Social Media Manager

Wunderman Thompson; Johannesburg; Hybrid; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global agency in Johannesburg is seeking a passionate Social Media Manager to enhance brand visibility across digital platforms. The ideal candidate will have 3–5 years of experience in community management, proficiency in social media, and strong writing skills. You will work in a hybrid environment, collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive engagement and build community through strategic conversation and content creation.

Qualifications

• At least 3–5 years’ experience managing and growing brand communities.
• Experience with social listening tools is essential.
• Proficiency in multiple social media platforms.
• Strong written communication skills for social media content.
• UX and SEO knowledge is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Act as the voice of the brand across digital platforms.
• Ensure consistent brand voice and champion cultural relevancy.
• Collaborate with creative and data teams.
• Stay updated with digital technology trends.

Skills

Community management

Social media proficiency

Strong writing

Analytics skills

Media unit experience

Tools

Brandwatch

Meltwater

Facebook Ads

YouTube Bumpers

Job description

Who We Are:

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever‑evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse.

Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences. Our expertise spans the entire customer journey, offering deep insights in communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology. We deliver end‑to‑end solutions that result in revolutionary work.

Position Overview

We are looking for an experienced, passionate Social Media Manager to join our Johannesburg team as a content and community champion. The successful candidate will be a conversation‑starting, idea‑generating, trend‑identifying and wordsmithing powerhouse. They would also have been bitten by the digital bug and would have a solid understanding of media tactics, analytics and reporting and have a passion for tech. As the social media manager, you will be responsible for acting as the voice of the brand across multiple digital platforms (not just social), representing their strategic positioning, and constantly looking for opportunities to build our community through conversation and interesting digital formats.

What you’ll do

• Be young, dynamic and on the pulse of culture.
• Preferably multilingual and solidly rooted in our local Mzansi culture.
• Be an energetic self‑starter.
• Think big picture and act as the brand custodian ensuring consistent brand voice across every touch point, championing cultural relevancy.
• Spot gaps in trends and tech.
• Think strategically while being a badass creative.
• Love all things social media and understand platform nuances.
• Act as a social influencer, in front of or behind the mobile screen.
• Work closely with our data team to identify opportunities and conversations aligned strategically.
• Be a strong writer with love for memes and social media culture.
• Collaborate with creative, data, strategy, UX, tech teams.
• Protect brand tone on social, produce typo‑free copy, and represent financial inclusion positioning.
• Stay up to date with digital technology trends.
• Have excellent verbal communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

What you’ll need

• At least 3–5 years’ experience managing and growing brand communities.
• Experience using social listening tools such as Brandwatch, Meltwater, Cardinal and the like.
• Proficiency across social media platforms.
• Some experience in media units (Facebook Ads, YouTube Bumpers).
• Reporting and analytics skills.
• Strong writing experience, blogging, short‑form content.
• UX knowledge advantageous.
• SEO knowledge advantageous.

We believe the best work happens when we’re together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That’s why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

VML is a WPP Agency. For more information, please visit our website, and follow VML on our social channels via Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.