Social Media Content Manager - DURBAN

Publicis Groupe Holdings B.V; Durban; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Publicis Groupe Africa in Durban is seeking an experienced Social Media Content Manager to lead the social ecosystem for NIVEA and Eucerin South Africa.

This role blends strategic thinking with hands-on execution to ensure brands stay relevant, credible and impactful.

You will lead the social team, shape Always-On content, manage communities, guide creators, and partner with creative, media, PR and influencer teams to deliver culturally resonant, high-performing social content across platforms.

Qualifications

• Degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Digital Media or related field
• 5+ years' experience in social media, content marketing or digital communications
• Experience with FMCG/beauty brands preferred
• Agency experience advantageous

Responsibilities

• Lead social team across NIVEA and Eucerin South Africa.
• Own social strategy, Always-On content, and community management.
• Oversee brand tone, content quality and performance reporting.
• Guide creator content briefs and work with influencer/PR teams.
• Collaborate across creative, strategy, media, PR and campaigns to ensure relevance.

Skills

Social media strategy

Team leadership

Content creation

Community management

Creative briefs

Education

Degree in Marketing/Communications

Tools

Meta Business Suite

TikTok Business Center

Sprinklr/Sprout Social

Brandwatch/Talkwalker

Job description

Company description

Publicis Groupe is a global leader in communication.

The Groupe is positioned at every step of the value chain, from consulting to execution, combining marketing transformation and digital business transformation.

Since its launch at the beginning of the last century, NIVEA has held a special place in the public eye as a skincare icon. NIVEA has driven innovation in both products and marketing, always engaging people with a focus on our shared humanity. Publicis Groupe and Beiersdorf have created Publicis One Touch for their next digital transformation, a new type of agency model based on agility and interdisciplinary design.

Nothing defines a workspace more than the spirit of the place. So, we’re designing Publicis One Touch with a uniquely human touch, from personnel to processes, headquarters to hubs. Our office layout is made to encourage co-working, giving talents of many disciplines the spaces they can come together in with the equipment they need to inspire innovative and creating thinking.

Overview

Location: Durban
Department: Publicis Production | Publicis Groupe Africa
Reporting to: Business Unit Director / Client Lead
Brands: NIVEA & Eucerin South Africa

Role Overview:
We are looking for an experienced, strategic and socially obsessed Social Media Content Manager to lead the social ecosystem for NIVEA and Eucerin South Africa.

The role is responsible for social strategy, Always-On content, community management, cultural relevance, performance and social team leadership, while acting as a key social adviser to clients.

The successful candidate will combine strategic thinking with hands‑on execution, ensuring both brands show up with relevance, credibility and impact across social platforms.

This is an opportunity to lead the social presence of NIVEA and Eucerin in South Africa, working across creative, strategy, media, PR, influencer and client teams to deliver culturally relevant, high‑performing social content.

Social Leadership & Strategy

• Lead the social team across NIVEA and Eucerin, providing direction, coaching and quality oversight.
• Act as a senior social adviser to clients, proactively identifying opportunities across content, culture, creators, platforms and emerging social behaviours.
• Translate brand and business priorities into clear, actionable social strategies and plans.
• Lead and evolve Always‑On content strategies, content pillars, calendars and recurring content franchises.
• Define the role of brand‑channel content within the broader campaign, creator and influencer ecosystem.
• Identify opportunities for local storytelling and cultural relevance.
• Connect social thinking across creative, media, PR, influencer and campaign activity.
• Drive best‑practice social thinking across both brands.

Content & Creative Stewardship

• Lead the development of engaging, platform‑first social content across NIVEA and Eucerin.
• Brief and guide creative teams, content creators and production partners.
• Provide senior direction across social concepts, scripts, storyboards, copy, edits and final assets.
• Ensure campaign ideas are translated into platform‑native social content, rather than simply adapted from broader campaign assets.
• Drive reactive, trend‑led and culturally relevant content opportunities.
• Champion new content formats and platform opportunities.
• Maintain quality across social copy, storytelling, editing, format, pacing and calls to action.
• Ensure content maintains the credibility and authority of NIVEA and Eucerin within skincare.

Community, Culture & Social Listening

• Oversee day‑to‑day community management across social platforms.
• Ensure consumer conversations are managed in line with brand tone of voice and community guidelines.
• Use social listening to identify actionable consumer, category and cultural insights.
• Monitor trends, competitor activity, consumer behaviour and platform developments.
• Identify relevant opportunities for the brands to participate in cultural conversations.
• Advise on cultural language, consumer sentiment and the suitability of social narratives and terminology.
• Monitor potential brand‑safety and reputational issues and elevate where required.
• Translate social listening and community insights into recommendations for content and strategy.

Creator & Influencer Content Oversight

• Translate campaign and social creative ideas into clear creator and influencer content briefs.
• Hand over briefs to the relevant influencer/PR team responsible for influencer identification, contracting and management.
• Provide creative oversight to ensure creator content delivers against the original creative idea and brand objectives.
• Review creator content for creative quality, brand consistency and social relevance.
• Work collaboratively with influencer and PR partners throughout the content development process.
• Use creator content performance and learnings to strengthen future creative and social thinking.

Performance & Optimisation

• Own monthly, quarterly and campaign social performance reporting.
• Analyse content, community and campaign performance and turn results into actionable recommendations.Track key measures including engagement, reach, community growth, sentiment, video performance and shareability.
• Partner closely with media teams to ensure paid and organic social strategies work cohesively.
• Apply performance learnings to continuously optimise content and social strategy.

Campaigns & Activations

• Lead social amplification plans for launches, activations and key brand moments.
• Coordinate real‑time content capture and publishing where required.
• Ensure social opportunities are maximised across campaign touchpoints.
• Support after‑hours social coverage when required for major campaigns and activations.

Qualifications

• Degree or Diploma in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Digital Media, Advertising or related field.
• Relevant social media certifications are advantageous.

Experience

• 5+ years’ experience in social media, content marketing or digital communications.
• Experience leading or managing social media teams.
• Strong experience developing social and Always‑On content strategies.
• Experience within FMCG, beauty, skincare, healthcare, wellness or lifestyle brands preferred.
• Agency experience advantageous.
• Experience developing social‑first creator briefs and overseeing creator content from a brand and creative perspective.
• Proven track record of delivering relevant, high‑performing social content.

Platforms & Tools

Strong working knowledge of relevant platforms and tools, including:

• Meta Business Suite
• TikTok Business Centre
• Sprinklr, Sprout Social, Hootsuite or equivalent
• Social listening tools such as Brandwatch, Meltwater or Talkwalker
• Social analytics and reporting platforms