Senior Manager: Paid Media

About

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time. With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job Summary

Within the specialist role of Senior Manager: Paid Media you will manage the overall paid channel strategy across segments within the group with a focus on Brand, Sponsorships and Corporate Citizenship whilst supporting the Executive: Digital Marketing & Media in laying down overall Enterprise Wide Integrated Paid Channel Strategy and principles thereof. The paid media space includes paid ATL (traditional/offline) and paid digital (online) channels. You will be tasked to development and deploy of the overall paid media strategy (aligned to Digital Marketing Strategy) across the group, inclusive of African Regions, whilst acting as a support for technical paid media expertise. Working in partnership with segments/clusters and media agency partner, you will be tasked to develop and deploy an integrated channel strategy across ATL and digital with consumer channel consumption at the core of all recommendations.

Job Description

Paid Media Strategy/Paid Integrated Channel Strategy

• Develop and execute comprehensive group paid media strategy & complementary segment/cluster media strategies to support marketing objectives and drive revenue growth
• Overall paid media budget and activity management including clashing and optimization

Paid Media Process

• Development and implementation of paid media process aligned to overall campaign management process
• Paid Media Campaign management & implementation across segments/clusters partnering with paid media agency partners and supporting agency partners
• Overall management of paid media agency and performance thereof

Collaborative & Integrated Approach

• Work closely with cross-functional teams including marketing, analytics, creative, and web development to align paid media efforts with overall marketing objectives and ensure a cohesive customer journey
• Developing principles for increased and improved ways of working between segments/clusters and agency partners, driving integration and collaboration

Media Efficiency, Savings and additional value

• Group media owner commitments and deals including savings and added value inclusive of tracking and reporting
• This also includes alignment and value enrichments with Corporate Communications, additional added value from media owner partnerships and increased share of voice whilst Leveraging paid media spend into the earned media space
• Developing deeper and valuable partnerships with media owners and publishers across online & offline channels/platforms
• Media owner and platform relationship management

Audience Targeting

• Conduct research and utilize audience insights to identify target segments for each campaign
• Develop tailored messaging and targeting strategies to reach and engage the desired audience
• Collaborate with the creative teams (online & offline) to develop compelling ad creatives that align with the brand's messaging and marketing objectives
• Continuously optimise ad performance by conducting A/B tests, refining targeting parameters, and implementing best practices

Performance Tracking and Reporting

• Monitor and analyse key performance indicators (KPIs) for paid media campaigns, providing regular reports on campaign performance, insights, and recommendations for improvement and optimisation
• Measurement and data analytics on channel performance and optimisation across all paid media channels and segments/clusters within the group

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

• Collaborate with the digital marketing & digital channels development teams to optimize landing pages and user journeys to improve conversion rates and overall campaign performance

Remarketing and Retargeting

• Develop strategies for remarketing and retargeting campaigns to maximise conversions and nurture

Stay Abreast of Industry Trends & shifting media landscape

• Stay updated on the latest trends, tools, and best practices in paid media advertising
• Continuously explore new opportunities and emerging platforms to drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge
• First to market paid media innovation in shifting media landscape across ATL and digital channels

Competitor Analysis & Benchmarking

• Conduct regular competitive analysis to benchmark performance, identify opportunities, and adjust strategies accordingly
• This is inclusive of Category Paid Media Benchmarking across all channels and competitor categories

Cross Paid Media Channel Content Management & Tracking

• Advise on appropriate messaging and content in line with channel roles within overall brand marketing strategy

Skilling & Capability Building

• Paid training and upskilling across categories and brand teams

Risk Mitigation, Governance & Compliance

• Best practice paid media process to ensure risk mitigation and campaign implementation
• Development of risk, compliance and governance frameworks for paid media

Key attributes and competencies

• Ability to influence– you sell-in your work and subsequent recommendations across the organization
• Analytic skills– you can interpret data to develop game-changing insights that inform the overall integrated media and digital strategy
• Strategic aptitude – the ability to understand relevant digital and media trends and deduce their impact on the companies operating environment
• Commercial edge – strong commercial focus to drive effective and efficient use of paid channels driving increased share of voice and savings optimisation

Qualifications and Experience Required

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, advertising, media or a related field
• Proven work experience as a Paid Media Manager, Business Unit Head, Paid Media Strategy Lead or similar role, preferably in an agency or corporate
• Commercial edge – strong commercial focus to drive effective and efficient use of paid channels driving increased share of voice and savings optimisation
• In-depth knowledge and hands-on experience with platforms such as Television Channels, Outdoor, Radio, Google, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, and other paid media platforms
• Experience with A/B testing and conversion rate optimization strategies
• Solid understanding of digital media metrics and KPIs
• Familiarity with website analytics tools such as Google Analytics or similar
• Pan-African/ Multi Market experience is high beneficial
• Stakeholder management – history of managing internal and external stakeholders (media owners, media, agencies and production houses)
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex concepts and data to stakeholders
• Commercial edge – strong commercial focus to drive effective and efficient use of paid channels driving increased share of voice and savings optimisation
• Detail-oriented mindset with a focus on delivering high-quality work
• Knowledge of the South African and Rest of Africa market and the ability to adapt paid media strategies accordingly
• Experience with e-commerce platforms, digital sales, performance media and social commerce is a plus
• Commercial edge – strong commercial focus to drive effective and efficient use of paid channels driving increased share of voice and savings optimisation

Role KPI’s/Measurements

• Effectiveness at embedding the overall channel strategy within the organization
• Consistent alignment of channel strategy within categories and brands
• Development of best practice channel strategy frameworks
• Efficient and effective use of paid channels
• First to market media owner innovation and disruption
• Measurement and tracking of paid media spend

Education

• Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Marketing (Required)

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank. Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised

At Absa, our story is not a single narrative. It’s thousands of individual journeys unfolding across Africa and beyond. From colleagues serving customers in local communities to teams shaping financial solutions across borders, Absa is built on people who bring their lived experiences, ambitions and perspectives into the workplace every day. Whether you’re starting your career, a seasoned leader or somewhere in between, your contribution is seen, valued and connected to something bigger. Our presence across Africa – which spans personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management, and insurance – exists because of the people who show up in their roles with purpose. Across Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, our colleagues are shaping what Absa becomes in each market. Beyond the continent, teams in global offices and a technology hub support and extend the stories that prove that African talent can lead, influence and innovate on the global stage. At Absa, your story matters because progress is driven by human experience, not hierarchy. When people are enabled to bring their whole selves to work, they don’t just build careers. They help shape the future of Africa’s financial services landscape.