Position Summary:

The Director of Brand & Advertising leads the development, execution, and performance of Graton Resort & Casino's brand identity, advertising strategy, and creative output across all channels. This role oversees advertising initiatives, creative development, and agency/vendor partnerships, ensuring all marketing efforts align with business objectives. The Director defines the brand's voice and visual identity, leads campaign development and launches, and builds audience connection while driving measurable business results.

Essential Functions:

• Responsible for redefining hospitality at Graton Resort & Casino while living, supporting, and promoting our values.
• Perform responsibilities in accordance with all Company standards, policies, and procedures.
• Champion the Graton Resort & Casino brand ensuring all advertising, creative, and communications align with strategic positioning and guest experience goals.
• Lead the development of annual brand and advertising plans, including campaign strategy, media mix, budgeting and creative direction to support property-wide goals.
• Oversee paid media campaigns, optimizing for reach, relevance, and ROI.
• Manage the creative process ensuring timely, high-quality, on-brand deliverables.
• Manage agency and vendor relationships, including creative services, media buying, and production.
• Direct the production of all content including TV, radio, digital display, paid social, print, and video.
• Lead the in-house social media team, developing authentic storytelling and platform-specific strategies.
• Track, report and optimize campaign performance (ROAS, CPA, share of voice, engagement metrics).
• Lead all direct-to-consumer marketing campaigns, including direct mail and email.
• Collaborate with Database Marketing to develop and optimize lifecycle communications.
• Oversee creative workflows, project prioritization, resource planning, and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Collaborate across departments to support promotions and business goals through cohesive brand-aligned advertising.
• Hire, lead, mentor, and develop the advertising and creative team to foster innovation, high performance, and accountability.
• Contribute to marketing leadership, participating in strategic planning, budgeting, and property initiatives.

Required Qualifications:

• Ability to communicate effectively with Guests, Team Members and Management in both written and verbal form.
• Bachelor's degree (MBA preferred) in Marketing, Advertising, Communications, or related field; five (5) years of senior leadership experience in brand strategy, advertising, or creative direction within casino, hospitality, or entertainment.
• Proven leadership in multi-channel brand and advertising campaigns.
• Deep understanding of creative production, content strategy, and brand guidelines.
• Expertise in managing agency partnerships, media negotiations, and vendor accountability.
• Experience overseeing multi-language campaigns.
• Leadership in optimizing digital guest experiences, including websites and mobile apps, with a track record of driving revenue and enhancing UX.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to lead multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and collaboration skills with the ability to influence at all levels.

Preferred Experience (Tools & Platforms):

• Adobe Creative Suite / Canva
• Google Analytics / GA4 and Meta Business Suite
• Monday.com or Airtable
• Programmatic Ad Platforms (e.g., The Trade Desk)
• CRM Systems (e.g., Salesforce, Active Email)