Role Purpose<\/p>\n
\tThe Head of Data will serve as the regional champion for Publicis Groupe\u2019s global data, identity, and governance products \u2014 including the Connected ID framework, and Groupe-wide AI and data platforms.
\n\tThis is a hands-on, entrepreneurial individual-contributor role focused on enriching, expanding, and operationalizing global assets within the African context. The role bridges global product teams and local market execution \u2014 ensuring African data partnerships, regulatory realities, and audience behaviors are fully reflected in Groupe systems and activation strategies.<\/p>\n
Responsibilities<\/p>\n
Key Responsibilities<\/p>\n
Regional Data Champion & Integration<\/p>\n
\tAct as the custodian and evangelist for Groupe global data products, ensuring their effective use across South Africa and the continent.
\n\tTranslate global frameworks into local activation roadmaps for planners, strategists, and buyers.
\n\tEnsure interoperability between Epsilon\/Connected ID and local client, DSP, and publisher ecosystems.
\n\tServe as the Africa liaison to global data and AI leadership, providing feedback and market intelligence.<\/p>\n
Data Enrichment & Partnership Expansion<\/p>\n
\tIdentify, evaluate, and integrate local and regional data partners (telcos, retailers, fintechs, publishers, etc.) to enrich the global identity graph.
\n\tApply deterministic and probabilistic models to build layered audience intelligence suitable for activation.
\n\tOversee compliance, data quality, and contractual governance in all partner integrations.
\n\tMaintain metadata, lineage, and cataloging for new data sources to ensure transparency and auditability.<\/p>\n
Audience Profiling, Segmentation & Activation<\/p>\n
\tDevelop audience taxonomies, personas, and segment definitions aligned to global ID and taxonomy standards.
\n\tBuild reusable data products and segment templates for planners and buyers to activate across digital and offline channels.
\n\tCollaborate with Ad Operations and digital teams to ensure precision in tagging, matching, and attribution.
\n\tMeasure segment performance, match rates, and activation ROI, using insights to refine strategy.<\/p>\n
Data Governance, Stewardship & Risk<\/p>\n
\tChampion data ethics, transparency, and fairness in all modeling and activation.
\n\tImplement local stewardship frameworks, defining accountability for data domains and ensuring adherence to Groupe policies.
\n\tLead incident response and escalation for any local data-related risk or breach, coordinating with legal, IT security, and global governance teams.
\n\tEnsure full compliance with POPIA, GDPR, and Groupe data-handling standards.<\/p>\n
Change Management & Adoption<\/p>\n
\tBuild structured adoption roadmaps and training programs to embed data-driven ways of working across media teams.
\n\tTrack and report usage KPIs; run feedback loops to improve adoption and usability.
\n\tCreate case studies demonstrating ROI and efficiency gains from data-driven activation.
\n\tAct as the internal educator and advocate for data literacy among planners, buyers, and clients.<\/p>\n
Measurement, Attribution & Commercial Impact<\/p>\n
\tDevelop frameworks for attribution, incrementality, and test-and-learn experiments to quantify the impact of data-driven targeting.
\n\tPartner with client teams to prove commercial value, helping drive client retention and upsell.
\n\tContribute to pitch narratives and client workshops, translating technical models into simple, outcome-based language.<\/p>\n
Cross-Functional Integration & Engineering Liaison<\/p>\n
\tPartner with engineering, IT, and AdTech teams to ensure API integrations, data pipelines, and schema alignments are optimized for local needs.
\n\tParticipate in architectural decisions that affect scalability, latency, and data accuracy across activation environments.
\n\tDocument and monitor data flow, lineage, and SLAs to maintain reliability and performance.<\/p>\n
Innovation, Research & Future Readiness<\/p>\n
\tStay current on emerging identity, privacy, and AI technologies \u2014 from clean rooms and differential privacy to zero-party and contextual data models.
\n\tPilot new innovations with global teams and local partners; document and share learnings to strengthen Publicis Africa\u2019s leadership position.
\n\tDesign for scalability and future team expansion, mentoring analysts or contractors when growth allows.<\/p>\n
Qualifications<\/p>\n
Skills & Experience<\/p>\n
\t8\u201312 years\u2019 experience in data strategy, audience planning, or analytics, ideally within a media, adtech, or consulting environment.
\n\tStrong grasp of identity resolution, CDPs\/DMPs, segmentation logic, and programmatic activation workflows.
\n\tProven experience operationalizing global data products locally \u2014 including Epsilon, Connected ID, or similar frameworks.
\n\tDeep understanding of African data ecosystems, privacy laws, and data-exchange realities.
\n\tDemonstrated ability to enrich datasets, design segments, and activate them end-to-end.
\n\tExcellent communicator able to simplify technical concepts for business audiences and clients.
\n\tHigh entrepreneurial drive; thrives in ambiguous, build-from-scratch environments.
\n\tFamiliarity with SQL, BI tools (Power BI, Looker Studio), or Python for prototyping and validation is advantageous.<\/p>\n
Additional information<\/p>\n
Success Metrics<\/p>\n
\tGrowth in data-driven planning and buying adoption.
\n\tNumber and quality of local data partnerships and integrations.
\n\tDemonstrated ROI uplift, efficiency gains, and precision improvement from data activation.
\n\tAdoption and usage of Epsilon\/Connected ID tools among teams and clients.
\n\tTraining reach, literacy scores, and case study outputs.
\n\tPositive data compliance audits and zero incident breaches.
\n\tTangible contribution to client growth, retention, and new-business wins.<\/p>\n
Mindset & Culture Fit<\/p>\n
\tOperates like a founder-builder, comfortable with autonomy and experimentation.
\n\tBalances strategic vision with practical delivery.
\n\tNaturally collaborative; navigates global\u2013local dynamics with influence and diplomacy.
\n\tPassionate about data innovation, responsible use, and client value creation.<\/p>\n
go to method of application \u00bb<\/p>\n
Apply via company website ( ) or<\/p>\n
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