Head of Agency

Job description

Head of agency – Honeyguide (Internal Agency for Group Companies |Badger SA | Dotsure)
Location: George |onsite | non-negotiable
Type: Permanent
Reporting to: Chief Commercial Officer

About the Role:

We’re looking for a commercially astute and strategically driven Head of Agency to lead Honeyguide, our internal marketing agency, as a high-performing, scalable business unit.
This is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping and running Honeyguide as a commercially disciplined agency, delivering measurable impact across multiple brands within the group. You will own the agency’s P&L, operating model, client relationships, and growth strategy, ensuring marketing drives tangible business outcomes.
If you thrive at the intersection of commercial leadership, marketing excellence, and operational scale, this role offers the opportunity to build a future-ready agency that directly influences revenue growth and brand performance.

Key responsibilities:
Agency leadership and commercial ownership

• Lead Honeyguide as a standalone business unit with full P and  accountability, including budgeting, cost management, and financial performance
• Design and implement a scalable agency operating model (services, pricing, SLAs, workflows, and resourcing)
• Drive efficiency, utilisation, and margin improvement
• Position Honeyguide as a trusted, high-value partner to internal stakeholders

Growth strategy and value creation

• Develop and execute a growth strategy aligned to group commercial priorities
• Identify opportunities to scale services across brands and reduce duplication
• Partner with executive leadership to ensure marketing contributes to revenue growth and customer value
• Continuously evolve the agency’s offering in line with market trends and business needs

Client (brand) performance and stakeholder management

• Own performance and satisfaction across all brands serviced by Honeyguide
• Implement clear engagement models, feedback loops, and service standards
• Ensure marketing drives measurable outcomes across brand health, acquisition, retention, and CX
• Act as a senior escalation point, building strong stakeholder relationships

Marketing and creative excellence

• Ensure delivery of high-quality, insight-led, commercially effective marketing
• Set standards for creative excellence, brand consistency, and integrated campaigns
• Guide senior marketing leaders in translating strategy into impactful execution
• Balance strategic oversight with empowered delivery teams

Digital, data and AI enablement

• Integrate data, automation, and AI into agency operations and outputs
• Build capabilities for measurement, attribution, and performance optimisation
• Enable real-time insights and predictive decision-making
• Align technology investments with commercial outcomes and efficiency gains

Capability building and culture

• Build and lead a high-performing leadership team
• Define structures, roles, and career pathways to support scale
• Foster a culture of accountability, creativity, and continuous improvement
• Attract, develop, and retain top marketing and agency talent

Governance and operational excellence

• Establish robust processes, reporting frameworks, and performance dashboards
• Ensure compliance with data governance, brand standards, and regulations
• Implement best practices in agency operations and delivery management

Measures of success

• A financially sound, scalable agency with clear P and L performance
• High stakeholder satisfaction across all serviced brands
• Demonstrable impact of marketing on revenue, acquisition, and retention
• Improved efficiency, utilisation, and cost-to-output ratios
• Strong adoption of digital, data, and AI capabilities
• A future-ready, high-performing team with strong leadership depth
• Enhanced brand positioning and market impact across the portfolio

Skills, experience and qualifications
Minimum requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, commerce, or related field
• Extensive senior leadership experience within a marketing agency or agency-style environment (internal or external)
• Proven track record with P&L ownership and commercial accountability
• Experience building or scaling teams, operating models, and structures in complex organisations
• Strong background in data-driven marketing, digital channels, and performance marketing
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with commercial, product, technology, and data teams

Advantageous:

• Postgraduate qualification
• Experience leading transformation or building internal agencies

What we’re looking for:

• A commercially driven leader who understands how to run marketing as a business
• A strategic thinker who can translate vision into scalable execution
• A leader who balances creativity with performance and accountability
• Someone who thrives in a fast-paced, multi-brand environment
• A builder of teams, systems, and sustainable growth

Why join us?

Shape and lead a next-generation internal agency Work at the forefront of data, digital, and AI-enabled marketing
Influence group-wide commercial and brand strategy and build a high-impact function with measurable business outcomes

Posted on 23 Sep 13:30, Closing date 22 Oct