Operations Lead

Avatar Agency Group; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Avatar Agency Group in Gauteng seeks a proactive Operations Lead to drive the commercial operations of our integrated PR and Media Agency. You will own the operational and financial workflow behind every client project, ensuring costed, approved, billed, reconciled and paid work across PR retainers and multi-channel campaigns.

You will work with account teams, media planners, finance, media owners, suppliers and procurement to optimize the operational engine and lead a small operations support

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in Operations or a similar role within PR, Communications, Advertising or Media Agency.
• Hands-on experience with Deltek WorkBook, Oracle iSupplier, and Meltwater (or equivalents).
• Strong understanding of media buying administration, invoicing, reconciliations and rate discrepancies.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills with complex formulas and cross-sheet references.
• Experience working with corporate procurement and accounts payable teams.
• Proven ability to manage supplier payments and client invoicing with attention to detail.
• Excellent commercial awareness to identify billing risks, scope creep and revenue recovery opportunities.
• Strong organisational, analytical and problem-solving skills in a fast-paced agency environment.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management; able to engage with clients, suppliers, finance and media owners.

Responsibilities

• Own the full costing and billing lifecycle within Deltek WorkBook, including job creation, estimates, approvals, billing, WIP, timesheets and reporting.
• Manage client procurement portals, PO management, invoice submissions, queries, payments and remittance follow-up.
• Reconcile media owner invoices against approved schedules, validate rates and maintain proof of flighting across channels.
• Administer the agency's monitoring platform and produce accurate media coverage and share-of-voice reporting.
• Protect profitability by monitoring scope against approved work and handling change control and out-of-scope claims.
• Lead supplier and freelancer administration including contracts, rates, compliance docs and payments.
• Direct and mentor a small operations/administration team and develop SOPs.
• Continuously improve operational efficiency, financial controls and reporting accuracy.

Skills

Operations leadership

Deltek WorkBook

Oracle iSupplier

Meltwater

Excel advanced

Procurement knowledge

Accounts payable

Stakeholder mgmt

Tools

Deltek WorkBook

Oracle iSupplier

Meltwater

Ornico

Newsclip

Cision

SAP Ariba

Coupa

Sage

Job description

Job Reference Number: AA-55

Department: Public Relations

Business Unit

Industry: Advertising

Job Type: Permanent

Positions Available: 1

Salary: Market Related

Avatar is a trailblazer in Africa’s creative landscape, with a legacy spanning over a decade. Our vision is to liberate African creativity for client impact, and we are at the forefront of shaping and evolving the creative industry in Africa.

Job Description

Role Overview

We\'re looking for a proactive and hands-on Operations Lead to drive the commercial operations of our integrated PR and Media Agency.

In this role, you will own the operational and financial workflow behind every client project, ensuring all work—from PR retainers to multi-channel media campaigns—is accurately costed, approved, booked, billed, reconciled, and paid. You\'ll play a critical role in protecting agency revenue by preventing billing leakage, identifying scope creep early, and ensuring all out-of-scope work is properly documented and recovered.

Working closely with account teams, media planners, finance, media owners, suppliers, and client procurement teams, you\'ll be responsible for keeping our operational engine running efficiently while leading a small operations support team.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the full job costing and billing lifecycle within Deltek WorkBook, including job creation, cost estimates, approvals, billing, work-in-progress (WIP), timesheets, resourcing, and monthly management reporting.
• Manage client procurement portals, including Oracle iSupplier, by overseeing supplier onboarding, purchase order (PO) management, invoice submissions, query resolution, payment tracking, and remittance follow-up.
• Oversee media operations by reconciling media owner invoices against approved schedules, validating rates, flightings, make-goods, and maintaining proof of flighting across radio, print, digital, trade, and out-of-home (OOH) campaigns.
• Administer the agency\'s PR monitoring platform, including Meltwater (or similar), ensuring monitoring briefs remain current and producing accurate media coverage and share-of-voice reporting.
• Protect agency profitability by monitoring work delivered against approved scope, enforcing change control processes, and compiling supporting documentation for over-servicing and out-of-scope claims.
• Manage supplier and freelancer administration, including contracts, rates, compliance documentation, purchase orders, and payment processing.
• Lead and support a small operations, traffic, and finance administration team while developing and maintaining operational standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Continuously improve operational efficiency, financial controls, and reporting accuracy across the business.

Job Requirements

Essentials

• Minimum 5 years\' experience in Operations, Traffic, Media Administration, Commercial Finance, or a similar role within a PR, Communications, Advertising, or Media Agency.
• Hands-on experience using Deltek WorkBook, Oracle iSupplier, and Meltwater (or equivalent media monitoring platforms such as Ornico, Newsclip, or Cision). Practical competency in these systems is non-negotiable and will be assessed.
• Strong understanding of media buying administration, including media bookings, media owner invoicing, reconciliations, flighting verification, make-goods, and rate discrepancy resolution.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including complex formulas, cross-sheet references, reconciliation workbooks, and formula auditing.
• Experience working with corporate procurement departments and accounts payable teams.
• Proven ability to manage supplier payments, client invoicing, and procurement processes with strong attention to detail.
• Excellent commercial awareness with the ability to identify billing risks, scope creep, and revenue recovery opportunities.
• Strong organisational, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced agency environment.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to engage with clients, suppliers, finance teams, and media owners.
• Previous experience leading or mentoring a small operational or administrative team.

Advantageous

• Experience preparing overservicing and out-of-scope claim documentation.
• Experience reconciling sales house accounts, including Primedia, Mediamark, and SABC.
• Knowledge of OOH site owner contracts and administration.
• Experience working with systems such as SAP Ariba, Coupa, Sage, or Chase.
• Previous experience developing operational processes and implementing continuous improvement initiatives.

Should you not hear from us within two weeks after the application deadline, please consider your application unsuccessful.