Director, Retail & Distribution Partnerships – VenturaOS

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.

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 networks, 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 distributionConsumer electronics retailBig-box retail, ecommerce, marketplaces, or specialty electronics channelsRetail media networks and commerce mediaOEM partnerships and television manufacturersHardware platforms and device partnershipsConnected TV, television operating systems, or streaming devicesPlatform business development or strategic technology partnershipsYou 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.