Senior Social Media Manager

Publicis Groupe Africa; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Global network

Leading brands

Training & development

Unicorn culture

Job summary

Digitas ZA, part of the Publicis Groupe Africa network, seeks a Senior Social Media Manager to lead social thinking across a diverse portfolio of client brands in a hybrid Cape Town/Johannesburg setting. The role requires strategic leadership, client management and mentoring across strategy, creative, and data teams.

You will champion social excellence, oversee content and campaigns, drive performance through analytics, and explore AI-enabled workflows to deliver measurable business growth.

Qualifications

• 6–8+ years’ experience in social media, digital marketing or integrated communications.
• Agency experience essential.
• Proven experience managing multiple enterprise-level brands.
• Experience leading integrated social campaigns.
• Experience presenting strategic recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Experience mentoring or managing junior team members.

Responsibilities

• Lead social strategy across client brands and ensure alignment with business objectives.
• Build trusted relationships with client stakeholders and present recommendations confidently.
• Oversee social content planning and ensure platform best practices are followed.
• Collaborate with Strategy, Creative, Data, Media and Client Service to deliver integrated campaigns.
• Translate analytics into actionable strategic recommendations and identify optimization opportunities.
• Champion AI and emerging technologies in social workflows while maintaining commercial relevance.

Skills

Social strategy

Agency experience

Multibrand management

Client leadership

Campaign leadership

Mentoring

Data-driven decision making

Tools

Emplifi

Sprinklr

Brandwatch

Job description

Company Description

Digitas is the Networked Experience Agency, built on the vision that we create magnetic experiences that earn the right for brands to exist in human networks. Today, and tomorrow. We deliver Networked Experiences by leveraging comprehensive data, technology, creative, media and strategy capabilities. Digitas delivers ambitious outcomes via unique solutions that include Creative Experiences, Integrated Media, Addressable Relationships, Social Marketing and Total Commerce.

Digitas is the Networked Experience Agency, built on the vision that we create magnetic experiences that earn the right for brands to exist in human networks. Today, and tomorrow. We deliver Networked Experiences by leveraging comprehensive data, technology, creative, media and strategy capabilities. Digitas delivers ambitious outcomes via unique solutions that include Creative Experiences, Integrated Media, Addressable Relationships, Social Marketing and Total Commerce.

Digitas serves the world’s leading brands through a global network comprised of more than 5,500 employees across over 65 offices in 43 countries. In South Africa, Digitas is also expanding its Total Commerce capability into the Publicis Commerce capability and communities, offering Commerce solutions that combine CRM, data, media, and creative to drive customer engagement and business growth.

The Digitas culture is made up of fearless, inventive and generous Unicorns of all kinds.

Overview

Senior Social Media Manager – Digitas / Commerce Capability – Cape Town/Johannesburg

Reporting into the Digitas Strategy Director

Social at Digitas is a multidisciplinary capability spanning strategy, content, community management, creator partnerships, paid social collaboration, reporting, social intelligence and emerging technology.

We believe social is no longer simply a communications channel. It is where brands build relevance, foster communities, influence culture and drive measurable business growth.

We're looking for a strategically minded, commercially aware and culturally connected Senior Social Media Manager to lead social thinking across a portfolio of clients.

This role is suited to someone who is equally comfortable developing long-term social strategies, leading integrated campaigns, mentoring teams, presenting to senior clients and identifying opportunities that create commercial value.

The successful candidate will champion social excellence across strategy, execution, innovation and performance while collaborating closely with Strategy, Creative, Data, Media, Client Service and Commerce teams.

The successful candidate will work closely with Strategists, Creatives, Community Managers, Data teams and Client Service across retained client business and new business opportunities, helping deliver connected social experiences that drive engagement and business growth.

You should be comfortable navigating fast-paced environments, managing multiple brands simultaneously and collaborating across cross-functional teams.

Sound like you? Read on.

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development of social media strategies across a portfolio of client brands.
• Translate business objectives into connected social ecosystems.
• Champion social-first thinking across integrated campaigns.
• Identify opportunities to grow client businesses through social innovation.
• Shape annual, quarterly and campaign social roadmaps.
• Drive audience-first and insight-led planning.

Client Leadership

• Act as the senior social advisor for assigned clients.
• Build trusted relationships with client stakeholders.
• Present strategic recommendations with confidence.
• Challenge briefs where appropriate and identify opportunities beyond the immediate ask.
• Support business growth through proactive recommendations.

