Strategic Account Director

Publicis Groupe Africa Pty Ltd; Durban; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Publicis Groupe Africa Pty Ltd, through Starcom, seeks a Senior Strategy Lead to own the growth-driven media answer, shaping audience priorities, JTBD, and growth-focused principles for major campaigns in South Africa.

You will interpret briefs, perform category and competitive analysis, define growth sources, craft strategic KPI logic, and guide planners with clear direction to drive measurable business outcomes.

Qualifications

• 6–9 years leading strategy for major campaigns or clients.
• Strategic thinking: connect business problems to media opportunities.
• Category understanding: interpret market, consumer and competitor dynamics.
• Audience thinking: define growth audiences and behaviour change.
• Data interpretation: use research and audience data to support strategy.
• Storytelling: articulate the strategic answer clearly.
• Cross-functional leadership: guide planners and specialists without doing their roles.
• Measurement logic: define strategic KPIs and success criteria.

Responsibilities

• Interpret the client brief into a clear media growth challenge.
• Understand category dynamics, competition, brand position and consumer behaviour.
• Define the source of growth: recruit, switch, retain, increase frequency, cross-sell.
• Define the strategic audience hypothesis.
• Define the role media must play in solving the business problem.
• Provide the Journey Planner with clear strategic direction.
• Define strategic KPI logic before planning begins.
• Identify strategic implications from PCA for future campaigns.

Skills

Strategy leadership

Strategic thinking

Category understanding

Audience thinking

Data interpretation

Storytelling

Cross-functional leadership

Measurement logic

Job description

Company Description

We are the Human Experience Agency. We believe the growth opportunity lies in people. We understand and anticipate human desires to deliver media experiences of value. We call this PeoplePoweredGrowth! Focusing on both business outcomes and human outcomes is proven to deliver stronger growth for clients. PeoplePoweredGrowth identifies the intersection between what people want and what brands need, to create media experiences of value. PeoplePoweredGrowth orchestrates the right talent and capability to solve for clients’ unique business challenges through interconnected capability. PeoplePoweredGrowth embodies a way of thinking, working, and learning; challenging the status quo and always reaching for a better. It is a culture of never standing still. Starcom is a full service, global media agency with a presence in multiple markets around the world. We believe in the power of our network and work closely with our global colleagues to ensure that we are providing our clients with global best practice, localized for the South African market. Our clients include Mondelez, Haleon (GSK), Samsung, Stellantis, Sandoz, Kellogg’s to name a few. We are part of the Publicis network – the fastest growing global network.

Company Description

We are the Human Experience Agency. We believe the growth opportunity lies in people. We understand and anticipate human desires to deliver media experiences of value. We call this PeoplePoweredGrowth! Focusing on both business outcomes and human outcomes is proven to deliver stronger growth for clients. PeoplePoweredGrowth identifies the intersection between what people want and what brands need, to create media experiences of value. PeoplePoweredGrowth orchestrates the right talent and capability to solve for clients’ unique business challenges through interconnected capability. PeoplePoweredGrowth embodies a way of thinking, working, and learning; challenging the status quo and always reaching for a better. It is a culture of never standing still. Starcom is a full service, global media agency with a presence in multiple markets around the world. We believe in the power of our network and work closely with our global colleagues to ensure that we are providing our clients with global best practice, localized for the South African market. Our clients include Mondelez, Haleon (GSK), Samsung, Stellantis, Sandoz, Kellogg’s to name a few. We are part of the Publicis network – the fastest growing global network.

Overview

Reports to

Head of Media Strategy

Dotted line

Client Lead

Role purpose

Owns the strategic media answer: where growth will come from, what audience or behaviour must change, what JTBD media must solve, and what principles guide the response. Value is in growth logic, category interpretation, competitive understanding and audience prioritisation — not channel planPning or buying.

Scope of role

• Strategic brief interpretation
• Category & competitive analysis
• Growth source definition
• JTBD refinement
• Strategic audience hypothesis
• Strategic media principles
• Strategic KPI logic
• PCA growth interpretation

Responsibilities

Core accountabilities

• Interpret the client brief into a clear media growth challenge.
• Understand category dynamics, competition, brand position and consumer behaviour.
• Define the source of growth: recruit, switch, retain, increase frequency, trade‑up or cross‑sell.
• Define the strategic audience hypothesis.
• Define the role media must play in solving the business problem.
• Provide the Journey Planner with clear strategic direction.
• Define strategic KPI logic before planning begins.
• Identify strategic implications from PCA for future campaigns.

Mandatory artifacts owned

• Strategic Brief Interpretation Converts the client brief into a strategic media challenge.
• Growth Strategy Canvas Defines source of growth, JTBD, behaviour change and strategic focus.
• Category & Competitive Read Summarises market, competitor and consumer implications.
• Growth Audience Hypothesis Identifies the audience from which growth is expected.
• Strategic KPI Logic Defines which strategic KPIs matter and why.
• Strategic PCA Implications Captures what results mean for future strategy.

Decision rights

• Growth source logic
• Strategic JTBD interpretation
• Strategic audience prioritisation
• Media strategy principles
• Strategic KPI rationale
• Strategic implications from PCA

What This Role Is NOT Accountable For

• Building detailed TV, OOH, search, social or programmatic schedules.
• Negotiating with media owners.
• Loading plans into systems.
• Chasing creative assets.
• Reconciling invoices or trafficking campaigns.
• Producing routine weekly reports.

Qualifications

Required competencies

• 6–9 years leading strategy for major campaigns or clients.
• Strategic thinking Connect business problems to media opportunities.
• Category understanding Interpret market, consumer and competitor dynamics.
• Audience thinking Define growth audiences and behaviour change.
• Data interpretation Use research and audience data to support strategy.
• Storytelling Articulate the strategic answer clearly.
• Cross-functional leadership Guide planners and specialists without doing their roles.
• Measurement logic Define strategic KPIs and success criteria.

Additional Information

How performance is measured

• Strategic quality

Strength and clarity of the Growth Strategy Canvas.

• Brief-to-strategy

Reduction in unclear or generic strategic responses.

• Client confidence

Client and MD feedback on strategic value.

• Handoff quality

Journey Planner acceptance without major rework.

• KPI discipline

Strategic KPIs defined before planning starts.

• Learning loop

PCA learnings translated into future direction.