The Trade Desk

Senior Business Strategy and Activation Director

The Trade Desk$166K — $304K *
Business Services
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 12+ years in Business Strategy, Sales Operations, Revenue Operations, or related fields.
  • Direct experience with advertising agencies or agency-focused organizations is essential.
  • Deep understanding of the agency ecosystem and its dynamics is required.
  • Experience in transformative or startup environments where processes are being defined is preferred.
  • Demonstrated ability to create structure from ambiguity and develop practical solutions quickly.
  • Proven track record of serving as a strategic partner to senior commercial leaders.
  • Strong analytical skills to interpret complex data and make recommendations.

Responsibilities

  • Lead strategy and operations for the Global Agency Business Development organization.
  • Shape the Agency business strategy, including client segmentation and performance management.
  • Establish and lead operational rhythms including forecasts and performance analysis.
  • Collaborate with Analytics teams to analyze client behavior and performance patterns.
  • Convert commercial data into actionable insights for leadership decision-making.
  • Build scalable infrastructure for agency operations, creating governance and reporting models.
  • Manage cross-functional initiatives that span various departments and influence broader organizational goals.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive healthcare coverage fully paid for employees and dependents.
  • 401k plan with company match and retirement benefits.
  • Short and long-term disability coverage, and life insurance.
  • Tuition reimbursement for continuing education.
  • Generous paid time off policies, including vacation and sick time.
  • Parental leave and around 13 paid holidays yearly.
  • Opportunity to purchase company stock at a discount.
Full Job Description
The NAMER Business Strategy and Activation team is seeking a Senior Director, Business Strategy and Activation to lead the strategy and operating model for our Agency business. This leader will serve as a senior strategic partner to GTM Sales and Client Services leadership and will play a central role in shaping how the business prioritizes opportunities, evaluates performance, and executes against commercial goals.

The role sits within the Global Revenue Operations organization. Business Strategy and Activation is responsible for translating commercial priorities into clear plans, scalable processes, and measurable outcomes. The team connects strategy, data, operating discipline, and execution to improve field productivity and accelerate growth.
In this role, you will partner closely with senior Agency leaders to define priorities, establish the rhythm of the business, and build the infrastructure needed to support a growing and evolving organization. You will identify trends within the book of business, surface risks and opportunities, and convert data into clear recommendations that influence commercial strategy and leadership decisions.

This is a builder role. The right candidate will be comfortable creating structure where little exists, testing and refining new approaches, and moving from strategy to execution without waiting for perfect information. Success requires strong agency knowledge, sound business judgment, analytical depth, and the ability to lead through influence in a complex organization.

What you will do
  • Serve as the senior strategy and operations leader for the Global Agency Business Development organization, partnering with executive leadership to define priorities, improve operating effectiveness, and drive execution against growth goals.
  • Shape the Agency business strategy, including market priorities, growth opportunities, client and partner segmentation, resource allocation, and performance management.
  • Establish and lead the rhythm of the business, including forecasting, pipeline reviews, performance analysis, leadership meetings, planning cycles, and accountability mechanisms.
  • Partner with Business Intelligence and Analytics teams to uncover trends, seasonality, client behavior, and performance patterns across agencies, holding companies, regions, and advertiser portfolios.
  • Translate commercial data into clear insights and recommendations that help leadership understand performance, diagnose underlying drivers, identify emerging risks, and act on growth opportunities.
  • Build scalable operating infrastructure for the Agency business, including processes, governance models, decision frameworks, reporting, and tools.
  • Lead complex, cross functional initiatives spanning Sales, Client Services, Marketing, Product, Finance, Legal, Training, Sales Strategy, and Business Intelligence.
  • Represent the needs of the NAMER Agency commercial organization in the design of global and regional processes, systems, and tools.
  • Ensure forecasting, pipeline, account, and performance data are accurate, consistent, and useful for decision making.
  • Proactively identify business needs and advance initiatives independently, without relying on fully defined requirements or established processes.
  • Develop and implement best practices that improve consistency, productivity, and commercial execution across the Agency organization.
  • Lead change management for new operating models, processes, systems, and organizational structures, with a strong focus on adoption and business impact.
  • Manage a portfolio of interconnected strategic initiatives, balancing immediate commercial needs with longer term capability building.
  • Build strong partnerships with senior leaders across the company and influence decisions through clear thinking, business results, and trusted relationships.
  • Develop talent and create a high performing team culture grounded in ownership, curiosity, collaboration, and strong business judgment.

What you bring to the table
  • 12+ years of experience in Business Strategy, Sales Operations, Revenue Operations, Business Operations, Consulting, or a related field.
  • Meaningful experience working directly within, alongside, or in service of advertising agencies, agency holding companies, or agency focused commercial organizations is required.
  • Strong understanding of the agency ecosystem, including holding company structures, client relationships, commercial models, planning cycles, investment decisions, and the dynamics between agencies, brands, and media platforms.
  • Experience operating in a start up, scale up, transformation, or builder environment where processes, roles, and operating models were still being defined.
  • Demonstrated ability to create structure from ambiguity, develop practical solutions quickly, and refine them as the business evolves.
  • Experience serving as a strategic partner to senior Sales, Client Services, or commercial leaders.
  • Proven ability to shape business strategy, set priorities, define success measures, and translate strategy into operating plans and execution.
  • Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret complex data, identify underlying business drivers, and communicate clear recommendations.
  • Experience leading major cross functional initiatives in a matrixed organization.
  • Strong executive communication and presentation skills, with the ability to simplify complex issues and influence senior stakeholders.
  • Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with Vice President level leaders and above and drive alignment across competing perspectives.
  • Strong technical and operational judgment, with experience designing processes, reporting, governance, and performance management systems.
  • Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Ability to prioritize and manage multiple high impact initiatives in a fast moving environment.
  • A high degree of ownership, initiative, adaptability, and comfort making decisions with incomplete information.
  • Experience in programmatic advertising, digital media, advertising technology, consulting, banking, or corporate strategy is preferred.


#LI-JS1

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

$166,200-$304,700 USD

About The Trade Desk

The Trade Desk is a global advertising technology company that provides a self-service platform for buyers of digital advertising. The company was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Ventura, California. The Trade Desk's mission is to empower buyers of advertising with the tools they need to reach their target audiences in a more efficient and effective way. The company's platform allows buyers to manage their advertising campaigns across multiple channels, including display, video, mobile, and social. The Trade Desk's technology uses advanced algorithms and machine learning to optimize ad campaigns in real-time, ensuring that buyers get the best possible return on their investment.
Learn more about The Trade Desk
Size
1,967 employees
Market Cap
$21.4 billion
Industry
Net Income
$242.3 million
Founded
2009
5 Year Trend
+42.6%
Revenue
$836 million
NASDAQ

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