The Trade Desk is a global technology company and the world’s leading independent platform for digital advertising, with nearly 4,000 employees across more than 30 offices. Our technology helps advertisers reach the right audiences across the open internet — from streaming TV and podcasts to mobile apps, news, and more.
Advertising powers the content people love. By making it more transparent, effective, and responsible, we help support trusted journalism, quality entertainment, and creators worldwide. The world’s brands and agencies rely on us to reach their customers and grow their businesses responsibly.
The scale of our platform brings unique technical challenges — from processing massive datasets in real time to building systems that operate reliably on a global scale. When you work here, your impact is worldwide. We welcome diverse perspectives, encourage curiosity, and build teams that learn from one another. If you’re driven to solve meaningful challenges, we’d love to meet you.
Who We Are
The Trade Desk is transforming the way global brands connect with consumers through advertising. We believe the open internet creates better experiences for consumers, advertisers, publishers, and partners alike.
Now we're bringing that same philosophy to television.
VenturaOS is The Trade Desk's next-generation Connected TV operating system, built to create a more open, transparent, and consumer-first TV ecosystem.
Unlike companies building applications on top of someone else's platform, we're building the platform itself.
Success depends on building a world-class ecosystem spanning television manufacturers, hardware partners, retailers, and strategic technology partners who collectively bring Ventura-powered devices to market.
We're looking for an experienced partnerships leader to help build and scale that ecosystem.
This is a rare opportunity to shape the commercial foundation of a new operating system and influence how millions of consumers experience television for years to come.
The Opportunity
As Director, Retail & Distribution Partnerships – VenturaOS, you will own the strategy, development, and execution of Ventura’s retail-led growth ecosystem. You’ll build and scale strategic relationships across consumer electronics retailers, big-box retailers, ecommerce marketplaces, regional retail chains, specialty electronics channels, retail media networks, OEMs, and hardware partners that help bring Ventura-powered devices to market.
This role sits at the intersection of retail distribution, device go-to-market, platform partnerships, retail media, and Connected TV monetization. Working closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Business Development, Sales, Operations, and Executive Leadership, you’ll help define how Ventura shows up in retail, how retail partners participate in platform economics, and how Ventura grows across the global television landscape.
This is a highly strategic leadership role where you’ll influence not only partnerships, but also launch strategy, channel activation, merchandising, retail media integration, and the long-term commercial success of the VenturaOS platform.
What You’ll Do
Build Ventura’s Retail Growth Strategy
- Develop and execute Ventura’s long-term retail partnership strategy across national retailers, ecommerce marketplaces, regional retailers, specialty electronics channels, retail media networks, OEMs, and hardware partners.
- Identify where retail distribution, merchandising, platform licensing, device activation, and retail media integration create differentiated growth opportunities.
- Build partner frameworks that help retailers participate in recurring CTV platform value, including home screen advertising, retail media extensions, data-enabled activation, and device-level monetization.
- Serve as Ventura’s internal subject-matter expert on retail dynamics, retail media networks, shopper data, channel incentives, device merchandising, and retail-led consumer adoption.
Lead Strategic Retail and Distribution Partnerships
- Own senior-level relationships with retail partners, retail media executives, OEMs, consumer electronics manufacturers, hardware partners, and other key ecosystem participants.
- Structure and negotiate complex commercial agreements across retail distribution, device launch commitments, merchandising, co-marketing, data collaboration, retail media activation, and long-term platform economics.
- Manage a portfolio of strategic partnerships from initial engagement through launch, expansion, performance management, and ongoing executive governance.
- Represent VenturaOS with senior executives across retail, OEM, hardware, and technology partner organizations.
Drive Retail Launches, Merchandising, and Channel Activation
- Partner closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Operations, and OEM teams to support successful retail launches of Ventura-powered devices.
- Lead cross-functional retail go-to-market planning, including launch readiness, promotional strategy, merchandising requirements, ecommerce positioning, in-store education, and partner enablement.
- Coordinate commercial, technical, operational, and marketing workstreams to ensure devices are ready for retail sale, consumer activation, and post-purchase engagement.
- Establish operating rhythms with partners to track launch milestones, sales performance, activation rates, user engagement, and partnership health.
Connect Retail Media, CTV, and Platform Monetization
- Develop partnership models that connect Ventura-powered devices with retail media networks, shopper data, loyalty programs, and advertiser demand.
- Work with advertising, data, measurement, and product teams to translate retail partner opportunities into scalable CTV media and commerce solutions.
- Identify opportunities for retailers to extend their media networks into Connected TV through home screen inventory, video inventory, commerce experiences, and closed-loop measurement.
- Help define how retail partners can create durable value from Ventura beyond the initial device sale.
Influence Platform and Ecosystem Strategy
- Represent retail partner, OEM, and channel needs throughout product planning, roadmap discussions, and executive strategy reviews.
