Paid Media Specialist

Ad Talent Africa; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

Ad Talent Africa is seeking a hands-on Paid Media Specialist to drive digital growth, product launches, retail promotions and brand campaigns in South Africa. You’ll manage agencies, optimise campaigns and deliver ROAS across Meta, Google and TikTok while collaborating with marketing and retail teams.

The ideal candidate has 3–4+ years’ hands-on paid media experience in FMCG/retail, strong data skills and GA4/UTMs knowledge, with the ability to translate performance into actionable

Qualifications

• 3–4+ years’ experience in paid media, digital marketing or similar.
• Hands-on with Meta Ads Manager and Google Ads; TikTok experience helps.
• Strong knowledge of paid social, paid search, setup, tagging and QA.
• Experience managing or working with paid media agencies.
• Experience in global/multinational FMCG or retail environment.
• Experience working with SA retailers or local media agencies is a plus.
• GA4, UTMs, pixels and conversion tracking expertise.
• Google Ads / Meta Blueprint certifications are advantageous.
• Strong briefing and content optimisation skills and data interpretation.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day relationship with the paid media agency to deliver campaigns on time and budget.
• Brief and challenge agency on strategy, targeting, budgets and performance.
• Oversee paid social and paid search campaigns across Meta, TikTok and Google Ads.
• Review campaign setup, tagging, tracking and QA for accurate execution.
• Monitor KPI performance, ROAS and CPA; identify optimisation opportunities.
• Analyse agency reporting and translate data into senior stakeholder recommendations.
• Manage paid media budgets and advise on channel allocations.
• Coordinate retailer media activity and performance where required.
• Brief, review and optimise creative using performance insights.
• Localise global creative assets for the South African market.
• Collaborate with marketing, sales, creative, regional and global teams on launches and promotions.
• Stay updated on digital and SA market trends; present findings to leadership.
• Support a test-and-learn approach across media and creative.

Skills

Paid media

Agency mgmt

Performance data

Campaign optimization

Stakeholder comms

Excel/Sheets

Education

Marketing degree or related

Tools

Google Ads

Meta Ads Manager

TikTok Ads

GA4

UTMs

Campaign Manager 360

DoubleVerify

Moat

IAS

Job description

Who are we

We are a global consumer technology brand with a growing presence in the South African market. We are looking for a hands-on Paid Media Specialist to help drive our digital growth, product launches, retail promotions and brand campaigns across the local market.

Who are we looking for

We are looking for a commercially minded Paid Media Specialist with 3–4+ years’ hands-on experience across paid social and paid search. You will have strong platform knowledge, agency management experience and the ability to challenge and optimise paid media strategies based on performance data.

The ideal candidate will have experience in a global or multinational environment, ideally within FMCG, consumer electronics, appliances or another fast-paced, retail-driven category. You will be confident working with agencies, senior stakeholders, creative teams and retail partners.

What will you do

• Manage the day-to-day relationship with the paid media agency, ensuring campaigns are delivered on time, within budget and to the required standard

• Brief and challenge the agency on campaign strategy, targeting, budgets and performance

• Oversee paid social and paid search campaigns across Meta, TikTok and Google Ads

• Review campaign setup, ad trafficking, tagging, tracking and QA to ensure accurate execution

• Monitor campaign performance against KPIs, ROAS and CPA targets and identify opportunities for optimisation

• Analyse agency reporting and translate data into clear recommendations for senior stakeholders

• Manage paid media budgets and make data-driven recommendations on channel and campaign allocation

• Manage retailer media activity and performance where required

• Brief, review and optimise creative for paid media, using performance insights to improve results

• Adapt and localise global creative assets for the South African market

• Work closely with marketing, sales, creative, regional and global teams on product launches, promotions and seasonal campaigns

• Stay up to date with digital, platform and South African market trends

• Present campaign performance, insights and recommendations to senior stakeholders

• Champion a test-and-learn approach across media and creative

What will you need

• 3–4+ years’ experience in paid media, digital marketing or a similar role

• Genuine hands-on experience with Meta Ads Manager and Google Ads; TikTok experience is advantageous

• Strong understanding of paid social, paid search, campaign setup, ad trafficking, tagging, tracking and QA

• Experience managing or working closely with paid media agencies

• Experience within a global/multinational organisation and/or FMCG, consumer electronics, appliances or retail-driven environment

• Experience working with South African retailers or local media agencies

• Working knowledge of GA4, UTMs, pixels and conversion tracking

• Familiarity with ad servers/verification platforms such as Campaign Manager 360, DoubleVerify, Moat or IAS is advantageous

• Strong Excel/Google Sheets skills and the ability to interrogate and analyse performance data

• Google Ads and/or Meta Blueprint certifications are advantageous

• Strong creative briefing and content optimisation skills

• Excellent stakeholder and agency management skills

• Confident presenting performance insights and recommendations to senior stakeholders

• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex media data into clear business recommendations

• Ability to work autonomously and thrive in a fast-paced, newly established local market

• A degree in Marketing, Business or a related field is advantageous