Manager different from a regular sales position.
On the supply side, one has to be aware of publishers, inventory quality, yield, pricing, and supply paths. On the demand side, one has to discuss all this with agencies, brands, media buyers, and technology partners. A discussion will soon turn from commercial aspects to such things as SPO, floor price, Deal ID, and PMPs, as well as OpenRTB.
Six months ago, Fliwe was at a stage where every hire had to make an immediate impact. We didn’t have the luxury of bringing in someone who needed to learn the basics of the programmatic business. We needed a person who understood the model, knew how to connect the dots between publishers, platforms, and advertisers, and could turn that understanding into real commercial opportunities from day one. For us, business development wasn’t just about building relationships — it was about accelerating growth. — Kirill Kudriavtsev, Co-founder
Why AdTech business development is particularly hard to hire for
The candidate pool is smaller than a job title search makes it appear.
There are plenty of people with "sales" or "business development" on their CVs. Far fewer combine commercial ability with enough programmatic knowledge to understand what happens between publishers, SSPs, exchanges, DSPs, agencies, and advertisers.
Even recognizable AdTech companies on a CV do not necessarily solve the problem. Someone may have spent years at a large DSP or SSP while working on one narrow part of the business. Others come from media sales or general SaaS and have strong commercial skills but little understanding of auction mechanics or programmatic infrastructure.
For Fliwe, that distinction mattered. The company needed someone who could work across both supply and demand and become productive without spending the first months learning how the ecosystem fits together. And leaving the role open was not neutral. Every additional week without the right BDM meant potential publisher relationships, demand partnerships, and pipeline opportunities that were not being developed.
Why posting the job wasn't enough
The easy solution to a tough hire is opening up the funnel: posting to more recruitment websites, sourcing more applicants, and sorting through more resumes. With specialized roles in AdTech, there's no guarantee that more applicants means more qualified candidates.
High-quality programmatic business developers are usually employed. They are working with partners; have a pipeline of leads; have industry connections. Most are passive candidates not going to be searching job postings and applying for the open role. Expanding the funnel might just mean expanding the workload and not solving the core issue of finding people that actually know programmatic. This is where Hireload started from a different place.
Starting from a prescreened talent hub, not from zero
Hireload has a constant network of 30,000+ professionals in AdTech, MarTech, SaaS, and adjacent digital verticals.
What is crucial here is when the screening takes place. The candidates are identified and screened even before any job description by the client becomes available. When Fliwe began its search for the BDM, Hireload did not have to create a candidate pool from scratch. It had to find someone in the existing network who had passed an initial assessment of the right ecosystem and mindset fit.
In other words, it became a matter of asking a more specific question: who in that pool would be a perfect fit for Fliwe?
That meant moving forward on a different schedule. Instead of wasting the first couple of weeks finding the relevant candidates, Hireload got straight into finding the right match for the job. Shortlisting and filling the BDM position took just a few weeks. And lastly, it gave Fliwe access to those candidates who would never apply for the position on their own.
What Hireload screened for
When recruiting for this type of role, however, a mere job title or recognizable company name was not enough to stop the screening process.
An understanding of the ecosystem was required. A candidate had to know how a bid request flows within the supply chain, how curated supply is different from an open marketplace, and what the mechanics of a PMP deal are. The aim was to see if they were able to actually participate in a programmatic discussion.
Both supply and demand were essential. As we have noted above, Fliwe's approach bridges the gap between the two sides. Thus, when recruiting a BDM, it was crucial to understand their motivations and perspectives in terms of what was important for publishers (yield, inventory management, pricing) and buyers (quality, transparency, reach).
A commercial mindset should always be paired with curiosity. Hireload's standpoint is that knowledge of a particular DSP or SSP can always be taught. Curiosity and interest in the ecosystem as such cannot. Hence, the first thing that recruiters look for is precisely that – a curious mind.
It helped exclude people who seemed to be AdTech BDMs based on their resume but only sold media without actually knowing the
In AdTech, a BDM can have the right title and still understand only one small part of the ecosystem. That is why we don’t screen for logos on a CV. We screen for how a person thinks: can they connect supply, demand, technology and commercial value in the same conversation? If they can, they can usually learn a new platform quickly. If they can’t, months of onboarding won’t solve the fundamental gap. — Vira Novalnieva, CEO of Hireload
Hireload has completely streamlined our recruitment process. Thanks to their professional team, we save valuable time and avoid unnecessary interviews, as they understand our needs and help us find the right candidates. We truly value this partnership and look forward to building a long-term relationship with Hireload. — Alex Dubinin, CEO, co-founder
