Executive Production Architect

Publicis Groupe · Johannesburg

Company description

Publicis Groupe Africa is a leading marketing, communications, and business transformation network operating across 36 African countries, combining creativity, technology, and local insight to deliver integrated client solutions.

Publicis Groupe Africa is part of Publicis Groupe, the second-largest communications group globally, founded in 1926. The African network operates as a partnership of 44 communications agencies with offices spanning 36 countries, including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, and many others

Its headquarters are in Johannesburg and Cape Town, providing a central hub for continental operations.

Telecommunications is one of the most dynamic categories in the market that sits at the intersection of technology, culture, connectivity, customer experience and everyday life. This role offers the opportunity to work with a leading telecommunications client and help shape the next generation of its agency partnership.

We are building a connected, future-fit model that brings together creativity, intelligence, data, technology, AI and world-class execution around the customer. It is an opportunity for ambitious creative talent to influence the work, the ways of working and the capabilities we build — creating a partnership designed not only for today's challenges, but for what comes next.

Overview

ROLE PURPOSE
The Executive Production Architect leads and evolves the end-to-end production capability across film, video, digital content, social and emerging formats. Reporting to the Senior Vice President, the role is accountable for production quality, commercial performance, operating standards and the development of a high-performing production team.

The role partners with senior Creative, Strategy, Client Leadership and Operations colleagues to build scalable production solutions. It balances creative ambition with financial stewardship and leads the adoption of technology and AI-enabled production models that deliver demonstrable client and business value.

Responsibilities

PRODUCTION STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP

Define production approaches and standards across integrated campaigns, providing senior counsel from early concept development through final delivery.
Oversee production and post-production quality, align local execution with global requirements and resolve complex production escalations.
Contribute to pitches and content planning, identifying scalable models for platform-specific content, reuse and adaptation.

COMMERCIAL AND RESOURCE LEADERSHIP

Own production revenue, profitability and financial performance, setting clear budgeting, scoping and forecasting discipline.
Allocate resources across projects and business priorities, balancing utilisation, specialist capability, quality and sustainable workloads.
Lead supplier negotiations and commercial controls, monitor cost and margin risks and act on performance variances.

PRODUCTION ECOSYSTEM AND GOVERNANCE

Develop strategic relationships with directors, production companies, post-production partners, talent and technology specialists.
Embed consistent workflows, approval gates and controls for procurement, rights, permissions, brand safety and final delivery.
Maintain trusted senior client relationships and coordinate Creative, Strategy, Client Leadership and external partners around clear decisions.

TEAM AND OPERATING MODEL TRANSFORMATION

Lead, mentor and develop producers, production managers and specialists, with clear accountability, succession plans and development priorities.
Partner with the Executive Operations Lead to implement production operating-model changes, improve workflows and manage adoption without disrupting delivery.
Build a culture of inclusion, commercial awareness and continuous learning, using performance data and team feedback to improve the department.

AI CAPABILITY AND FUTURE WAYS OF WORKING

Lead the AI production roadmap, selecting approved use cases and partners, sponsoring pilots and setting human review and rights controls; scale proven methods and build practical team capability against measurable benefits.
Demonstrate effective prompting, iteration and critical evaluation. Use only approved tools and data, protect client information and intellectual property, and retain human accountability for final work.
Share practical learning, recognise tool limitations and measure improvements in quality, speed or effectiveness; escalate uncertain or inappropriate outputs.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

Production revenue and gross-margin performance against agreed targets.
Consistent craft, dependable delivery and strong client confidence.
Effective resource use, sound governance and a developing, engaged production team.
AI and operating-model changes that deliver measured quality, speed or cost improvements.

CRITICAL CAPABILITIES

Executive production leadership, creative judgement and ecosystem design.
Financial stewardship, strategic negotiation and talent development.
AI production strategy, change leadership and benefits measurement.

Qualifications

Relevant tertiary qualification in Film, Production, Communications, Marketing, Business or a related discipline.
At least 10 years of production experience and at least five years in senior production leadership.
Proven leadership of complex multi-channel campaigns, substantial budgets and profit-and-loss responsibilities.
Demonstrated experience leading AI-enabled production or workflow transformation, including pilots, governance, team adoption and measured outcomes.

Additional information

PUBLICIS VALUES
Trust through respect, transparency and accountability. Talent through collaboration, development and high standards. Transformation through curiosity, continuous learning and improvements that create value for clients.

Publicis Groupe Africa is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits any forms of Discrimination or Harassment. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our employees in line with our Employment Equity Plan.

All appointments will be based on qualifications, experience and best fit but preference will be given to candidates from designated groups. Interested candidates must please submit a concise CV including a link to your portfolio if necessary. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Should you not hear from us within 2 weeks after submitting your application, please consider your application as unsuccessful.