Creative Director

Publicis Groupe; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading agency is seeking a Creative Director based in Johannesburg who will be responsible for leading the creative process and mentoring teams. The ideal candidate should have over 10 years of experience and a strong history of successful campaign development while exhibiting exceptional leadership and strategic thinking skills.

Qualifications

• Must have 10+ years’ experience
• Highly conceptual individual
• Demonstrate exceptional strategic thinking
• Must have led the conceptualisation and execution of TTL campaigns
• Track record of winning international and local awards

Responsibilities

• Lead agency/client brainstorms & workshops
• Drive integration with a weighting on digital platforms
• Manage & mentor creative teams
• Participate in pitches for new business
• Generate ideas and sell them into clients and team members

Skills

Leadership skills

Strategic thinking

Problem-solving

Time management

Communication skills

Job description

Job Location : Gauteng, Johannesburg Deadline : August 15, 2025 Quick Recommended Links

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Overview

• The successful candidate needs to be a leading light for both clients and agency colleagues; a self-starter with the ambition to match. They will be required to provide a vision, be an inspirational leader and a tenacious salesperson.
• As a Creative Director you will help lead our passionate, multi-talented studio guiding all members to deliver exceptional, integrated concepts to exceed client briefs and expectations.
• A Creative Director is a thought leader within the agency, so they can expect to be craft-led, strategically driven, and platform neutral conceptual thinkers with a desire to transform brands by creating beautiful, intuitive, and human-centred products and experiences.
• The individual must be tuned into all aspects of South African popular culture and the platforms and media it plays in, as well as have a strong point of view on what it takes to win in this space.

Responsibilities

• You will lead agency / client brainstorms & workshops to determine KPI’s, strategic direction and set ways of working to maintain client relationships
• Drive integration, with weighting on digital platforms
• Scope, plan & manage the creative process on projects
• Manage & mentor creative teams
• Work with other disciplines (Strategists, Developers, Media, Accounts, etc.) to ensure cohesive team integration, and alignment with broader business objectives
• Be a champion for innovation on every project you touch
• Play an active role in campaign planning
• Drive real-time optimisation of the work in partnership with strategy and media
• Participate in pitches for new business
• Define the direction for overall campaigns
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Generate ideas and sell them into clients and other members of the team
• Mock up creative ideas
• Create across multiple channels
• Consistently produce creative elements against a deliverables list
• Oversee the craft. Whether it be the writing, design of an idea etc.
• Compile presentations for clients / figure out new ways of selling
• Attend client briefings & presentations
• Demonstrate thought leadership by keeping updated on industry trends

Qualifications

• Must have 10+ years’ experience
• Highly conceptual individual (Must demonstrate with at least 5 projects)
• Demonstrate exceptional strategic thinking (Provide 3 examples)
• Must have led the conceptualisation and execution of TTL campaigns and pure digital campaigns (Show minimum of 4 examples)
• Must demonstrate an understanding of digital platforms
• Track record of winning international and local awards i.e. Cannes, One Show, Loeries, Clios, Bookmarks etc.
• Show at least 1 international and 1 local gold medals
• Demonstrate how you’ve previously dealt with conflict
• In-depth working knowledge of existing and emerging technologies & platforms

Additional information

BUSINESS KPI’s

• Must demonstrate examples of leadership skills & problem solving
• A strong understanding of best practice interaction and visual design principles
• Must be able to oversee 7-8 projects. Or work on one sizable and two small size project at any one time with oversight.
• Have the ability to attend every review on a project with new 3 ideas.
• Oversee projects and manage and grow the team through the process

THE PERSON

• Good understanding of influencer, Mobile, Podcast, out-of-home, guerrilla, activations and direct marketing
• Great time management
• Demonstrate ability to work under immense pressure & meet tight deadlines
• Adept problem-solving skills
• Strong communication skills with ability to provide rationales for creative choices made
• Able to work with team members & delegate effectively
• Understand the client’s business requirements, and understand how our services should be applied to solve business problem
• Sell an idea or campaign internally and externally