About the position
Purpose of the role
The Agency Managing Director runs the marketing agency day to day. The role owns delivery, resourcing, quality and process across four specialist departments, so the agency performs consistently and can scale while the VP Growth leads expansion across the regions.
Key responsibilities
- Lead the Performance, Discoverability, Creative and Marketing Operations departments through their heads, setting priorities, standards and ways of working.
- Own delivery across all client business units: capacity planning, resourcing, turnaround times and quality control.
- Build the agency operating rhythm, including briefing, workflow, review and approval, reporting and retrospectives, so the model scales as the business grows.
- Work with the Director of Client Services to turn business unit plans and budgets into delivered work, and resolve conflicts over priorities and resources.
- Drive a performance-led, test-and-learn culture in which every department is accountable for measurable results.
- Develop a T-shaped specialist model: deep ownership of one discipline or channel, with secondary skills so team members can cover for each other.
- Support the Chief Marketing Officer, South Africa, on delivery across communications, PR and events.
- Coach and hold the heads of department to account, and build second-in-charge depth and succession in every team.
- Manage agency budgets, supplier and partner relationships, and investment in tools and technology.
- Stand in for the VP Growth on agency matters during regional travel.
Key performance indicators
Indicative. Final KPIs are agreed on appointment.
- Delivery against agreed timelines and service levels
- Quality, measured by first-pass approval rates
- Marketing contribution to leads, enrolments and revenue across business units
- Agency cost efficiency and budget adherence
- Business unit (client) satisfaction
- Team engagement, retention and development
Requirements
- 12 years or more in marketing, including at least 5 years in senior agency leadership (managing director, general manager or head of delivery).
- Proven leadership of multidisciplinary teams of 25 or more across performance, content, creative and operations.
- Strong digital and performance grounding: able to read a performance report and challenge a channel plan.
- A track record of building processes and operating models that scale.
- Commercial acumen, including budget and P&L management.
- A degree in marketing, business or a related field. A postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
What we look for
- A best-in-class expert who leads by example and knows the roles they manage in depth.
- Agency experience and comfort wearing multiple hats are essential.
- Experience in higher education or ed-tech is an advantage.
- Regenesys hires for the whole person: intellectual (IQ), emotional (EQ), physical (PQ) and spiritual (SQ) intelligence, together with an entrepreneurial spirit.
Recruitment process
Shortlisted candidates complete a final interview with the Group Chief Operating Officer.
Desired Skills:
- Agency experience
- Emotional Intellegence
- People's person
