Group Account Director

VML South Africa; Rogers (AR); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401k match

Paid time off

Hybrid work model

Job summary

VML South Africa, part of WPP, seeks a senior leader in commerce/shopper marketing with 10+ years experience. You will guide strategy, drive integrated campaigns, and collaborate across agency teams to deliver growth for major brands.

You will influence retail media, develop strategic plans, and ensure client satisfaction through strong leadership and data-driven insights. This role is hybrid with a focus on delivering measurable results.

Qualifications

• 10+ years experience in commerce/shopper marketing, agency experience required.

Responsibilities

• Manage activity workflow and align expectations within account team.
• Oversee the creative process and brief the team, ensuring alignment with strategy and client needs.
• Identify opportunities for practice evolution and growth in client accounts.
• Lead concepts development and supporting tactics with cross-functional teams.
• Act as primary liaison to mid/senior clients on strategy, service, legal and policy issues.
• Provide strategic leadership to clients and identify growth opportunities for marketing goals.
• Support client lead to manage high-level global client relationships.
• Monitor internal client income projections and potential growth sources.
• Ensure resources and staffing optimize profitability and delivery.
• Oversee financial forecasting and flag income variance to Senior Management.
• Collaborate with planning and creative teams on concept development.
• Communicate workload across departments for quarterly planning.
• Mentor junior staff with ongoing feedback.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical skills

Verbal & written communication

Collaboration

Tools

Nielsen/IRI familiarity

Job description

Who We Are

VML is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and award-winning human-first work for clients including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. In 2026, VML was named Campaign’s Global Network of the Year and ranked #2 Creative Network of the Year at Cannes Lions. VML’s global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore.

VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel.

For more information, please visit www.vml.com and follow along on LinkedIn #WeAreVML. Who we are looking for:

What you’ll do

• Manage activity workflow and align expectations within account team
• Manage the creative process and brief the creative team either personally or through close oversight of Account team, reviewing concept and comp materials
• Proactively identify opportunities for practice evolution
• Work with team in the development of concepts and supporting tactics
• Function as primary liaison to middle and senior clients on behalf of the agency regarding strategy, service-related, legal and policy issues
• Support/provide strategic leadership to clients/client leads/agency and help in identifying growth opportunities and action plans for client’s marketing communications goals
• Provide support to client lead to effectively manage high level global client
• Manage internal client income projection and identify sources of incremental growth
• Manage resources to ensure client profitability
• Oversee tracking of financial forecasting/tracking and reporting and flag any potential projected income variance to Senior Management
• Work with client lead for overall staffing/resource allocation
• Manage client billing and financial status reports at a higher level
• Partner with strategic planning and creative teams for concept development
• Interact with all agency department heads to clearly outline current and projected workload on a quarterly basis for planning purposes
• Nurture the career development of junior staff by mentoring and providing ongoing informal and formal performance feedback

Who you are

• Strong, proactive leader possessing big picture thinking
• Sound analytical skills, ideally with Nielsen or IRI familiarity
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with seasoned presentation skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a team player attitude
• Strong collaboration skills, with ability to work cross functionally and inter-agency

What you’ll need

• 10+ years experience minimum in commerce/shopper marketing, agency experience required
• A proven track record of strategic leadership in Commerce, digital, in-store visibility, and shopper marketing both in agency and CPG brand management
• Experience with Retail Media Networks, Target (Roundel) required

What we offer

• Passionate, driven people|We champion a culture of people that do extraordinary work.
• Consciously cultivated culture|We aim to embody the behaviors to build an inclusivecommunity that is in it together, bringing both positivity and active listening into the workplace as we simultaneously strive to empower creative bravery.
• Competitive benefits|What we offer full time hires ranges from the full spectrum of group health coverage options (medical, dental, vision) to a generous 401k match (100% dollar-for-dollar match, up to 5% of salary contribution), and a variety of paid time off offerings that reflect our investment in all aspects of your overall life balance and wellness.
• Growth-minded opportunities|We aim to nurture a culture of real-time feedback, growth-oriented mindset, and plenty of training opportunities through VML and WPP, so you can continue to grow personally and professionally.

The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package, _$100,000—$230,000 USDWe believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.