Sr. Director, Paid MediaDepartment: Marketing
Reports To: VP, Global Digital, Media
Location: Boca Raton
Employment Type: Full-Time, Leadership
JOB DESCRIPTION:We are seeking a
Senior Director, Media to lead paid media strategy, planning, investment, activation, and measurement across our portfolio. This role is the senior media authority for the business, accountable for how media investment is planned, spent, measured, and improved across Celsius, Alani Nu, and Rockstar.
Reporting to the VP, Global Digital, Media, this leader owns the full-funnel media agenda - connecting brand building at the top of the funnel to conversion, retail media, and commerce at the bottom. The role leads the internal US media team, sets the standard for agency performance, and works directly with Brand, eCommerce, Insights, Sports and Entertainment, Field, and Finance to make sure media decisions are tied to business outcomes.
Based in our Boca Raton office, this is a hands-on leadership role in a fast-moving category. Success means media plans that are built on a clear strategy, executed with discipline, measured honestly, and improved every quarter.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:Media Strategy & Full-Funnel Planning- Own the paid media strategy across brands, channels, audiences, and investment priorities, translating business objectives into integrated media plans that deliver measurable results
- Lead full-funnel planning that connects upper-funnel brand building with lower-funnel conversion, retail media, and shopper activation as one consumer journey
- Bring deep expertise across programmatic, online video, CTV, audio, paid social, search, retail media, and emerging channels, and define the role each channel plays in the mix
- Set annual and quarterly planning rhythms, including brief standards, planning calendars, and approval milestones that hold across brands
- Ensure media plans reflect brand priorities, key retail moments, seasonality, and the realities of the beverage category
Investment Planning & Budget Stewardship- Own tracking and stewardship of the working media budget, managing spend against plan, forecast, and business priorities
- Lead monthly budget reporting including actuals, forecast updates, variance analysis, risks, opportunities, and pacing recommendations
- Partner with Finance and Procurement on budget tracking, invoicing, reconciliation, accruals, and reporting accuracy
- Monitor investment continuously to identify overages, savings, reallocation opportunities, and actions that improve return
- Make and defend investment trade-offs across brands and channels with a clear rationale tied to business impact
Agency & Partner Leadership- Lead and manage media agency partners across strategy, planning, buying, activation, measurement, and optimization
- Serve as the senior owner of the agency relationship - setting expectations, reviewing deliverables, resolving issues, and driving improvement in quality, speed, and outcomes
- Provide strategic direction and informed challenge to agency recommendations on channel mix, investment allocation, audience design, testing, and optimization
- Establish and enforce operating standards for briefing, turnaround, quality control, reporting, and escalation
- Manage platform and publisher relationships to secure better terms, early access, and first-look opportunities
Measurement, Analytics & Performance- Set the standard for media measurement, including attribution, incrementality testing, marketing mix modeling, and the ongoing learning agenda
- Partner with Insights and Analytics to build measurement plans that answer real business questions, not just report channel metrics
- Define KPIs across brand equity, engagement, traffic, conversion, retail media, and return on investment, and hold plans accountable to them
- Build executive-level reporting that shows what worked, what did not, and what changes as a result
- Use first-party and third-party data to sharpen audience strategy, targeting, personalization, and media effectiveness
- Drive a test-and-learn culture with structured testing, clear read criteria, and decisions that follow the evidence
Retail Media & eCommerce Partnership- Partner closely with the Retail Media & eCommerce teams to ensure paid media strategies are aligned with broader commerce objectives, retail priorities, and integrated marketing plans.
- Collaborate on annual planning, investment strategies, and key campaign initiatives to ensure consistency across brand media, retail media, and eCommerce activations.
- Align media investment priorities with key product launches, promotional calendars, and retailer-specific initiatives to maximize overall business impact
- Leverage cross-functional insights and performance data to identify opportunities for greater coordination, improved efficiency, and stronger commercial outcomes across paid media and retail media investments.
- Establish clear governance, communication, and planning processes that enable effective collaboration between Paid Media, Retail Media & eCommerce, Commercial, and agency partners.
Cross-Functional Partnership- Serve as the senior media partner to Brand teams, translating business challenges into media choices, test plans, and optimization actions
- Integrate paid media with organic social, influencer, sports and entertainment, field marketing, and multicultural efforts so they work as one plan
- Align media priorities with broader business objectives and operational capabilities across the organization
- Communicate media performance, risks, and recommendations clearly to senior leadership in plain business language
- Raise media fluency across the wider organization by sharing expertise and translating complex media decisions into clear business implications
Team Leadership & Capability Building- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing media team across planning, activation, and performance
- Build a clear operating model across internal teams and agency partners, with defined roles, decision rights, planning rhythms, and performance expectations
- Set performance standards, give direct and useful feedback, and build career paths that retain strong talent
- Establish best practices, playbooks, and documented ways of working that outlast individual campaigns and individual people
- Build a team environment where standards are high, priorities are clear, and people are set up to do their best work
Requirements- 12+ years of experience in media strategy, planning, and investment, with meaningful leadership of teams, agencies, and large-scale media budgets
- Deep expertise in full-funnel media planning across brand media, retail media, commerce, paid social, video, CTV, programmatic, and search
- Proven ability to challenge agency plans, evaluate channel roles, assess trade-offs, and make high-quality investment decisions
- Strong command of measurement, including attribution, incrementality testing, marketing mix modeling, and test design
- Experience using first-party and third-party data for audience strategy, activation, and optimization
- Strong financial acumen, including working media tracking, forecasting, monthly reporting, and variance management
- Significant experience managing large agency relationships across planning, buying, performance, and operational governance
- Demonstrated ability to build and develop teams, and to create structure where it does not yet exist
- Strong cross-functional leadership skills, with experience working across Brand, Analytics, eCommerce, and Commercial teams
- Experience in CPG, beverage, or high-growth consumer brands strongly preferred
- Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-growth environment with shifting priorities
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:- Media Expert: Recognized depth in paid media, not a generalist marketer with media exposure
- Owner: Takes full accountability for investment decisions, performance, and the standard of work
- Commercially Minded: Connects media choices to sales, share, and profitability, not just media metrics
- Builder: Creates the process, structure, and standards that make good work repeatable
- Direct Communicator: Says what is working, what is not, and what needs to change, in plain language
- People Leader: Develops talent, sets a high bar, and builds a team others want to join
- Adaptable: Thrives in a fast-paced environment where priorities move quickly
Benefits- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
- Long- and short-term disability
- 10 vacation days per year (subject to accrual policy)
- 401(k) with company match
- Identity theft and legal services
The base pay range for this position is for a successful candidate within the state listed. The successful candidate's actual pay will be based on multiple factors, such as work location, job-related knowledge, skills, qualifications, and experience. Celsius is a total rewards company. This position may be eligible for other compensation, including bonuses and Restricted Stock Units (subject to company plans).
The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees 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.
