Technical Lead, TA Operations

Thetradedesk; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 114,000 - 208,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock-based compensation

Healthcare benefits

401k retirement plan

Disability coverage

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Job summary

The Trade Desk, a global advertising technology leader, is seeking a skilled engineer to own the technical direction of our AI-enabled Talent Acquisition platform. You’ll design data models, establish standards, and partner with HR and engineering to deliver end-to-end solutions.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years building scalable systems, strong front-end/back-end expertise, and a track record of partnering with non-technical stakeholders to drive impact.

Qualifications

• 5+ years designing, building, and scaling business systems.
• 1–3 years in Talent Acquisition or Recruiting Operations.
• Experience owning technical leadership for a system or platform.
• Strong full-stack engineering with modern web apps.
• Ability to translate ambiguous requirements into scalable solutions.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical direction for a talent acquisition platform leveraging AI and workflow automation, covering architecture, data models, and standards.
• Design, build, and maintain full-stack apps and tools end to end, from development to deployment.
• Integrate recruiting and HR systems of record (Greenhouse, Workday, CRM/TRM) and keep data in sync.
• Build AI-powered tools and automations that improve recruiting quality and productivity.
• Collaborate with stakeholders inside and outside Talent Acquisition to translate problems into scalable solutions.
• G ath er requirements, set expectations, and communicate trade-offs with non-technical partners.

Skills

Full-stack engineering

React

TypeScript

Node/Express

Data architecture

AI capability

Tools

Greenhouse

Workday

CRM/TRM tools

Job description

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.

Talent Acquisition (TA) Operations is building the systems, data, and AI capabilities that power the future of hiring at The Trade Desk. This role is focused on advancing recruiting science, insights, and AI-driven innovation by architecting and integrating the technical infrastructure and data pipelines that make it possible. You'll own the technical direction for these tools and data products, partnering closely with TA leadership, Recruiting Operations, and Engineering to turn ambiguous business problems into working, validated solutions.

The ideal candidate is a builder who enjoys solving complex business challenges through technology. You're equally comfortable designing systems, integrating platforms, automating workflows, and applying AI to create meaningful business impact. You thrive in ambiguity, move quickly from concept to execution, and are passionate about creating solutions that make work easier and more effective.

What You’ll Do

• Own the technical direction for a talent acquisition platform capability that leverages AI and workflow automation, covering architecture, technology choices, data models, and engineering standards, from requirements through production release.
• Design, build, and maintain full-stack applications and operational tools end to end, from development through testing and deployment.
• Partner with People Systems and Business Engineering teams to integrate recruiting and HR systems of record (e.g., Greenhouse, Workday, CRM/TRM tools), keeping data pipelines accurate and in sync.
• Design and build AI-powered tools, agents, and automations that improve recruiting quality and productivity, continuously evaluating emerging AI capabilities and translating them into practical, adopted solutions.
• Partner closely with stakeholders within and outside of the Talent Acquisition team to translate business challenges into scalable technical solutions.
• Act as a trusted technical partner to non-technical stakeholders: gather requirements, set expectations, communicate trade-offs, and incorporate feedback through iteration.

Who You Are

• 5+ years of experience designing, building, and scaling business systems, applications, or automation/data platforms, including at least 1–3 years working directly within a Talent Acquisition or Recruiting Operations function.
• Experience owning technical leadership for a system or platform, setting architecture and engineering standards, and driving delivery from design through production.
• Strong full-stack engineering ability, with experience in modern web app development (e.g., React, TypeScript, Node/Express or similar), APIs, and data architecture.
• Experience integrating systems and building data pipelines across platforms, with strong attention to data-model correctness and source-of-truth consistency.
• Demonstrated ability to translate ambiguous business requirements into scalable technical solutions, end to end.
• Strong analytical and systems-thinking skills, with the judgment to know when to build vs. buy vs. integrate.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills, able to build trust and work directly with both technical partners and recruiting/HR stakeholders, from individual recruiters to leadership.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, evolving environment with a builder mentality.

#LI-JK1

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.
• 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 $113,500 — $208,100 USD.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, The Trade Desk is committed to creating an inclusive hiring experience where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Please reach out to us at [e-mail] to request an accommodation or discuss any accessibility needs you may require to access our Company Website or navigate any part of the hiring process.

When you contact us, please include your preferred contact details and specify the nature of your accommodation request or questions. Any information you share will be handled confidentially and will not impact our hiring decisions.