Digital Manager (Pet Nutrition)

Black Pen Recruitment; Wes-Kaap; Hybrid; ZAR 700,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Black Pen Recruitment seeks a Digital Manager to own the trade website, lead SEO/CRO, and manage landing pages across sites. You will coordinate with internal developers and external specialists, and line manage the Junior Digital Executive.

This hybrid role is based in Cape Town with four days in the office and one day remote. The ideal candidate has 4+ years in digital marketing, strong SEO expertise, and experience guiding AI-powered content and testing initiatives.

Qualifications

• 4+ years in digital marketing, SEO, CRO or website management role.
• Expert knowledge of SEO, technical SEO and keyword strategy.
• Strong experience with CRO testing and optimisation.
• Proficiency with Semrush, Google Analytics 4 and testing tools.
• Basic HTML/CSS knowledge or ability to learn.
• Experience coordinating with developers.
• Demonstrable experience using AI tools in digital marketing.
• Degree in marketing, computer science or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Strategic thinker who understands how SEO and CRO impact revenue.
• Data-driven — comfortable with analytics and performance metrics.
• Technical knowledge — understands website architecture, HTML, tracking.
• Organised — manages multiple projects and stakeholders consistently.
• Collaborative — works well with Brand Leads, Marketplace Manager, developers.
• Project manager — able to coordinate complex workstreams.
• Uses AI as a working tool — not occasionally.
• E-commerce or D2C website experience is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Trade website ownership - Own the trade website trading calendar and Develop B2B acquisition strategy.
• Coordinate with PR & Communications on trade content and messaging.
• Manage trade website performance and optimisation.
• SEO strategy and execution across all websites and audit cycle.
• Manage keyword strategy and content optimisation; AI-assisted content production.
• Report on SEO performance, rankings and traffic.
• Lead CRO initiatives across all owned websites and prioritise testing roadmap.
• Coordinate CRO testing with internal developers and manage testing calendar.
• Build and deploy landing pages; coordinate with Marketing on launch timing.
• Oversee site health, Core Web Vitals and crawlability across sites.
• Line manage the Junior Digital Executive and provide coaching.

Skills

Digital marketing

SEO

CRO

Website management

Semrush

GA4

HTML/CSS basics

Developer coordination

AI in marketing

Strategic thinking

Data analytics

Project management

Education

Marketing degree

Computer science degree

Equivalent experience

Tools

Semrush

Google Analytics 4

Testing tools

Job description

Our client is a leading European provider of premium natural pet nutrition, focused on supporting pet health and wellbeing through high-quality, minimally processed food. The business offers a broad range of fresh and gently cooked meals, functional snacks, and supplements, combining quality ingredients with nutritional expertise to deliver healthy and nutritious solutions for pets.

Role overview

As Digital Manager you will own the trade website as a brand, and manage SEO strategy and execution, lead CRO initiatives, and manage landing page builds across all websites. You’ll be the single website change request owner, triaging requests and managing a published SLA. You’ll work with internal developers and external specialists, and line manage the Junior Digital Executive, delegating routine SEO tasks while focusing on strategy, testing and high-impact projects.

Job Type: Full-time, permanent

Location: Cape Town

Work Place: Hybrid (4 days in office, 1 day remote)

Focus areas: Trade website, SEO, CRO, Landing pages

Reports to: Head of Commercial

Line manages: Junior Digital Executive

Requirements

• 4+ years in digital marketing, SEO, CRO or website management role
• Expert knowledge of SEO, technical SEO and keyword strategy
• Strong experience with CRO testing and optimisation
• Proficiency with Semrush, Google Analytics 4 and testing tools
• Basic HTML/CSS knowledge or ability to learn
• Experience coordinating with developers
• Demonstrable experience using AI tools in digital marketing
• Degree in marketing, computer science or related field, or equivalent experience
• Strategic thinker who understands how SEO and CRO impact revenue
• Data-driven — comfortable with analytics and performance metrics
• Technical knowledge — understands website architecture, HTML, tracking
• Organised — manages multiple projects and stakeholders consistently
• Collaborative — works well with Brand Leads, Marketplace Manager, developers
• Project manager — able to coordinate complex workstreams
• Uses AI as a working tool — not occasionally
• E-commerce or D2C website experience is advantageous

Responsibilities

• Trade website ownership - Own the trade website trading calendar - Develop B2B acquisition strategy through the trade website - Coordinate with PR & Communications on trade content and messaging - Manage trade website performance and optimisation
• SEO strategy and execution - Develop and execute SEO strategy across all websites - Commission annual technical SEO audit per site; own implementation of findings internally - Manage keyword strategy and content optimisation - Use AI-assisted content production for SEO content at scale - Report on SEO performance, rankings and traffic
• CRO and testing - Lead CRO initiatives across all owned websites - Develop and prioritise testing roadmap by revenue impact - Coordinate CRO testing with internal developer - Manage testing calendar and track results - Report on CRO impact and findings
• Landing page management - Receive landing page briefs from Brand Leads and Performance Marketing - Build and deploy landing pages across all websites - Request assets from Creative Content Producer - Manage landing page performance and optimisation - Coordinate with Performance Marketing on launch timing
• Website change request management - Own single website change request process - Triage all requests on published SLA: e.g. urgent fixes same-day, landing pages 3 days, product pages 5 days, CRO in sprint cycles - Prioritise by commercial impact with Head of Commercial - Manage escalations and disputes
• Developer coordination - Work with internal web developer on ongoing projects - Brief external developers on specialist or overflow builds - Manage developer resource allocation and scheduling - Coordinate with Head of Commercial on developer time allocation
• Site health and performance - Monitor Core Web Vitals and crawlability across all sites - Manage technical site health and SEO performance - Coordinate with Marketplace Manager on keyword strategy - Report on site performance and health metrics
• Line management - Manage Junior Digital Executive — delegation, development and performance - Assign routine SEO tasks and oversee execution - Provide feedback and coaching on technical SEO work - Support junior team member development

AI in this role

• Use AI to assist with SEO content production at scale
• Use AI for keyword research and opportunity identification
• Use AI to analyse site performance data and identify optimisation opportunities
• Use AI to help prioritise CRO testing roadmap
• Use AI to assist with technical SEO analysis
• Stay current with AI tools relevant to digital marketing