Director, Marketing, South Africa Franchise

Summary: Director, Marketing — South Africa The Director, Marketing – South Africa is accountable for end-to-end marketing leadership within the market—driving sustainable brand growth, portfolio leadership, innovation, precision execution, and capability-building across Coca‑Cola’s priority brands. Operating within the integrated OU ↔ Market model , this role blends strategic influence with pragmatic frontline execution—translating global and regional priorities into high-impact local programs that resonate with South African consumers, retail customers, and key partners. This role demands expertise in consumer insights, commercial acumen, and digital-first approaches to execution, ensuring that marketing is a competitive accelerator for portfolio shaping, pricing strategy, and omnichannel engagement. Scope & Impact Serve as the South Africa market marketing lead—accountable for portfolio strength, brand equity health, consumer engagement, pipeline delivery, and IMX orchestration. Lead Annual Business Plan (ABP) and influence Operating Unit Long-Range Plans (LRPs) , anchoring strategies in affordability, cultural passion points, sustainability, and digital commerce realities. Own local execution for brand and innovation plans, including precision marketing flywheel routines and full-funnel IMX delivery. Drive system-wide alignment with bottling partners on capability deployment, joint scorecards, and operational readiness. ​ Key Responsibilities 1) Brand & Portfolio Leadership Translate OU category strategies into South Africa-specific brand plans with clear need-state, occasion, and consumer-job foundations. Lead Portfolio & Price Pack Architecture (PPA) to win across channels (Modern Trade, Traditional Trade, Away-From-Home, and Digital Commerce). Build cultural relevancy through activations tied to music, gaming, sport, and creator ecosystems aligned to local passion points and seasonal demand cycles. ​ 2) ABP, Innovation & Renovation Lead ABP for priority brands to define portfolio choices, allocate investments, and lock innovation launches. Deliver End-to-End (E2E) innovation and renovation —from concept and commercialization to On-Time-In-Full (OTIF) market execution. Partner with technical and packaging teams to address returnable, affordability, and sustainability requirements critical to the South African context. ​ 3) Consumer & Shopper Insights / Analytics Define consumer learning agendas incorporating first-party data, social listening, retail analytics, and brand tracking. Convert insights to action via growth hypotheses , agile test-and-learn pilots, and precision targeting strategies. ​ 4) IMX & Precision Marketing Orchestrate full IMX across paid, owned, and earned touchpoints to ensure high-quality reach and creative effectiveness. Activate Studio X workflows , influencers, and creator networks for agile, mobile-first campaigns. Steward brand safety, creative compliance, and labeling governance across all platforms. ​ 5) System & Customer Leadership Align with bottler leadership on joint business planning, calendar harmonization, and in-market routines. Partner with customers to drive joint value creation (shopper marketing, category leadership, retail media innovation). Collaborate with Commercial and RGM teams to drive NSR, margin mix, and optimized promo efficiency. ​ 6) Performance, Governance & Capability Building Lead performance tracking dashboards for ABP execution, ROI, and creative quality metrics. Institutionalize flywheel operational cadences to accelerate decision-making and continuous improvement. Build marketing capability across insights, IMX, performance marketing, experimentation, and commercialization disciplines. ​ Experience & Critical Requirements 12+ years in marketing leadership roles spanning brand strategy, innovation, IMX orchestration, PPA, and commercial partnership. Frontline activation experience within complex systems