Lead Associate Trading Director

The Trade Desk is changing the way global brands and their agencies advertise to audiences around the world. How? With a media buying platform that helps brands deliver a more insightful and relevant ad experience for consumers –– and sets a new standard for global reach, accuracy, and transparency. We are proud of the culture we have built. We value the unique experiences and perspectives that each person brings to The Trade Desk, and we are committed to fostering inclusive spaces where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work every day.

So, if you are talented, driven, creative, and eager to join a dynamic, globally-connected team, then we want to talk!

 

What We Do 

The Client Services Centre of Excellence is a specialised EMEA function that provides scalable operational support to our regional trading teams. While pod traders focus on strategic client consultation, relationship management, and revenue growth, the Centre of Excellence team handles tactical execution, technical troubleshooting, and operational delivery across all EMEA markets. 

As the operational backbone for EMEA trading, this team executes managed service campaigns and provides operational support for self-serve clients - including troubleshooting, pacing diagnosis, technical QA, and analytical reporting. While this role is primarily internal-facing, serving pod traders across 8 markets (London, Hamburg, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Nordics, MENA, Netherlands) as your key stakeholders, client-facing engagement may be required as business needs dictate. 

 

What You'll Do 

• Lead and manage a team of Trading Specialists, providing coaching, mentorship, and competency development  

• Foster a culture of operational excellence, continuous learning, and collaboration 

• Help define and refine the scope of centralised operations (managed service execution, self-serve support, technical troubleshooting) 

• Build foundational processes, workflows, and SOPs for all operational task types 

• Own complex, multi-market managed service accounts requiring strategic coordination 

• Serve as escalation point for P0 emergencies and technical issues across all markets 

• Partner with Product teams on platform feedback, feature requests, and beta testing coordination 

• Work with regional Client Services leads to understand needs and refine service delivery 

• Represent centralised trading in leadership forums and strategic planning discussions 
  
  
• Advocate for operational team needs and resource requirements to senior leadership 
  
  

Who You Are 

• 7+ years in programmatic trading, ad tech, or related technical roles 

• 3+ years in people leadership, managing teams of 3-10 across technical or operational functions 

• Deep expert-level knowledge of DSP platforms (The Trade Desk strongly preferred) 

• Proven ability to build processes and operational frameworks from scratch 

• Strong relationship-building skills with internal stakeholders at all levels 

• Consultative mindset with ability to understand needs and deliver exceptional service 

• Experience managing across multiple markets or regions (EMEA experience a plus) 

• Strong analytical skills using Excel, SQL, Tableau, or similar tools 

• Builds trust through transparency, consistency, and follow-through 

• Comfortable with ambiguity; able to make decisions with incomplete information 

• Strong prioritization skills; able to balance competing demands across markets 

• Service-oriented with genuine commitment to making traders more effective 

• Resilient and adaptable; thrives in fast-paced, evolving environment 

• English fluency required, additional European languages (German, French, Spanish, Italian) preferred  

 

The Trade Desk does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firm recruiters. Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired; such resumes will be deemed the sole property of The Trade Desk. The Trade Desk is an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.