Content & Campaign Leadership

• Oversee social content planning across multiple brands.
• Guide creative teams on platform best practice.
• Ensure all work reflects current platform behaviour and audience expectations.
• Collaborate with Creative, Strategy and Client Service to deliver integrated campaigns.
• Ensure consistent brand tone across all social touchpoints.

Performance & Social Intelligence

• Own reporting across client portfolios.
• Translate analytics into strategic recommendations.
• Identify optimisation opportunities through data.
• Lead competitor benchmarking and social listening initiatives.
• Monitor cultural trends and platform evolution to inform strategic direction.

Innovation & Emerging Technology

• Champion the responsible use of AI across social workflows.
• Explore new platform features and emerging technologies.
• Identify opportunities in creator partnerships, social commerce and community-led marketing.
• Foster experimentation while maintaining commercial relevance.

Leadership & Capability Building

• Mentor Mid-weight Social Media Managers, Junior Social Media Managers and Community Managers.
• Provide quality assurance across client deliverables.
• Support capability development through coaching and knowledge sharing.
• Promote best practice across the social capability.
• Foster a collaborative, curious and high-performing team culture.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Strategy, Creative, Data, Media and Client Service teams.
• Support integrated campaign planning.
• Collaborate with Commerce and CRM teams where required.
• Contribute social expertise to pitches and new business opportunities.

Qualifications

We're looking for someone who combines strategic thinking, platform expertise and commercial awareness with the ability to lead both people and client relationships.

Experience

• 6–8+ years' experience in social media, digital marketing or integrated communications.
• Agency experience essential.
• Proven experience managing multiple enterprise-level brands.
• Experience leading integrated social campaigns.
• Experience presenting strategic recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Experience mentoring or managing junior team members.Experience contributing to business development and pitch environments.

We're looking for someone who combines strategic thinking, platform expertise and commercial awareness with the ability to lead both people and client relationships.

Technical Skills

• Deep understanding of Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, X and emerging platforms.
• Strong understanding of platform algorithms and content optimisation.
• Experience with social management platforms such as Emplifi, Sprinklr, Brandwatch or equivalent.
• Strong reporting and analytics capability.
• Excellent copy review and editorial judgement.
• Familiarity with paid social principles and collaboration with media teams.
• Experience working alongside creators and influencer programmes.
• Strong understanding of social listening and audience intelligence.

AI & Emerging Technology

We expect our Senior Social Media Managers to embrace evolving technologies that improve both creativity and effectiveness. Experience using tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Midjourney and other AI-enabled platforms to support ideation, planning, reporting and workflow optimisation will be highly advantageous.

What We Offer

• A dynamic, collaborative environment within a global network.
• Opportunities to work on leading brands and innovative commerce solutions.
• Access to training and development across data, tech, and strategy.
• A culture of fearless, inventive, and generous unicorns.

A Successful Senior Social Media Manager Will

• Lead social strategy with confidence.
• Build trusted client relationships.
• Deliver measurable business outcomes.
• Elevate creative quality.
• Coach and develop team members.
• Champion innovation.
• Drive continuous improvement.
• Represent Digitas as a thought leader in social marketing.

Additional Information

Personality Attributes:

• Team player with the ability to work independently
• Able to remain calm in a highly pressurised environment
• Assertive
• Proactive
• Resilient
• Approachable
• Proactive
• Energetic
• Creative “out of the box” strategic thinker
• Problem solver / solution driven
• Meticulous with attention to detail
• Curious, open and bold
• Flexible to work beyond normal office hours (overtime if and when required)
• Comfortable to work from the Publicis Groupe office (on-site) - Hybrid

Culture Commitment

We are the networked marketing agency, a full-service agency with modern creative & media, data, and technology services all under one roof. We are connected in the way we think and the way we work. At the heart of our company are great people that we call Unicorns. Our Unicorns are open, bold, and curious and love to solve complex problems for clients in unique ways.

• We are approachable & globally supportive.
• We are in this together and solution orientated.
• We always do the right thing.
• We are never afraid.

Digitas is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits any forms of Discrimination or Harassment. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our employees in line with our Employment Equity Plan.

Visit www.digitas.com/en-za for more on Digitas ZA.