VP, Digital Strategy

Ocean Media; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Ocean Media seeks a VP, Digital Strategy to lead senior client relationships and shape integrated media strategy across gaming and sports portfolios. The role requires hands-on leadership, deep digital media expertise and a pragmatic, sleeves-rolled approach to complex client work.

The candidate will drive programs across programmatic, CTV, online video, social, search, digital audio and more, bringing sports betting and gaming experience to the table. Hybrid by design.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in digital media strategy and client leadership.
• Experience leading large, complex client relationships.
• Sports betting or gaming domain familiarity.
• Strong knowledge of programmatic, CTV, online video and audio.
• Executive presence and travel readiness.

Responsibilities

• Serve as senior strategic advisor across key sports accounts.
• Build relationships with senior client stakeholders.
• Lead client meetings, reviews and planning sessions.
• Develop integrated media strategies across channels (programmatic, CTV, online video, social, search, audio).
• Translate objectives into measurable outcomes with data insights.
• Collaborate with Investment, Analytics, Research and Operations.
• Push for insights beyond reporting and recommendations.

Skills

Digital media strategy

Account leadership

Agency experience

Sports knowledge

Executive communication

Tools

Amazon

The Trade Desk

CTV platforms

Job description

We’re looking for a VP, Digital Strategy to play a senior leadership role across our growing gaming portfolio.

This is a hybrid role by design. We need someone who can be a trusted senior client partner while also bringing deep digital media expertise to the table. You’ll help lead complex client relationships, shape integrated media strategy, challenge the work, identify opportunities and ensure our clients are getting senior-level thinking and attention.

Sports expertise is central to the role.

Two areas are particularly important. First, we need someone with meaningful experience in sports betting and gaming who understands the complexity, pace and competitive dynamics of the category.

This is not someone sitting above the work. We’re looking for a leader who gets involved, knows what is happening on the business and is comfortable rolling up their sleeves when needed.

What You’ll Do

Lead Senior Client Relationships

• Serve as a senior strategic advisor and agency partner across key sports accounts.
• Develop strong relationships with senior client stakeholders and understand their businesses beyond the media plan.
• Maintain a high level of visibility and involvement with clients, particularly during periods of change or increased business complexity.
• Anticipate client needs, identify potential issues early and bring solutions before clients have to ask.
• Lead key client meetings, business reviews, strategic presentations and planning sessions.
• Identify opportunities to deepen relationships and expand our work.
• Lead the development of sophisticated, integrated media strategies across programmatic, CTV, online video, social, search, digital audio, Amazon and other emerging channels.
• Bring particular depth in Amazon and The Trade Desk, including how each fits within broader audience, programmatic and performance strategies.
• Translate client business objectives into clear media strategies and measurable outcomes.
• Use first-, second- and third-party data, audience insights and analytics to inform recommendations, consistent with the strategic responsibilities of the existing VP Digital Strategy role.
• Partner closely with Investment, Analytics, Media Operations, Research and Client Services.
• Push teams beyond reporting performance toward providing meaningful insights and recommendations.

Bring Sports & Gaming Expertise

• Serve as a senior strategic resource across our sports portfolio.
• Bring meaningful experience in sports betting, gaming or closely related categories.
• Understand the sports-betting consumer, competitive landscape, media ecosystem and the unique challenges of marketing within the category.
• Bring strong knowledge of golf, its audiences, culture, media ecosystem and major brands.
• Help our teams understand not simply where sports audiences consume media, but how fandom and behavior should influence strategy.
• Represent our sports capabilities in client conversations and new-business opportunities.

Own the Business, Not Just the Account

• Understand the economics, scope and staffing of the accounts you lead.
• Ensure the level of service we provide aligns with client expectations and business needs.
• Identify potential account risks early and develop plans to address them.
• Look for opportunities to grow existing relationships through new capabilities, ideas and solutions.
• Participate in new-business pitches and strategic development for prospective clients.
• Work comfortably across multiple accounts and priorities without allowing senior client engagement to suffer.

Lead & Develop Teams

• Provide clear direction and senior leadership to cross-functional teams.
• Mentor and develop team members while setting a high bar for client service and strategic thinking.
• Create clarity around ownership, priorities and expectations.
• Work closely with Account Services, Investment, Analytics, Research and Media Operations to ensure seamless execution, building on the cross-functional expectations of the current Account Director role.
• Be willing to get into the work when the situation requires it.

What We’re Looking For

• 10+ years of progressive experience across digital media strategy, account leadership and/or integrated media.
• Significant agency experience strongly preferred.
• Proven experience leading large, complex and highly visible client relationships.
• Sports betting and/or gaming experience strongly preferred.
• Strong experience with Amazon and The Trade Desk.
• Deep understanding of programmatic and digital media strategy.
• Experience across CTV, online video, social, digital audio, search and other major digital channels.
• Genuine knowledge of and interest in sports.
• Ability to translate data, media complexity and performance into a clear strategic point of view.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to build credibility quickly with senior clients.
• Commercial mindset and experience identifying account-growth opportunities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop high-performing teams.
• Willingness to travel based on client and business needs.

The Person

You can sit with a client and talk about their business, then turn around and challenge the team on audience strategy, Amazon, The Trade Desk or whether the media plan actually answers the business problem.

You understand that senior client leadership isn’t about occasionally appearing for the big presentation. You stay close to the business, know what’s happening and make sure the client feels the agency’s best people are actively engaged.

And sports needs to be more than a line on your résumé. Whether the conversation is sports betting, media or how brands authentically participate in sports culture, you should have something meaningful to contribute.