Senior Director - Media Planning & Strategy

What Are We Building?
Hard Rock Digital is a team focused on becoming the best online sportsbook, casino, and social gaming company in the world. We’re building a team that emanates passion for learning and building new products and technologies for millions of consumers. We care about each customer's interaction, experience, and behavior and strive to ensure we’re always acting authentically.

Rooted in the iconic legacy of Hard Rock and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Hard Rock Digital taps a brand known the world over as the leader in gaming, entertainment, and hospitality. We’re taking that foundation of success and bringing it to the digital space — ready to join us?

What's the position?
Hard Rock Digital is seeking a Senior Director - Media Strategy & Planning to lead the development, execution, and evolution of our media investment strategy across our Sports Betting and Online Casino portfolio. This role will own the full media activation strategy for major brand campaigns, ensuring media plans are thoughtfully designed, rigorously tested, and tightly integrated with brand, creative, and performance objectives.

This leader will serve as the connective tissue between Media, Integrated Marketing, Brand Strategy, Creative, and Analytics—balancing long-term brand building with immediate performance outcomes. The role will also play a key role in the development of brand creative campaigns, working closely with our agencies of record to develop creative assets that position the brand according to our core identity, identifies and resonates with the appropriate audiences, aligns with our media activation strategy, and ultimately supports our full-funnel marketing objectives.

The ideal candidate brings a rare blend of strategic vision, analytical rigor, and operational excellence, with deep experience navigating complex, regulated, high-growth industries. As a senior leader, you'll be expected to build and inspire a high-performing team, foster a culture of innovation and accountability, and ensure marketing strategies reflect a deep understanding of the sports betting audience, industry trends, and media landscape.

This position reports directly to the SVP of Marketing and Engagement.

What You'll Do

Media Strategy & Activation

• Own the end-to-end media activation strategy for all brand marketing campaigns across Sports Betting and Online Casino products.

• Design and deliver innovative, insight-driven media plans that elevate brand impact while driving measurable business outcomes.

• Ensure media activation strategies are thoughtfully aligned with brand positioning, creative strategy, and product marketing priorities.

  Testing, Measurement & Learning Agenda

• Own the media testing roadmap in close partnership with the Analytics department, coordinating test designs, KPI priorities, and follow-through on data insights and takeaways.

• Design and prioritize media channel tests across all major marketing objectives including Brand awareness and consideration, customer acquisition efficiency, and customer retention and lifetime value impacts.

• Translate test results into clear recommendations that influence future media investment and creative strategy.
  
  Brand vs. Performance Balance

• Lead the brand vs. performance media balance, ensuring optimal investment across upper- and lower-funnel channels contingent on our respective business goals in each state and line of business.

• Develop and manage a structured testing roadmap to refine channel mix, sequencing, and spend allocation over time.
  
  Cross-Functional Leadership

• Own and strengthen the working relationship between the Media team and Integrated Marketing, Brand Strategy, and Creative teams.

• Act as a strategic partner to creative teams, ensuring media activation enhances and amplifies creative effectiveness.

• Align stakeholders around shared goals, timelines, and success metrics.
  
  Operational Excellence

• Develop best-in-class media and creative trafficking plans that ensure flawless execution across all channels.

• Establish clear processes, governance, and quality standards for media activation and creative deployment.

• Partner with internal teams and external agencies to ensure operational efficiency, compliance, and scalability.

About You

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field (MBA a plus)

• 10+ years of progressive experience in media strategy, with a strong background in the sports betting or real money gaming industry.

• Deep experience across brand and performance media, with a proven ability to balance both effectively.

• Analytical mindset rooted in keen understanding of measurement frameworks. Iterative testing, and data-driven decision making

• Experience partnering closely with Creative, Analytics, and Integrated Marketing teams, with a deep understanding of performance marketing and brand storytelling.

• A natural leader who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment and knows how to motivate and develop high-performing teams.

• Expert communicator with exceptional organizational and presentation skills — you can move from strategy to details seamlessly.

• Deep passion for sports and gaming culture, with a finely tuned understanding of sports betting audiences and how to communicate effectively with them.

• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and making data-informed decisions under pressure.

• Entrepreneurial spirit, collaborative mindset, and a deep desire to innovate and make an impact.
  

  What’s in It for You?

• Competitive compensation and benefits package

• Flexible vacation allowance and remote-friendly environment (EST hours)

• The energy and agility of a startup, backed by a legendary global brand

• A diverse, inclusive team that celebrates authenticity and empowers everyone to contribute meaningfully

Roster of Uniques
We care deeply about every interaction our customers have with us, and trust and empower our staff to own and drive their experience. Our vision for our business and customers is built on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment where regardless of background or beliefs you feel able to be authentic and bring all your talent into play. We want to celebrate you being you (we are an equal opportunities employer).