Performance Biddable Specialist

WPP Media Limited; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

WPP Media South Africa is seeking a Performance Biddable Specialist to plan, build, and optimise Unilever sponsored search campaigns across South Africa's major retail platforms. The role covers a large portfolio of brands and requires daily, hands-on optimisation at keyword and SKU level with tight control of budgets.

You will manage bids, examine performance data, and deliver ROAS targets while aligning with brand calendars and trade activations.

Qualifications

• 2 to 4 years' experience in paid search or performance marketing.
• Experience on Takealot/Checkers Sixty60/retail media platforms is a plus.
• Strong Excel skills and ability to turn data into insights.
• Experience managing multiple brands' budgets.

Responsibilities

• Set up and optimise sponsored campaigns across retail platforms.
• Manage keyword, SKU and placement bids daily.
• Conduct keyword research and search term analysis.
• Align campaigns with brand calendars and trade activations.
• Produce monthly performance reports and insights.

Skills

Paid search

Retail media

Google Ads

Budget management

Excel

Pivot tables

Data insights

Stakeholder mgmt

Communication

Tools

Google Ads

Amazon Ads

Excel

Looker Studio

Power BI

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: Performance Biddable Specialist
Company: WPP Media South Africa
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Reports To: Biddable Lead

Role purpose: The Performance Biddable Specialist plans, builds, optimises and reports on Unilever sponsored search campaigns across South Africa's main retail media platforms: Takealot, Checkers Sixty60, Pick n Pay and Amazon. The role covers a large portfolio of brands across three Unilever business units (Beauty, Wellbeing & Personal Care; Home Care; and Foods). It requires daily, hand‑on optimisation at keyword and SKU level, with tight control of client budgets.

Key responsibilities

Campaign management and optimisation

• Set up, run and optimise sponsored product and sponsored search campaigns across Takealot, Checkers Sixty60, Pick n Pay and Amazon.
• Manage keyword, SKU and placement‑level bidding, adjusting bids and budgets daily based on performance, stock availability and retailer promotions.
• Carry out keyword research, negative keyword management and search term analysis to improve relevance, ROAS and share of search.
• Align campaigns with brand and retailer promotional calendars, launches and trade activations.
• Test and learn on bidding strategies, ad formats and new retailer platform features as they become available.

Budget pacing and financial control

• Track spend daily against client budgets by brand, business unit and platform, so campaigns deliver in full with no under‑ or overspend.
• Keep the team's DCom pacing tracker up to date with monthly platform data.
• Follow Unilever's billing process: confirm spend on the flowplan, check a PO has been issued, then raise CEs on time.
• Reconcile platform‑reported spend against flowplans and invoices each month, and flag discrepancies early.

Reporting and insights

• Produce monthly and quarterly performance reports and contribute to post‑campaign analyses (PCAs) for each brand.
• Turn platform data into clear insights and recommendations for brand teams and DCom budget owners.
• Monitor competitor activity and category trends on each retailer platform.

Governance and compliance

• Apply Accutics naming conventions to all campaigns and follow the requirements of Client's media audit (MediaSense) and the Digital Process Audit.
• Keep a clear change log for budget and asset changes briefed in by planners.
• Manage platform access, campaign ownership and documentation so work can be handed over or covered without disruption.

Stakeholder management

• Work closely with media planners on briefs, budgets and assets.
• Build strong working relationships with Client's DCom and e‑commerce teams and with retailer media account managers.
• Back up the second Retail Media Specialist during leave and peak periods, so neither person is a single point of failure.

Requirements

Experience:

• [2 to 4] years' experience in paid search, retail media or performance marketing, ideally at an agency.
• Hands‑on experience running sponsored search on at least one retail media platform (Takealot, Checkers Sixty60, Pick n Pay, Amazon Ads or similar). Strong Google Ads search experience with a clear interest in retail media will also be considered.
• Experience managing multiple brands or clients with separate budgets at the same time.
• FMCG or e‑commerce experience is an advantage.

Skills:

• Strong understanding of search auctions, bidding, keyword match types and ROAS‑led optimisation.
• Advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills (pivot tables, lookups, data cleaning across messy platform exports).
• Strong attention to detail and comfort with daily, granular optimisation and budget control.
• Able to turn data into clear, concise insights and recommendations.
• Organised, proactive, and able to manage competing deadlines across brands and platforms.
• Clear written and verbal communication with clients and internal teams.

Advantageous:

• Amazon Ads or Google Ads certification.
• Experience with Power BI, Looker Studio or similar reporting tools.
• Familiarity with media billing processes (flowplans, POs, CEs) and media audit requirements.
• Interest in using automation and AI tools to improve campaign management and reporting.

Key performance indicators

• Budget delivery accuracy by brand and platform (spend within agreed tolerance of plan each month).
• Campaign performance against agreed ROAS, CPC and sales targets.
• On‑time reporting, PCAs and CE submissions.
• Clean audit results: naming conventions, change logs and process compliance.
• Client satisfaction from Client DCom budget owners.

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