- Provide leadership with market intelligence, competitive insights, and recommendations across retail, consumer electronics, Connected TV, retail media, and platform ecosystems.
- Identify emerging trends in TV retailing, ecommerce, private-label electronics, retail media networks, in-store activation, and commerce-driven CTV experiences.
- Help determine where Ventura should prioritize retail channels, launch partners, merchandising investments, and ecosystem expansion.
Build Something New
- Help define how one of the industry’s newest television operating systems grows from launch through long-term scale.
- Operate comfortably in an entrepreneurial environment where retail partnerships, device distribution models, retail media integrations, and platform economics are still being created.
- Influence company strategy well beyond traditional partnership management responsibilities.
What We’re Looking For
We’re interested in experienced partnership leaders who have built strategic relationships across retail, consumer electronics, platform distribution, and technology ecosystems. Strong candidates will bring deep experience in one or more of the following areas:
- Retail partnerships and retail distribution
- Consumer electronics retail
- Big-box retail, ecommerce, marketplaces, or specialty electronics channels
- Retail media networks and commerce media
- OEM partnerships and television manufacturers
- Hardware platforms and device partnerships
- Connected TV, television operating systems, or streaming devices
- Platform business development or strategic technology partnerships
You likely bring:
- 10+ years of experience leading strategic partnerships, retail partnerships, ecosystem development, platform business development, or commercial strategy.
- Direct experience working with retailers, retail media networks, ecommerce marketplaces, consumer electronics channels, OEMs, hardware partners, or adjacent technology ecosystems.
- A proven track record of negotiating complex commercial agreements with executive stakeholders, including distribution, co-marketing, data, media, monetization, or platform partnership terms.
- Strong understanding of how consumer electronics products are brought to market through retail channels, including merchandising, promotional planning, channel incentives, and post-sale activation.
- Familiarity with retail media, shopper data, loyalty programs, audience activation, measurement, or commerce-driven advertising models.
- Strong executive presence with the ability to influence senior leaders internally and externally.
- Experience leading cross-functional initiatives across Product, Engineering, Operations, Marketing, Sales, Business Development, and partner organizations.
- Strong commercial judgment with the ability to identify new market opportunities and build long-term strategic partnerships.
- The ability to thrive in fast-moving, ambiguous environments where you’re helping define strategy—not simply executing it.
- Experience within Connected TV, Android TV, Google TV, consumer electronics, streaming devices, retail media, or adjacent platform ecosystems is highly valued.
Success in This Role
In your first 12–18 months, you’ll help:
- Define and operationalize Ventura’s retail partnership strategy.
- Build strategic relationships with leading retailers, retail media networks, television manufacturers, and consumer electronics ecosystem partners.
- Increase the number of Ventura-powered devices entering the market through retail and OEM channels.
- Strengthen Ventura’s retail footprint through distribution, merchandising, promotional, and co-marketing partnerships.
- Develop partnership models that connect device distribution with recurring CTV monetization and retail media value.
- Help establish VenturaOS as one of the industry’s leading Connected TV operating systems and a differentiated partner for retailers, OEMs, publishers, and advertisers.
Why Join Us?
VenturaOS represents one of the industry’s most ambitious Connected TV initiatives. Rather than building another application, we’re building an entirely new operating system and ecosystem.
You’ll have the opportunity to shape partnerships across the companies that manufacture televisions, sell devices, influence consumer purchase decisions, operate retail media networks, and bring products into households at scale. If you’re excited by retail-led platform growth, ecosystem building, commerce media, and helping shape the future of television, we’d love to talk.
In accordance with various US state laws, the range provided is the Trade Desk's reasonable estimate of the base compensation for this role. The actual amount may differ based on non-discriminatory factors such as experience, knowledge, skills, and location. All employees may be eligible to become The Trade Desk shareholders through eligibility for stock-based compensation grants, which are awarded to employees based on company and individual performance. The Trade Desk also offers other compensation depending on the role such as variable compensation-based incentives and commissions. Plus, expected benefits for this role include comprehensive healthcare (medical, dental, and vision) with premiums paid in full for employees and dependents, retirement benefits such as a 401k plan and company match, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, well-being benefits, reimbursement for certain tuition expenses, parental leave, sick time of 1 hour per 30 hours worked, vacation time for full-time employees up to 120 hours thru the first year and 160 hours thereafter, and around 13 paid holidays per year. Employees can also purchase The Trade Desk stock at a discount through The Trade Desk’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
The Trade Desk also offers a competitive benefits package. Click here to learn more.
Note: Interns are not eligible for variable incentive awards such as stock-based compensation, retirement plan, vacation, tuition reimbursement or parental leave
At the Trade Desk, Base Salary is one part of our competitive total compensation and benefits package and is determined using a salary range. The base salary range for this role is
$151,100—$277,000 USD
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, The Trade Desk is committed to creating an inclusive hiring experience where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
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