Director, Retail & Distribution Partnerships – VenturaOS

The Trade Desk is a global technology company and the world’s leading independent platform for digital advertising, with over 3,000 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, reta