Media Buyer (Freelance)

Bored Panda; Remote; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Part time

Job summary

A leading digital media company in Johannesburg is seeking a Media Buyer for a part-time freelance role with a clear transition to full-time. You will manage Meta Ads, design testing structures, and collaborate closely with creative teams. Ideal candidates should have hands-on experience with Meta Ads and a start-up mindset. The role offers a flexible approach to learning and direct involvement with founders. Compensation is 30 Euros per hour gross, with opportunities for growth.

Benefits

Early ownership across multiple products

Collaboration with founders

Clear growth path to full-time Media Buyer

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with Meta Ads (not just boosting or reporting).
• Strong understanding of conversion events and budget scaling.
• Comfortable with unfinished products.

Responsibilities

• Launch and manage Meta Ads for validation and MVP testing.
• Design lean test structures and own budget pacing.
• Prepare insights for scale-ready handover once PMF signals appear.

Skills

Experience with Meta Ads

Understanding of conversion events

Start-up / DTC mindset

Tools

Meta Ads

Google Ads

TikTok Ads

Job description

We are one of the leading digital media and entertainment companies globally, producing positive, engaging and original content in 17 languages for people of all ages.

Known for award-winning art and pop culture magazine Bored Panda and TOP DIY channels like Crafty Panda, we fight the world's boredom at an unprecedented speed: 160 million page views per month and 62 billion video views per year.

We are one of the leading tech-driven media and entertainment companies, producing uplifting content in 17 languages for people of all ages. Known for award-winning art and pop culture magazine boredpanda.com and TOP DIY channel Crafty Panda, we fight the world's boredom at an unprecedented speed: 160 million site views per month and 62 billion video views per year. Our team comprises over 400 creative individuals who work from 42 different countries and 2 offices, located in Vilnius, Lithuania. We’re building and validating multiple early-stage digital products inside Bored Panda Ventures. Our focus right now is fast validation, not creating scale show that cannot deliver . We’re looking for a Media Buyer who can take ownership of paid acquisition during the validation & MVP stages, working closely with in-house performance creative and founders. This starts as a part-time freelance role, with a clear path to full-time and potentially Head of Growth as the ventures mature.

What You Will Do:

• Launch and manage Meta Ads (core channel) for validation & MVP testing;
• Design and execute lean test structures (angles, hooks, offers, landing pages);
• Own budget pacing, testing logic, and early signal detection;
• Work closely with performance creatives to iterate fast (creative → data → insight);
• Validate demand, not just “run campaigns”;
• Prepare insights for scale-ready handover once PMF signals appear;
• Expand testing beyond Meta with TikTok Ads;
• Run google ads campaigns.

What We Expect:

• Hands‑on experience with Meta Ads (not just boosting or reporting);
• Strong understanding of conversion events and signal quality, budget scaling versus validation testing, and creative fatigue and iteration cycles;
• Comfortable working with unfinished products;
• Ability to explain why something works (or doesn’t);
• Start-up / affiliate / DTC mindset preferred;
• This is not a role for “set-and-forget” media buyers, people who only work with mature brands & big budgets, or those who need perfect briefs before starting.

What We Offer:

• Early ownership across multiple products, not just a single account;
• Direct collaboration with founders and the performance creative team;
• Freedom to test, break, learn, and improve;
• Clear growth path from part-time freelance to full-time Media Buyer, and potentially Head of Growth for the right person.
• Compensation: 30 Euros/gross hourly.