Senior Director, Paid Media

Our mission is to create the Experience of a Lifetime for our employees, so they can, in turn, create the Experience of a Lifetime for our guests. We own and operate the most renowned destination resorts in the world as well as regional and local ski areas outside major cities, and connect them all through one unrivaled network. We are looking for ambitious leaders, innovators and creators to join our talented team. If you’re ready to pursue your fullest potential, we want to get to know you!

Candidates for year-round positions are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications will be accepted up to 90 days after the posting date, or until the position is filled (whichever is first).

Job Summary:

The Senior Director of Paid Media is responsible for defining and leading the enterprise vision for brand and performance marketing as a strategic driver of profitable growth across Vail Resorts. This leader will oversee the strategy, planning, execution, measurement, and continuous optimization of one of the company's largest marketing investments while shaping how paid media, customer data, AI, and advanced analytics work together to accelerate business performance.

Reporting to the Vice President of Omni-Channel Marketing, this role leads a high-performing team of paid media and advertising operations professionals while partnering closely with Analytics, CRM, Brand Marketing, Product, Technology, Finance, and executive leadership to influence enterprise growth strategy. Success in this role requires balancing operational excellence with long-term transformation, modernizing paid media through automation, AI, experimentation, and first-party data activation.

Paid media is one of Vail Resorts' most strategic growth capabilities. We are building a next-generation marketing organization that combines first-party customer data, AI, advanced measurement, automation, and creative excellence to deliver personalized guest experiences and profitable growth at scale. We are seeking a leader excited to shape what modern marketing looks like over the next decade.

Job Specifications:

• Starting Wage: $210,000 - $245,000 + bonus + equity

• Employment Type: Year Round

• Shift Type: Full Time hours available

• Minimum Age: At least 18 years of age

• Housing Availability: No

Job Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership : Define and execute the long-term enterprise paid media vision, positioning paid media as a strategic driver of profitable growth, customer acquisition, retention, and lifetime value.
  Growth Strategy: Develop enterprise investment strategies that maximize business outcomes across the full guest lifecycle through disciplined portfolio management, forecasting, experimentation, and optimization.
• AI Transformation : Lead the transformation of paid media through AI, automation, machine learning, and emerging technologies,fundamentally improving campaign planning, creative production, optimization, operational efficiency, and measurement.
• Measurement : Support and further establish industry-leading measurement capabilities including incrementality testing, marketing mix modeling, attribution, forecasting, causal inference, experimentation, and lifetime value optimization to improve investment decisions. Lead new analytical approaches to optimization and attribution, furthering our efforts on robust incrementality testing, while also leading more advanced modeling work around the total marketing and media mix.
• AdTech : Define and evolve the enterprise advertising technology roadmap, ensuring best-in-class capabilities across media platforms,automation, identity, measurement, creative technology, and AI
• Team Leadership : Build, coach, and inspire a high-performing organization by developing talent, fostering innovation, driving accountability, and leading the team successfully through ongoing transformation.
• Media Operations : Lead enterprise media planning, buying, and optimization across all paid channels, ensuring operational excellence while continuously improving efficiency, effectiveness, and scalability.
• Executive Influence : Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership on marketing investment, growth strategy, media performance, and future marketing capabilities through strong analytical rigor and compelling business storytelling.
• Creative Optimization : Build a modern creative optimization capability leveraging AI-enabled creative production, dynamic creative optimization, structured experimentation, and rapid learning to maximize campaign effectiveness.
• Development : Be self-aware and emotionally intelligent to convey and exemplify the Vail Resorts standard of leadership. Consistently be looking to develop oneself as a leader and continually improve themselves and their peers through candid feedback and continual self-evaluation. Be consistently focused on unlocking the potential of their employees.
• External Partnerships : Build strategic partnerships with agencies, technology vendors, and industry partners to continuously improve capabilities, accelerate innovation, and maximize return on investment.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications or a related degree
• 15+ years experience in Paid Media with a commercial and consumer focus: Paid Media Operations, AdTech, Media Strategy, etc.
• 7+ years experience managing and developing marketing teams, including leading teams successfully through change and a proven track record of building high performing teams
• Forward-thinking leader who has experience re-imagining current operations to achieve greater impact; strong executive communication skills to drive results through influence
• High emotional intelligence, openness to change, and the willingness to merge ideas to bring forward the best solutions
• Deep understanding of experimentation, test and learn, statistical analysis (e.g.,incrementality testing, Marketing Mix modeling, etc)
• Experience planning/buying on a Demand Side Platform (DSP) / digital media trading desk, working various customer data and activation strategies (e.g, 1st party, 3rd party, etc), as well as programmatic buying experience
• Experience with media analytics & research
• Experience with Ad Serving Software with Dynamic Creative Optimization
• Familiarity with The Trade Desk, Adobe Analytics, Innovid, Google, Meta Ads and other walled garden ecosystems, Amperity, Adobe Analytics, Tableau, Microsoft Excel/Powerpoint, etc.

The expected Total Compensation for this role is $210,000 - $245,000 + bonus + equity. Individual compensation decisions are based on a variety of factors.

Job Benefits

• Ski/Mountain Perks! Free passes for employees, employee discounted lift tickets for friends and family AND free ski lessons
• MORE employee discounts on lodging, food, gear, and mountain shuttles
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Excellent training and professional development

Full Time roles are eligible for the above, plus:

• Health Insurance; Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, and Vision Insurance plans (for eligible seasonal employees after working 500 hours)
• Free ski passes for dependents
• Critical Illness and Accident plans

Vail Resorts offers a ‘Hybrid’ work environment where employees living within 50 miles of the Broomfield office work on-site Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and have flexibility to work off-site on Mondays and Fridays. Employees living outside of a commutable distance can work remotely from British Columbia, Washington D.C., and the 16 U.S. states* in which we currently operate. This includes: California, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Washington State, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Please note that the ability to work in person or off-site, and the particulars related to such work, are subject to change at any time; and, accordingly, the Company reserves the right to change its policies and/or require in-person/in-office work or off-site work at any time in its sole discretion.

In completing this application, and when submitting related documentation, applicants may redact information that identifies their age, date of birth, and/or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

We follow all federal, state, and local laws including restrictions on child/minor labor. Minors hired into this position will not be asked or permitted to engage in any activities restricted to adult workers.

Vail Resorts is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law.

Requisition ID 515936
Reference Date: 07/15/2026
Job Code Function: Digital & Channel Experience