Job Description

We're looking for a bold, culturally connected Creative Director to help lead the next chapter of earned-first creativity at Ogilvy PR, Influence and Social Community Management (PRSI).

We need a creative leader who lives at the intersection of culture, storytelling, strategy, and social behaviour, someone who can turn insights into ideas that people don't just see, but engage with, talk about, and share. Whether from a copy, art direction, design, or hybrid creative background, the ideal candidate is conceptual at their core, deeply collaborative, and passionate about building culturally resonant work that drives real impact.

This role reports directly into the Creative Partner and will play a key role in driving the creative vision, elevating the standard of work across the department, and helping shape the future of earned-first creativity within the agency.

Key Responsibilities

Creative Excellence:

• Lead the development of social-first, influence-led, and culturally resonant creative ideas across multiple brands and platforms.
• Translate strategic insights into compelling creative territories, campaigns, content ecosystems, and experiences.
• Drive craft excellence across copy, design, storytelling, art direction, and content execution.
• Push teams to create work that earns attention organically through culture, creators, conversation, and community.
• Champion innovative thinking across emerging platforms, technologies, AI tools, and evolving content behaviours.
• Collaborate closely with strategy, PR, influencer, social, media, and production teams to create integrated earned-first campaigns.
• Partner closely with the Creative Partner to ensure all creative output is strategically sharp, culturally relevant, and world-class.

Creative Leadership & Mentorship:

• Mentor and inspire junior and mid-level creatives, helping grow both conceptual thinking and craft.
• Provide clear, constructive feedback that elevates the quality of work and builds creative confidence.
• Help shape a team culture that is collaborative, ambitious, kind, accountable, and creatively brave.
• Support the Creative Partner in building a high-performing, future-facing creative department.

Client Partnership:

• Build strong relationships with clients as a trusted creative voice and cultural thinker.
• Present creative work with clarity, confidence, and strategic rationale.
• Help clients navigate bold, modern, non-traditional creative thinking rooted in earned media and social relevance.
• Contribute to shaping briefs upfront to ensure stronger creative opportunities.

New Business & Agency Growth:

• Play an active role in pitches and new business opportunities through creative ideation and presentation.
• Contribute to proactive opportunities that grow existing client relationships.
• Support the Creative Partner in positioning Ogilvy SA as a leader in culturally driven, earned-first creativity.

Operational Collaboration:

• Work collaboratively with project managers and team leads to ensure projects are delivered on time and at a high standard.
• Support workflow management and prioritisation across the creative team.
• Maintain creative integrity throughout execution and production.

Culture & Innovation:

• Stay deeply connected to South African culture, internet behaviour, creators, trends, music, fashion, entertainment, and emerging conversations.
• Bring fresh inspiration, references, and cultural insight into the agency regularly.
• Experiment with new creative formats, tools, and technologies that unlock new ways for brands to participate in culture.

Experience:

• 10 years' experience in a creative role, ideally within social, influence, PR, digital, or culturally-led creative environments.
• Strong conceptual ability with a portfolio of culturally relevant, socially impactful campaigns.
• Background in copywriting, art direction, design, content, or integrated creative leadership.
• Proven experience leading campaigns across multiple platforms and touchpoints.
• Strong understanding of social behaviour, creators, influencer culture, and earned media dynamics.
• Ability to mentor and guide teams while maintaining high creative standards.
• Confident presenter and storyteller with strong communication skills.
• Passion for innovation, technology, AI, and the evolving future of creativity.
• Deep understanding of the South African cultural landscape and how brands can authentically participate in it.
• Award-winning work is advantageous.

What we offer:

• Permanent position.
• Local and Global client portfolio.
• Attractive package and benefits.
• Continuous training. Career conversation and growing opportunities.
• Hybrid Work 4:1.

If this sounds like a team you'd like to be part of, please get in touch!