The Trade Desk’s Joe McCallister on salary negotiation and leading without micromanaging

In this week’s episode of The Future of Security Operations podcast, Thomas is joined by Joe McCallister. Joe’s journey in security is truly unique - in less than a decade, he pivoted from selling BMWs to his current role as Senior Manager of Cybersecurity Operations at The Trade Desk. He’s also led impactful initiatives in risk management, threat hunting, and incident response at Synoptek.

In this episode:

[02:18] Transitioning from selling BMWs to leading a security team

[06:14] Moving from practitioner to manager and leaning into the role of the "communications guy"

[09:52] Balancing security team priorities with company goals

[11:40] The threats that keep Joe up at night

[14:06] How The Trade Desk's rapid growth has affected day-to-day operations

[16:10] Ensuring security stays top of mind for other business units

[19:32] Practical tips for strengthening collaboration with IT and other teams

[22:13] Joe’s approach to hiring and building a resilient team

[26:30] Enabling his incident response team to thrive, even when he's not there

[30:58] Joe’s top three leadership principles

[33:22] Tips for salary negotiation, both as a practitioner and a manager

[39:58] Navigating imposter syndrome and anxiety

[42:37] How AI is fueling Joe’s optimism for the future of SecOps

[44:29] Connect with Joe

The Future of Security Operations is brought to you by Tines, the orchestration, automation, and AI platform that powers some of the world’s most important workflows. 

Where to find Joe:

• LinkedIn

• Rocky Mountain Information Security Conference (May 28 - 30, 2025)

Where to find Thomas Kinsella:

• LinkedIn

• Tines

Resources mentioned:

• Colorado=Security Annual Salary Surveys & Resources