Media Buying Lead - Midrand

Dis-Chem Pharmacies has an opportunity available for a Media Buying Lead for their Head Office.The Media Buying Lead role is responsible for defining media principles, buying guidelines, and governance frameworks for Dis-Chem’s paid media activity. The role optimises media buying performance and agency relationships to ensure efficient investment, consistent standards, and strong return on marketing spend across all channels, while supporting Dis-Chem’s brand, category, and commercial objectives.

Minimum Requirements…
Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree or diploma in Marketing, Media Studies, Communications, Business, or related discipline.
• 5+ years’ experience in ATL, digital, retail media, media buying, media planning, or campaign management roles within retail, FMCG, consumer-facing environments, or media agencies
• 2–3 years’ experience leading campaign delivery, vendor coordination, or cross-functional media execution initiatives.
• Proven experience managing media agencies and driving buying efficiencies
  

Responsibilities

Media principles, guidelines and governance

• Define and maintain group-wide media principles, buying guidelines, and guardrails across digital, traditional, and in-store media
• Establish standards for media planning, buying, optimisation, and reporting to ensure consistency and transparency
• Ensure alignment between media guidelines, brand standards, and marketing governance frameworks

Media buying optimisation & agency management

• Optimise media buying strategies to improve reach, efficiency, and return on investment across channels
• Lead relationships with media agencies, ensuring clear roles, performance expectations, and accountability
• Support rate negotiations, buying efficiencies, and consolidation opportunities to maximise value
• Execute media plans in alignment with go-to-market priorities and campaign requirements

Performance oversight & collaboration

• Partner with Integrated Marketing Campaigns, Strategy & Brand, and Category Marketing teams to ensure media plans support campaign objectives
• Review media performance and insights to identify optimisation opportunities and inform future guidelines
• Provide guidance and expertise on media choices, channel mix, and investment decisions
  

Competencies
Essential: 

Keycompetencies

• Strong understanding of media strategy, planning, and buying across digital and traditional channels
• Experience setting media governance, guidelines, and buying standards, with knowledge of agency models and performance metrics
• Strong commercial focus with the ability to optimise media spend and agency value
• Effective stakeholder and agency management, supported by a structured, analytical approach

Key Performance Indicators

• Media efficiency – Improvement in media ROI, cost efficiencies, and rate optimisation
• Governance & compliance – Adherence to media guidelines, buying standards, and reporting frameworks
• Agency performance – Agency service quality, performance against KPIs, and value delivered
• Stakeholder satisfaction – Feedback from Marketing, Category, and Campaign teams on media support

Special Conditions of Employment

South African citizen

MIE, clear criminal and credit

Driver’s license and/or own reliable transport 

Remuneration and benefits:

Market related salary

Medical aid

Provident fund

Staff account 

ONLY SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS WILL BE CONTACTED. IF YOU HAVEN`T BEEN CONTACTED WITHIN TWO WEEKS AFTER THE CLOSING DATE CONSIDER YOUR APPLICATION AS UNSUCCESSFUL. 

Dis-Chem Pharmacies is an equal opportunity employer. Dis-Chem’s approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process aligned to Dis-Chem’s Employment Equity & Transformation Strategy. Dis-Chem actively supports the recruitment of People with Disabilities