Channel Investment & Implementation Lead

Publicis Groupe · Johannesburg

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 Investment / Head of Media / MD

Dotted line
Corporate Investment Lead, Journey Planning Lead, Buying Ops Lead

Role purpose
Owns the channel craft function across AV, OOH, audio, social, search, programmatic, performance, retail media, commerce and influencer. Ensures specialists produce technically strong, commercially sound, measurable and executable plans. Owns recommendation quality, implementation standards and delivery validation — not invoice loading or billing admin.

Scope of role

Channel planning standards
Specialist capability management
Channel plan QA
Delivery validation governance
Make good / credit / dispute recommendations
Channel learning & PCA quality
Marketplace collaboration with Corporate Investment

Responsibilities

Core accountabilities

Lead the channel implementation planning function.
Ensure specialists receive clear briefs from Journey Planning.
Ensure every channel plan includes rationale, recommendation, cost logic, KPI forecast and delivery assumptions.
Ensure plans are executable, measurable and aligned to the integrated strategy.
Ensure delivery actualisation is completed before billing approval.
Ensure under-delivery is disputed, credited, made good or escalated.
Ensure channel learnings feed future planning.
Maintain channel planning standards across teams.

Decision rights

Channel planning standards
Quality approval of vertical plans
Delivery validation requirements
Approve / hold / dispute / credit / makegood delivery
Channel specialist capability standards

What this role is NOT accountable for

Defining the original growth strategy.
Owning the client relationship.
Loading plans into billing systems.
Processing supplier invoices or vendor onboarding.
Trafficking tags.
Producing routine campaign reports.

Qualifications

Required competencies

8+ years managing channel standards, investment quality and delivery governance.

• Channel expertise
Strong grasp of channels and buying environments.

• Technical planning
Evaluate plans, forecasts and delivery assumptions.

• Commercial judgment
Understand cost, rate and delivery implications.

• Governance
Enforce standards and handoffs.

• Supplier understanding
Challenge media owner / platform delivery.

• Team leadership
Manage specialists and develop capability.

• Delivery validation
Identify under-delivery and recommend action.

Additional information

How performance is measured

• Channel plan quality
Percentage of plans passing QA first time.

• Forecast accuracy
Delivery versus forecast by channel.
• Delivery validation
Percentage of invoices validated before billing.
• Leakage reduction
Less unchallenged under-delivery or incorrect billing.
• Specialist capability
Improvement in standards and training completion.
• PCA quality
Channel learnings captured and reused.