Channel Investment & Implementation Lead

Publicis Groupe Africa Pty Ltd; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Publicis Groupe Africa Pty Ltd in Johannesburg seeks a senior leader to own the channel planning function across AV, OOH, audio, social, search, programmatic, performance, retail media, commerce and influencer. You will ensure specialists deliver technically strong, commercially sound and measurable plans, with QA and delivery validation before billing.

Responsibilities include championing channel standards, coordinating with Journey Planning, and driving quality across multiple channels to

Qualifications

• 8+ years managing channel standards, investment quality and delivery governance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the channel implementation planning function.
• Ensure specialists receive clear briefs from Journey Planning.
• Ensure every channel plan includes rationale, cost logic, KPI forecast and delivery assumptions.
• Ensure plans are executable, measurable and aligned to the integrated strategy.
• Ensure delivery actualisation is completed before billing approval.
• Ensure under-delivery is disputed, credited, made good or escalated.
• Maintain channel planning standards across teams.

Skills

Channel expertise

Channels buying environments

Technical planning

Governance

Supplier understanding

Team leadership

Delivery validation

Job description

Company Description

We are the Human Experience Agency. We believe the growth opportunity lies in people. We understand and anticipate human desires to deliver media experiences of value. We call this PeoplePoweredGrowth! Focusing on both business outcomes and human outcomes is proven to deliver stronger growth for clients. PeoplePoweredGrowth identifies the intersection between what people want and what brands need, to create media experiences of value. PeoplePoweredGrowth orchestrates the right talent and capability to solve for clients’ unique business challenges through interconnected capability. PeoplePoweredGrowth embodies a way of thinking, working, and learning; challenging the status quo and always reaching for a better. It is a culture of never standing still. Starcom is a full service, global media agency with a presence in multiple markets around the world. We believe in the power of our network and work closely with our global colleagues to ensure that we are providing our clients with global best practice, localized for the South African market. Our clients include Mondelez, Haleon (GSK), Samsung, Stellantis, Sandoz, Kellogg’s to name a few. We are part of the Publicis network – the fastest growing global network.

Company Description

We are the Human Experience Agency. We believe the growth opportunity lies in people. We understand and anticipate human desires to deliver media experiences of value. We call this PeoplePoweredGrowth! Focusing on both business outcomes and human outcomes is proven to deliver stronger growth for clients. PeoplePoweredGrowth identifies the intersection between what people want and what brands need, to create media experiences of value. PeoplePoweredGrowth orchestrates the right talent and capability to solve for clients’ unique business challenges through interconnected capability. PeoplePoweredGrowth embodies a way of thinking, working, and learning; challenging the status quo and always reaching for a better. It is a culture of never standing still. Starcom is a full service, global media agency with a presence in multiple markets around the world. We believe in the power of our network and work closely with our global colleagues to ensure that we are providing our clients with global best practice, localized for the South African market. Our clients include Mondelez, Haleon (GSK), Samsung, Stellantis, Sandoz, Kellogg’s to name a few. We are part of the Publicis network – the fastest growing global network.

Overview

Reports to

Head of Investment / Head of Media / MD

Dotted line

Corporate Investment Lead, Journey Planning Lead, Buying Ops Lead

Role purpose

Owns the channel craft function across AV, OOH, audio, social, search, programmatic, performance, retail media, commerce and influencer. Ensures specialists produce technically strong, commercially sound, measurable and executable plans. Owns recommendation quality, implementation standards and delivery validation — not invoice loading or billing admin.

Scope of role

• Channel planning standards
• Specialist capability management
• Channel plan QA
• Delivery validation governance
• Make good / credit / dispute recommendations
• Channel learning & PCA quality
• Marketplace collaboration with Corporate Investment

Responsibilities

Core accountabilities

• Lead the channel implementation planning function.
• Ensure specialists receive clear briefs from Journey Planning.
• Ensure every channel plan includes rationale, recommendation, cost logic, KPI forecast and delivery assumptions.
• Ensure plans are executable, measurable and aligned to the integrated strategy.
• Ensure delivery actualisation is completed before billing approval.
• Ensure under-delivery is disputed, credited, made good or escalated.
• Ensure channel learnings feed future planning.
• Maintain channel planning standards across teams.

Decision rights

• Channel planning standards
• Quality approval of vertical plans
• Delivery validation requirements
• Approve / hold / dispute / credit / makegood delivery
• Channel specialist capability standards

What This Role Is NOT Accountable For

• Defining the original growth strategy.
• Owning the client relationship.
• Loading plans into billing systems.
• Processing supplier invoices or vendor onboarding.
• Trafficking tags.
• Producing routine campaign reports.

Qualifications

8+ years managing channel standards, investment quality and delivery governance.

Required competencies

• Channel expertise

Strong grasp of channels and buying environments.

• Technical planning

Evaluate plans, forecasts and delivery assumptions.

• Commercial judgment

Understand cost, rate and delivery implications.

• Governance

Enforce standards and handoffs.

• Supplier understanding

Challenge media owner / platform delivery.

• Team leadership

Manage specialists and develop capability.

• Delivery validation

Identify under-delivery and recommend action.

Additional Information

How performance is measured

• Channel plan quality

Percentage of plans passing QA first time.

• Forecast accuracy

Delivery versus forecast by channel.

• Delivery validation

Percentage of invoices validated before billing.

• Leakage reduction

Less unchallenged under-delivery or incorrect billing.

• Specialist capability

Improvement in standards and training completion.

• PCA quality

Channel learnings captured and reused.