Director: Communication Services
Retail
Minimum Requirements
- An undergraduate qualification (NQF 7) in Communications / Digital Marketing / Journalism / Media Studies / Public Relations or a related media studies field as recognized by SAQA.
- A post-graduate qualification with a marketing or strategic communication focus is highly advantageous.
- Five (5) years of experience at middle/senior managerial level in Communications, with significant emphasis on Journalism / Media Studies / Public Relations / Digital Marketing and strategy field.
- Proven success in high-pressure scenarios, such as managing national-level media crises, digital reputation challenges, or largescale online campaigns.
- Public sector or government communication experience is highly desirable.
- Valid driver’s license (with exception of person with disability).
- Strong interpersonal skills.
- Strategic capability and leadership.
- Resilience under pressure.
- Strategic mindset.
- Cultural sensitivity.
- Multilingual proficiency.
- Programme and project management.
- Change management.
- Budget and financial management.
- People management and empowerment.
- Knowledge management.
- Problem solving and analysis.
- Client orientation and customer focus.
- Service delivery innovation.
- Commitment to ethical practices.
- Analytical thinking.
- Skills and Knowledge: Solid grounding of journalistic principles, ethical sourcing and investigative storytelling adapted for all formats.
- Deep knowledge of evolving media landscapes, audience behaviour in related spaces and convergence of traditional/digital platforms.
- Expertise in reputation management, stakeholder mapping and PR tactics.
- Proficiency in visual storytelling tools and software for creating digital assets (infographics, videos, branded graphics).
- Demonstrated leadership in building online communities, managing platforms for engagement/growth and handling real-time interactions.
- Exceptional copywriting, editing and persuasive content creation for various channels (social posts, blogs, speeches) under high deadlines.
- Strong proficiency in digital marketing strategies, including SEO/SEM fundamentals, content marketing, paid advertising (Google Ads, social ads), email marketing, social media advertising, analytics (Google analytics, social insights) and data-driven campaign optimization.
Responsibilities
- Manage and facilitate development of policies, strategic and operational plans.
- Develop and implement integrated communication strategies, including SEO/SEM, content marketing, paid campaigns and multi-channel initiatives aligned with organizational goals.
- Serves as primary spokesperson, manage press releases and lead rapid-response crisis communications, including digital monitoring, online reputation management and mitigation of viral misinformation or social media backlash.
- Build relationships with stakeholders and oversee PR efforts, incorporate targeted digital marketing to enhance brand reputation and community outreach.
- Supervise high-quality content production across formats, with emphasis on digital-first content (engaging social posts, videos, infographics) optimized for algorithms and audience segmentation.
- Drive the organization’s digital presence through strategic social media management, audience growth via organic and paid tactics, real-time engagement, trend monitoring, analytics-driven campaigns and integration of emerging digital tools (AI for sentiment analysis).
- Lead communications team, providing mentorship in digital marketing best practices, content strategy, analytics and ethical communications.
- Manage budgets, advertising spend, graphic design software and external digital/PR agencies.
- Track KPIs across digital channels (engagement rates, reach, conversion metrics), analyse media/digital coverage and report insights to leadership for continuous optimization.
- Manage and utilize resources (financial, human and physical) in accordance with the relevant directives and legislation.
