Digital Planning Lead

WPP Media Limited; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

WPP Media South Africa is seeking a Digital Planning Lead to translate brand and performance strategies into cohesive, full-funnel digital plans that will drive measurable business outcomes.

You will orchestrate investment, channel roles, and timing across brand and performance, ensuring a cohesive, commercially optimized approach. You will collaborate with senior leaders to define planning governance and drive incremental growth for our clients.

Qualifications

• Experience in digital/media planning across the full funnel.
• Strong understanding of how brand and performance interplay.
• Proven ability to manage large budgets and complex portfolios.
• Able to simplify complexity and drive cross-team alignment.

Responsibilities

• Develop integrated digital plans spanning upper, mid, and lower funnel.
• Define channel roles within the funnel and connect brand and performance activity.
• Own budget allocation and optimize investments across channels and objectives.
• Collaborate with Leadership: Strategy, Brand, and Performance leads to unify plans.

Skills

Full funnel planning

Brand and performance dynamics

Budget management

Analytical mindset

Job description

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by ourpioneeringagentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth.

WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

Job Title: Digital Planning Lead
Company: WPP Media South Africa
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Reports To: Digital Strategy Lead

Role Overview

The Head of Digital Planning is responsible for translating brand and performance strategies into integrated, full-funnel digital plans that drive measurable business outcomes. This role sits at the centre of the digital ecosystem, orchestrating investment, channel roles, and timing across brand and performance to ensure a cohesive, effective, and commercially optimised approach.

They are the custodian of:

• Budget allocation
• Channel integration
• Full-funnel design
• Planning principles and governance

Core Role in the Structure

• Not the originator of strategy
• Not the executor of channels
• But the owner of how strategy comes to life in-market

Key Responsibilities

1. Full-Funnel Planning & Integration

• Develop integrated digital plans spanning:
  • Upper funnel (awareness & reach)
  • Mid funnel (engagement & consideration)
  • Lower funnel (conversion & retention)
• Define the role of each channel within the funnel
• Ensure seamless connection between brand-building and performance activity

2. Investment Strategy & Budget Allocation

• Own digital budget allocation across channels and objectives
• Balance investment between demand creation (brand) and demand capture (performance)
• Continuously optimise investment based on performance and learning

3. Channel Orchestration

• Ensure all channels work together as a system, not in silos
• Define how search, social, display, eCommerce, and content interact
• Align timing, sequencing, and weight of activity across channels

4. Planning Principles & Governance

• Establish and enforce clear planning frameworks and principles
• Standardise ways of working across teams
• Ensure consistency in approach across clients and portfolio

5. Data-Informed Planning

• Use data and insights from both brand and performance teams to inform planning decisionsIncorporate learnings from test-and-learn programmes into future plans
• Partner with analytics teams to refine planning effectiveness

6. Collaboration Across Leadership Roles

• Work closely with:
  • Integrated Head of Strategy (big idea & ATL direction)
  • Digital Strategy Lead (brand & social ecosystem)
  • Performance Strategy Lead (conversion & optimisation)
• Translate all inputs into a single, unified plan

7. Commercial Accountability

• Ensure plans are aligned to client business outcomes
• Track effectiveness of media investment
• Identify opportunities to drive incremental growth

Key Skills & Experience

• Strong experience in digital/media planning across full funnel
• Deep understanding of both brand and performance dynamics
• Proven experience managing large budgets and complex portfolios
• Strong commercial and analytical mindsetAbility to simplify complexity and drive alignment across teams

Success Metrics

• Effectiveness of full-funnel plans (brand + performance outcomes)
• Efficiency of budget allocation and ROI
• Level of integration across channels and teams
• Client satisfaction and business growth

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