Director of Marketing

Director Of Marketing At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, we are dedicated to making a difference. We are an inclusive and welcoming museum that encourages creativity, embraces innovation, and creates a culture of belonging.
We recognize that exceptional candidates may not meet every listed qualification. If this role aligns with your experience and passions, we highly encourage you to apply.
The Director of Marketing joins a high performing team to lead on-brand, performance-driven marketing execution — serving as the connective tissue between brand direction and measurable results. This is a high-impact role with broad scope across campaign activation, digital marketing, paid media, and partnership support, with direct accountability for driving revenue across Museum visitation, ecommerce, membership, and events. The right candidate is a collaborative leader, creative thinker, and a hands-on marketer who can elevate a talented team while keeping a clear eye on what drives results.
What You'll Own
Partner with the Director of Brand & Content Strategy to translate brand direction and creative assets into integrated marketing campaigns across paid, owned, and earned media
Serve as the marketing team's primary connection to content production, ensuring campaign timelines, channel needs, and audience targeting inform content development
Maintain a major moments calendar in concert with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation content and marketing team, ensuring the Museum and Foundation teams are fully mobilized to amplify the Rock Hall's national spotlight around Induction, artist visits and collaborations, exhibit openings, expansion milestones, In Memoriam tributes, and artist and music milestones
Drive owned campaign execution that highlights the Rock Hall across its full range of identities — admired music brand, world class attraction, specialty music lifestyle retailer, nonprofit, and community leader — across all key revenue lines
Lay the groundwork for a national brand awareness and affinity campaign planned for 2028, timed to the grand opening of the transformed Main Exhibit Hall – including audience research, agency evaluation, messaging development, and campaign architecture – in close collaboration with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum's VP of Marketing & Sales and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation's Head of Marketing
Digital Marketing
Develop and champion the digital marketing plan across SEO/AEO/GEO/SEM, email, website optimization, and CRM-driven lifecycle marketing
Support the Rock Hall's visitation marketing strategy across four audience segments — national, regional, local, and visitors already in Cleveland — deploying the right media mix for each and how each audience decides to visit
Work with a marketing contractor to maximize paid admission revenue by marketing to current music fans, lookalike audiences, and new target segments, and by partnering with internal stakeholders to ensure ticket pricing at all levels — including experiences and upsells — remains competitive and conversion-optimized
Develop and execute owned media strategies that extend the reach of Inductee and artist-driven stories, connecting fans around the world to the music, impact, and influence at the heart of the Rock Hall's mission in partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation
Partner with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation's Director of Platform Creative & Growth to ensure paid amplification complements organic content and social strategy, and with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum's Director of Brand & Content Strategy to ensure channel execution aligns with brand direction and effectively leverages content assets
Lead the marketing strategy and execution to grow the Rock Hall's EDU Online audience nationally and globally, partnering with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation's Head of Marketing where appropriate to reach educators and administrators through targeted campaigns; partner with internal teams to support ongoing improvements to site experience and educational content
Paid Media & Performance Marketing
Develop and manage the marketing budget in partnership with the VP of Marketing & Sales
Own paid media strategy across proven channels — search, display, social, email, SMS, SEO, and OOH — with a focus on reaching current fans and lookalike audiences to drive revenue for the Museum across all lines of business
Lead a disciplined test-and-learn approach to emerging channels — including CTV, programmatic partners, and travel/tourism platforms — to reach new audience segments and expand the Museum's marketing footprint
Evolve KPIs, reporting frameworks, and budget allocation that connect marketing activity to earned revenue goals
Work with marketing contractor on conversion rate optimization (CRO) across all digital purchase paths, keeping the team and agency partners aligned on testing priorities and performance benchmarks
Partnerships & Sponsorships
Work with the Director of Strategic Partnerships to drive partner acquisition and activation by developing co-marketing campaigns and materials that demonstrate sponsor value while authentically extending and supporting the brand
Plan and implement marketing campaigns to support private event sales, driving qualified leads in support of Sales team revenue targets
Partner with the Development team to create and implement effective Member and Donor acquisition and retention campaigns
Team Leadership and Collaboration
Directly manage two marketing team members — one senior-level manager and one junior-level manager — providing clear direction, ongoing coaching, and meaningful professional development
Collaborate closely with peers within the Marketing, Sales, and Communications division
Build productive working relationships with Curatorial, Education & Programming, Digital Technology, Development, Strategy, and Finance to ensure marketing strategies and plans are well-informed and well-coordinated
Partner with the Rock Hall's marketing contractor on shared revenue goals, ensuring paid media, ecommerce, and partner marketing efforts are integrated and non-duplicative
Collaborate with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation team, including the Director of Platform Creative & Growth, on brand storytelling, audience development, and campaign amplification
Why This Role
Lead marketing for one of the most recognizable and beloved cultural brands in the world
Broad scope across campaign activation, digital, paid media, and partnerships — with real influence over execution and outcomes
Step into an established team that's ready to be elevated
Play a key role in building toward a landmark 2028 national campaign tied to a major institutional expansion
Be part of an institution at an exciting moment of audience growth and cultural relevance
Work in Cleveland — an authentic city with a vibrant, growing creative economy and collaborative community
Job Requirements and Qualifications
Genuine passion for rock & roll music; experience in music, entertainment, hospitality, tourism, media, cultural institutions, or live events strongly preferred
8–10 years of consumer marketing experience; bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, or related field preferred; MBA or advanced degree a plus
Proven track record helping an organization make data-driven marketing decisions and building and executing integrated marketing strategies across owned, paid, and earned media that drive measurable revenue results
Fluency in marketing analytics, customer insights, and the ability to synthesize cross-channel performance into clear narratives that explain what's working, what isn't, and where to invest
Excitement about all things digital, including emerging technology like AI and new platforms for reaching, engaging, and converting audiences
Working knowledge of CRM platforms (Salesforce preferred) and the ability to partner with internal stakeholders to leverage customer data for journey mapping, smart segmentation, personalization, and campaign optimization
Familiarity with social media, email, and website audience data as tools for identifying lookalike audiences and expanding reach among those most likely to convert
A strong desire to facilitate not only revenue growth but also professional growth and development of our teams with helpful direction, meaningful work, and effective feedback
Demonstrated ability to collaborate, lead, develop, and inspire a team, exceptional communicator across internal and external audiences; a team player who works well with others and enjoys partnering across teams to create exciting experiences for fans
High energy and passion for the Museum's mission
Commitment to follow through and meet deadlines and commitments
Ability to successfully pass a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum reference check, background investigation, and drug screening
Emotional Intelligence
Engage positively, professionally, and productively with others at all levels of seniority inside and outside of the organization; build solid long-term relationships with key stakeholders
Understand how to work with different people and working styles across the organization
Set a strong example for others by working consistently in a collegial, respectful, and collaborative manner
Encourage and recognize effective teamwork; anticipate and remove obstacles to teamwork; resolve conflicts as