Director, Global Purchasing

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 Director, Global Purchasing will provide oversight and guidance of the company’s decentralized procurement operations, ensuring strategic alignment, operational efficiency, and the adoption of best practices across all regions. Reporting directly to the Controller, Global Accounting Operations, this key leadership role will partner with organizational leaders to drive a cohesive and world-class Purchasing function. As a leader, you will build, develop, and enhance a high-performing team that balances global consistency with local needs in an ever-changing, hyper-growth environment. This role will focus on standardizing processes, fostering collaboration across regional purchasing teams, and defining and implementing procurement strategies that align with long-term business goals to ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness. In addition, this role will be overseeing and transforming corporate travel management to align with organizational priorities. The Director, Global Purchasing will also communicate vision and strategic direction, fostering a dynamic and high-performing team culture to achieve or exceed operational objectives.

What you'll do:

• Provide leadership and vision by identifying and implementing an optimal procurement model that achieves efficiency goals while maintaining speed and quality of service.
• Develop and implement a global procurement strategy that ensures consistency while addressing local needs through regional guidelines.
• Build proactive and positive relationships with regional, and corporate stakeholders across finance, operations, and other departments to ensure best-in-class practices are implemented.
• Establish and monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and reporting metrics designed to measure, track, and improve productivity, providing greater transparency to leadership.
• Lead the continuous improvement of procurement systems such as Coupa to enhance spend visibility, streamline approvals, and improve vendor management, transitioning efforts from data gathering to decision-making.
• Negotiate contracts and manage vendor performance to align with business requirements.
• Balance workloads and optimize team structure and resources to ensure scalable functions, while providing appropriate training and knowledge transfer within the department and across relevant cross-functional groups.
• Resolve purchasing and vendor-related issues by providing escalation support, facilitating meetings, and driving actionable follow-ups to ensure accountability.
• Attract, hire, and develop a high-performing, cohesive purchasing team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, professional development, and mutual accountability.
• Adhere to all Sarbanes-Oxley, audit procedures and regulatory requirements to ensure full compliance; monitors established control points.
• Monitor and optimize corporate travel systems to ensure efficiency, and alignment with budgeting, reporting, and evolving business needs.

Who you are: 

• 15+ years of experience in purchasing or procurement, with at least 7 years in a leadership role managing geographically dispersed teams.
• Proficiency with procurement platforms like Coupa and travel management tools such as Navan.
• Demonstrated success in driving technology adoption, process improvement, and change management in a global organization.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred.
• Strong supplier relationship management skills, with expertise in contract negotiations and performance monitoring.
• Strategic thinker with exceptional analytical, negotiation, communication, and leadership abilities.
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment and manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Strong knowledge of applicable laws, regulations, and compliance requirements within the procurement space.
• Ability to travel as required.

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.