Executive Manager: Marketing

**Job Purpose**:**_
BECOME PART OF THE NEW SAA RE-START FAMILY_**

Do you want to leave your legacy in the fast phase Aviation Industry and spread your career wings then please join the SAA Commercial Team. Marketing and Customer Experience plays a pivotal role in the broader Commercial team and is a key strategic function for the airline. We are looking for an creative and energetic individual who can direct and revolutionise the Marketing and Customer Experience function showcasing to the World SAA as the Proudly National carrier of South Africa.

The role is responsible in establishing and leading a high performance team to create a world-class brand presence to drive customer awareness, conversion, engagement and loyalty delivering profitable sales, increased market share and high levels of customer satisfaction. The role will formulate and implement the consumer, B2B and partner product and customer experience strategy in support of the commercial objectives, and devise, govern and adapt the strategy to meet evolving customer needs in a fast-changing, competitive and increasingly digital market. The role will lead the digitization of the customer journey

**Principal Accountabilities**:

- Contribute to the design of the commercial strategy and ensure plans are implemented, integrated and measured within areas of responsibility
- Identify opportunities to simplify and differentiate existing customer proposition to add value to customers and generate new revenue or reduce costs for SAA.
- Develop, maintain and adapt an integrated ‘always-on’ customer-centric and benefit-led marketing presence, leveraging digital and low cost/high value/non-traditional marketing activities to maximize brand presence, conversion and loyalty. Leverage influencers across network to extend SAA brand to relevant customer segments
- Develop and execute ‘fast to market’ high-presence campaigns to support the commercial needs of the network throughout the year, leveraging traditional marketing channels as required.
- Optimize digital direct channel customer/user experience to drive customer engagement, up-sell and loyalty, and leverage SEO and SEM to attract new digital direct customers.
- Establish and manage a consistent external communication ‘tone of voice’ to reflect warm, caring, honest, straight-forward and professional.
- Identify and negotiate terms with high-value and mutually beneficial strategic partners.
- Engage internal/external customers to design, implement, monitor and adapt the customer experience from ‘consideration to loyalty’.
- Oversee the research and evaluation of competitor products and changing customer needs to drive cost-effective innovation and differentiation.
- Manage overheads within budget and ensure the Marketing budget is optimized throughout the year.
- Lead and drive talent management, performance management, training and development
- Build the department’s capacity (structure, capability, competence) to enable achievement of objectives, focusing on developing a pipeline of strong talent.

**Qualifications & Experience**:

- A Bachelors degree in Marketing or related at NQF level 7 with 7-10 years Marketing experience of which 5 years is at a leadership level OR 10 - 15 years Marketing experience of which 7 years is at a leadership level
- A marketing qualification will be advantage
- Demonstrated success in digital marketing and product development is essential
- Experience in a large matrix structured organisation with international markets
- Experience in overseeing all marketing, advertising and promotional functions of a large organisation
- Demonstrated success in a customer experience role

**Knowledge and Skills**:

- Brand Management
- Communications
- Marketing best practice tools and methodologies
- Strong digital marketing, UX and CX experience
- Strong analytical background
- Consumer behaviour
- Research methods
- Customer focused product development
- Knowledge of product launch strategies and tactics
- Familiarity with the tools of the trade in marketing including PR, written communication, website development, product packaging, Visual communication software; technological design tools and creative services

**Attributes**:

- Leads with courage
- Leads high performance teams
- Coaches and Mentors
- Leads Transformation and change
- Drives Innovation
- Visionary and Inspirational Leader
- Cultural and Inclusive Leader

**Additional Information**: