Strategic Account Director - Client Leadership & Media

dentsu; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Carat in Sandton, part of dentsu, seeks an experienced leader to provide strategic recommendations and manage resources to meet the client’s marketing needs. The role focuses on Audience, Data & Insight leadership and a strategic partnership with clients to drive integrated media strategies across TV, radio, OOH and digital.

This permanent position requires proven ability to lead multi‑channel campaigns and present strategic insights to ExCo‑level stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Champion an evidence-led approach to planning using industry and proprietary tools.
• Translate audience segmentation into practical channel, geographic, proposition and investment decisions.
• Identify differences in audience behaviour, attention, media consumption and regional opportunity.
• Ensure insights are turned into planning decisions, rather than remaining descriptive research.
• Act as a senior day-to-day partner to key client stakeholders.
• Build trusted relationships across marketing, commercial, procurement and senior leadership stakeholders.
• Understand the client’s broader business priorities and translate these into actionable media priorities.
• Provide proactive strategic counsel rather than simply responding to campaign briefs.
• Lead senior presentations, business reviews, strategy sessions and critical client conversations.
• Connect individual campaigns and requests back to the wider business and media strategy.
• Demonstrate strong project management capability, coordinating complex, multi-channel campaigns across multiple stakeholders, workstreams, budgets and timelines to ensure seamless delivery

Job description

Carat in Sandton, part of dentsu, seeks an experienced leader to provide strategic recommendations and manage resources to meet the client’s marketing needs. The role focuses on Audience, Data & Insight leadership and a strategic partnership with clients to drive integrated media strategies across TV, radio, OOH and digital.

This permanent position requires proven ability to lead multi‑channel campaigns and present strategic insights to ExCo‑level stakeholders.