Senior Social Media & Community Manager

About WPP Media WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth.  WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working. For more information, visit wppmedia.com . Job Title: Senior Social Media & Community Manager Company: WPP Media South Africa Location: Johannesburg, South Africa Reports To: Strategic Account Manager: Social & Influencer About the Role The Social Media and Community Manager is the brand’s principal storyteller and organic content strategist for our key client accounts. Reporting to the Strategic Account Manager, you are responsible for developing and executing a compelling social media presence that builds community, drives engagement, and reinforces brand values. This role requires a deep understanding of platform nuances, a creative mindset, and an analytical approach to performance. You will ensure all organic social activity is strategically aligned with the overarching brand playbook and seamlessly integrated with paid and influencer marketing initiatives. Key Responsibilities: Community Management & Brand Guardianship: • Community Engagement & Moderation: Own the real-time conversation by meticulously monitoring all social media channels (comments, DMs, mentions). Respond to user comments and queries in a timely, empathetic, and on-brand manner, strictly adhering to the established brand tone of voice. • Social Listening & Insight Generation: Actively monitor the social landscape using listening tools to track and report on brand sentiment, share of voice, and key conversation themes. Distil this "Voice of the Consumer" data into actionable insights to inform the content strategy. • Crisis Management & Escalation: Act as the first line of defence in identifying and flagging potential PR crises, reputational risks, or significant spikes in negative sentiment. You are required to immediately escalate any sensitive or high-risk issues to leadership according to the established crisis communication protocol. Organic Strategy & Content Planning: • Develop, plan, and execute the end-to-end organic social media strategy for our key accounts. Create, own, and manage the monthly social content calendars, ensuring they are strategically aligned with the brand's business objectives, communication strategy, and overall media plan. Lead the creative ideation for organic content, developing platform-native concepts that resonate with the target audience and drive conversation. Ensure all content and communication are in strict alignment with the brand’s established playbooks, guides, and tone of voice. Brand Guardianship & Quality Control: • Act as the primary guardian of the brand’s voice and personality across all social media platforms. • Collaborate closely with internal and external creative teams to ensure all visual and copy assets are of high quality, on-brand, and optimized for each platform. • Ensure all published content is compliant with platform rules, advertising standards (ASA), and the brand's legal and safety guidelines. Performance Analysis & Optimization: • Meticulously track and analyse the performance of all organic social content, reporting on key metrics such as engagement rate, reach, follower growth, and video views. • Prepare and present regular performance reports to clients and internal leader