Trading and Investment Director (Johannesburg, South Africa)

OVERVIEW
Publicis Groupe is one of the world’s largest communications holding companies, present in over 110 countries and employing about 100,000 professionals.. The Groupe is positioned at every step of the value chain, from consulting to execution, combining marketing transformation and digital business transformation.

HELPING OUR CLIENTS UNLOCK GROWTH IN THE PLATFORM WORLD
Our clients compete in the platform world, a horizontal marketplace between creators and consumers, between speakers and listeners, between buyers and sellers. To thrive in the platform world, companies must continue to innovate their products and business models. Four imperatives (1. Real Identity, 2. Dynamic, Diverse and Disruptive Creativity 3., Smart Media and 4. Direct Relationships) via our suite of world-class agencies, are necessary for modern brands to win in the platform world. At Publicis Groupe, we’ve invested in capabilities across these four imperatives our clients need to unlock growth. As the only one who can architect, build and orchestrate end to end solutions, not only do we have a proven record of building bespoke models for clients and leading expertise across all major industry categories, we are able to offer our talents more opportunities to grow and benefit from a richer learning experience. We call this Power of One. Powered by a 100,000-strong network via Marcel, our AI-based platform, we are also able to provide our clients and talents instant access to resource, knowledge for any need, any time, in any market.

THE SPIRIT OF VIVA LA DIFFERENCE
Viva La Difference is deeply rooted in everything we do. It has always been in our DNA. From the birth of Publicis, 94 years ago, when Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, our founder, invented French advertising. Viva La Difference expresses how we value and respect each individual and recognize what makes us distinctive. This is the charge that inspires our teams to celebrate the differences in identity, background, culture, and experience of all of us. It is how we behave with each other and our clients, and it is deeply rooted throughout our work, to elevate and bring to life our differences throughout the platform world.

As a Trading Director you will be responsible for managing negotiations and securing favorable deals with media vendors, publishers, and other partners on behalf of the agency and its clients for Publicis Media South Africa. Your role will involve analyzing market trends, building relationships, and leveraging your negotiation skills to achieve optimal media buying outcomes.

The Trading Director should use a sales-focused mindset to seek opportunities for growth with clients, partners and individuals within the team. We are looking for someone who has experience running a media buying division at an agency, within a large client media team within a marketing organization or within a media vendor.

The Trading Director must be able to balance achieving brilliant basics on the execution of our current products while also creating and bringing to market new offerings. Experience with complete P&L oversight is essential.

• Vendor Relationship Management: Develop and maintain strong relationships with media vendors, publishers, and other partners. Stay updated on industry trends, market conditions, and available media inventory to inform negotiation strategies.
• Media Buying Strategy: Collaborate with the media planning and buying teams to understand campaign objectives, target audiences, and budget constraints. Translate these requirements into effective negotiation strategies that align with client goals.
• Negotiation and Deal Making: Lead negotiations with media vendors to secure favorable terms and pricing for media placements, including traditional channels and digital platforms.
• Contract Management: Review and negotiate contracts and agreements with media vendors, ensuring compliance with legal and industry standards. Identify opportunities for value-added benefits, exclusivities, or additional incentives that enhance the agency's position.
• Cost Control and Budgeting: Collaborate with finance and account management teams to establish media budgets for client campaigns. Monitor media spend and ensure adherence to approved budgets while optimizing media buying efficiency.
• Competitive Analysis: Conduct research and analysis of media rates, audience reach, and competitor activity to inform negotiation strategies.
• Performance Tracking: Establish performance metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the effectiveness of media buys. Track and analyze campaign performance data to identify areas for optimization and negotiate compensation or makegoods where applicable.
• Relationship Building: Cultivate and maintain positive relationships with media vendors and partners. Collaborate with internal stakeholders to develop mutually beneficial opportunities for both the agency and vendors.

• Proven experience in a senior/leadership level role in media buying, negotiation, or vendor management, within a media agency or advertising environment (mandatory).
• Strong negotiation and persuasive communication skills, with a track record of successfully securing favorable deals.
• In-depth knowledge of media planning, buying, and advertising practices across traditional and digital channels.
• Familiarity with media research tools, industry databases, and pricing benchmarks.
• Analytical mindset.
• Strong financial acumen and budget management skills.
• Excellent relationship-building and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with internal teams, clients, and external partners.
• Results-oriented mindset with a focus on delivering value and achieving campaign objectives.
• Adaptability and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Expert understanding of how client business objectives translate into investment marketplace strategies
• Expert understanding of the overall marketplace and partner landscape including endemic/lifestyle digital, print, audio, video, point of care, social, search, and programmatic
• Expert understanding of marketplace partnership opportunities, deals and terms
• Expert understanding of agency Terms + Conditions and partner contracting process

We are supportive of all candidates and are committed to providing a fair assessment process. If you have any circumstances (such as neurodiversity, physical or mental impairments or a medical condition) that may affect your assessment, please inform your Talent Acquisition Partner. We will discuss possible adjustments to ensure fairness. Rest assured, disclosing this information will not impact your treatment in our process.