Chief Marketing Officer at Brand South Africa

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelors degree required in marketing or related qualification
• Post graduate or advanced degree will be an added advantage
• Previous experience in complex stakeholder environments – including a proven track record of accomplishment in a matrixed, fast-paced, rapidly growing, and customer centric environment
• 10+ years of experience in marketing and communications with brand oriented organisations or organisations in corporate marketing of which 5 years must be in marketing and communications with brand oriented organisations or organisations in corporate marketing at executive level.
• 10+ years of experience in planning, developing and launching of products/services.
• Minimum of 10 years of business and/or consulting experience
• Previous senior management position in an organisation which included direct reports
• A proven ability to lead transformation and turnaround initiatives experience.

KEY RESPONSIBILITY AREAS:

Participate in the development of Brand SA’s business strategy.

• Contribute to the development of and operate according to the Brand SA 5-year strategic plan and annual business plan.

 Develop, implement and manage the Marketing and Communications Strategy

• Translate the 5-year strategy into annual plans and budgets. Develop and implement the Marketing and Communications strategy and budget aligned with the overall Brand SA business plan for the year. Facilitate EXCO and stakeholder input to ensure buy-in on the M and C strategy.
• Finding creative ways to achieve more with less (e.g. sponsorships)
• Recruit matched marketing funds from the private sector
• Invoke inspiration through the marketing and communications strategy to inspire stakeholder buy-in and current and future employees to work for Brand South Africa
• Ensure recruitment and management of suppliers for marketing and communications.
• The marketing and communications strategy must lead to the creation of corporate messaging and targeted marketing and communication methods to drive and influence Brand SA’s goals of building SA’s brand and reputation
• To ensure that the marketing and communications strategy (including a fundraising and resource development strategy, brand position and value positioning strategy) is translated into a framework and then cascaded to relevant employees so that they understand how they must develop their action plans. Identify market/customer opportunities, manage positioning strategy and develop supporting tools for the Strategic Partnering and Market Expansion initiatives
• Generate innovation in the activation of strategy to be more effective in achieving Brand SA mandate.
• Input into research strategy and briefs for the brand intelligence function of the organisation
• Develop marketing and communication action plans to bring the strategy alive (including an issue plan, crisis plan, media management techniques)
• Manage the brand position and communications framework.
• Rally public and private sector behind one Nation Brand
• Define and develop marketing tools and collateral (including missions, road shows, marketing campaigns and publications, branding, advertising, website, promotional campaigns and management thereof)
• Develop a digital media management action plan (e.g. Twitter? You-tube? Other social networks

 Planning and Organising (Actively supports Stakeholder engagements

• Activate the strategic marketing input in the stakeholder strategy, i.e. actively promote organisational brand image, messaging and a positioning strategy within the stakeholder base (e.g. participate in appropriate local, regional and national clusters as required)
• Assist in the customisation of content to serve specific stakeholder needs (all tiers of government, corporate and civil).
• Be responsive and proactive in overcoming barriers to achieving Brand SA mandate (e.g. in briefing media directly or preparing content for media).
• Contribute to developing the content for MOUs with stakeholders and ensure that stakeholders deliver according to the MOU’s.
• Oversee the preparation of monthly and quarterly management reports (on content, financial and staff, etc)

Develop, implement and manage the Stakeholder Management strategy

• Develop the Stakeholder Relations strategy ensuring alignment with the overall Brand South Africa
• Overseeing the development of programme business plans to ensure alignment with the overall stakeholder strategy.
• Monitor & evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing strategy (including risks) and reflect this in the quarterly report in accordance with the developed performance measurement structure of the organisation.

 Compliance, Monitoring and Reporting (including risk).

• Monitoring and reporting on departmental plans
• Monitor the achievement of departmental plans through monthly and quarterly progress reports (on content, financial and staff, etc)
• Compliance to all legislation impacting on IMC including reporting on a marketing and communications-related risk management plan (e.g. content that may be considered controversial in ad campaigns)

Act as the co-ordinating spokesperson for Brand SA

• Act as the co-ordinating spokesperson for Brand SA:
• Media training
• in consultation with stakeholders

Organisational Management and Governance

• Compliance and policy development and implementation of the corporate identity. QA (Quality assure) the look and feel, quality and physical collateral of advertisements, briefs, etc.
• Develop policies (e.g. media management and corporate sponsorships)
• Performance management of relevant supplier relations and inputting the specs for supplier relations management (where performance management system sits in Operations) and contributing to the SLAs.
• Ensure structured and regular engagement with the GCIS role counterpart
• Support IMC team members by providing capacity and information when needed
• To participate actively in the advisory clusters

Staff management and development

• Delegate work assignments and tasks to appropriate individuals, providing sufficient direction so desired business outcomes can be achieved
• Provide direct reports with leadership, direction, and coaching to achieve work objectives and improve performance and skills
• Provide leadership and management to the Marketing and Communication team
• Responsible for internal communications to staff
• Performance Management – ensure that team members achieve their Performance Objectives as per individual agreements.
• Staff development, motivation and training
• Recruit respective staff and select
• Directly manage the workplace climate through actively living the brand

Financial management/ oversight and compliance

• Budget planning and allocation and monitor expenditure in accordance with strategic objectives and ensure compliance with relevant policies.
• Manage financial resources cost effectively.

Required Technical Skills, Competencies and Attributes:

• Marketing strategy and activation
• Public Relations / Communications (issue and crisis management
• Brand and reputation management
• Stakeholder relations
• MS Officer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Media Management
• Deliver inspirational presentations
• Spokesperson ability and highly articulate
• Negotiating and consensus building
• Interpretive ability – turn information into intelligence
• Documentation
• Financial management
• Staff and supplier management
• Planning and organising
• Effective budgeting
• Strong Leadership
• Strong business acumen
• Strategic ability
• Stakeholders management
• Professionalism
• Service oriented
• Ability to drive Innovation
• High energy and drive
• Affinity to work with diverse clients including government (non-negotiable)
• High ethical standards
• Follow-through
• Self-motivation
• Attention to details