Director, Paid Media

GENERAL SUMMARY

The Director, Paid Media is a strategic and hands-on leader responsible for developing and executing a holistic, full-funnel paid media strategy across Preferred Travel Group’s (PTG) global portfolio of 650 independent luxury hotels. This role drives brand affinity, bookings, and incremental revenue through performance marketing and integrated media planning, while ensuring alignment with broader commercial objectives. This position supports Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Beyond Green, and the I Prefer Hotel Rewards loyalty program, delivering paid media strategies that elevate brand visibility, loyalty engagement, and direct channel performance. This role must operate as a hands-on strategist, executor, and analyst.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIP

You will report to the Vice President, Digital Strategy & Innovation. The Director leads external agency partners to deliver measurable outcomes across digital and traditional media channels, and collaborates cross-functionally with Brand Creative, Portfolio Marketing, Loyalty Marketing, and Partnerships.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy & Planning

• Develop and evolve a global full-funnel, multi-channel media strategy aligned with commercial goals and marketing objectives.
• Identify growth opportunities and innovation in paid media, leveraging insights, market research, and incrementality studies.
• Partner with commercial and marketing leaders to support ancillary campaigns and ensure paid media integration across initiatives.
• Convey media strategies, rationale and results to senior leadership to gain support and understanding of a sophisticated media program.

Campaign Management

• Oversee end-to-end campaign execution including briefing, optimization, and performance reporting.
• Manage a multi-million dollar media budget, pacing, and forecasting to maximize ROI and ROMI.
• Ensure campaigns are delivered on time, meet quality and brand standards, and align with business objectives.
• Collaborate with creative teams and agencies to produce high-performing ad formats across display, paid search, social, native, and video.
• Develop and adapt paid media strategies for international markets, with a particular focus on China’s unique digital ecosystem (e.g., WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, Baidu), ensuring channel relevance and commercial effectiveness.
• Oversee and manage the I Prefer affiliate marketing program, ensuring alignment with overall media strategy and driving incremental growth through strategic partnerships.

Agency & Vendor Management

• Lead relationships with global media agencies and ensure best-in-class service and delivery.
• Maintain partnerships with key media vendors, participating in alpha/beta tests and joint business plans.
• Activate a test-and-learn roadmap across all major media platforms.
• Own the commercial model for PTG’s metasearch program, increasing revenue for member hotels and PTG by exploring new partnership structures and monetization opportunities.

Measurement & Analytics

• Define and manage KPIs within a global measurement framework.
• Build and own the marketing mix modeling framework to evaluate channel effectiveness and inform budget allocation decisions.
• Enhance reporting formats and stakeholder deliverables to improve transparency and decision-making.
• Collaborate with global teams to optimize data feeds, tagging, and system integrations.

Industry Knowledge & Excellence

• Lead special projects such as cookie deprecation strategy and media innovation showcases.
• Develop case studies and award entries to highlight paid media success and innovation.
• Regularly present updates and insights to senior stakeholders through written and live communications.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 7-10 years of experience in media strategy, planning, and buying, ideally within hospitality, travel, or consumer services.
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, or related field.
• Proven expertise in Meta, Google, and other performance media platforms.
• Familiarity with AI applications in digital media, including programmatic advertising, predictive analytics, and generative creative tools.
• Strong analytical mindset focused on ROI and ROMI.
• Experience managing multi-channel campaigns and significant media budgets.
• Ability to craft and present executive-level narratives that connect media outcomes to business impact.
• Proficiency in media analytics tools, marketing mix modeling, digital attribution, and incrementality testing.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and time management skills.

WORKING CONDITIONS

This role will be based out of our Preferred Travel Group office in either Newport Beach, CA, New York, New York, Washington, D.C., or Chicago, Illinois. With our in-office philosophy, our associates are expected to be in the office at least three days per week, supporting a healthy balance between in-person collaboration and flexible remote work.

We take pride in our vibrant and inclusive culture, which thrives on meaningful connection, shared purpose, and cross-functional teamwork. In-office engagement plays a vital role in fostering spontaneous collaboration, accelerating innovation, and strengthening relationships across teams. It also provides valuable opportunities for mentorship, professional development, and a deeper sense of community.

Please note: While the current expectation is a minimum of three days per week in the office, this may evolve over time in alignment with business needs and our continued commitment to culture-building.

DISCLAIMER

The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by associates within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

SALARY

$130,000 - $155,000 per year; Actual compensation within this range will be determined by multiple factors including candidate location, experience, and expertise.