Managing Director

Overview

The Managing Director (MD) leads the strategic vision, growth, and creative transformation of Machine, ensuring it remains a future-fit, award-worthy agency. This role is responsible for driving integrated business success across both Cape Town and Johannesburg offices, aligning client ambition with operational excellence, and ensuring the agency delivers best-in-class, end-to-end solutions.

The MD will guide the senior team, cultivate talent, strengthen client relationships, and foster cross-Groupe collaboration - all while ensuring strategic, creative, and commercial outcomes are achieved.

Responsibilities

• Business Development
• Lead and contribute to new business prospecting and pitch management.
• Position Machine as a leading creative agency with specialist content marketing capabilities.
• Drive growth through Groupe collaboration and cross-sell opportunities.
• Shape and evolve the agency’s commercial proposition.
• Lead a modern and profitable national operation across Cape Town and Johannesburg.
• Strategic Client Relationships
• Nurture trusted relationships with senior clients and stakeholders.
• Champion product excellence and creative delivery.
• Ensure delivery against client expectations and agency standards.
• Maintain high client satisfaction and drive organic growth.
• Deeply understand client environments and proactively identify growth opportunities.
• Revenue Growth & Profitability
• Lead workforce planning and resource optimisation.
• Identify and implement operational and commercial best practices.
• Drive efficiencies and economies of scale while maintaining creative excellence.
• Partner with the Financial Director on budgeting and financial performance.
• Monitor margins, manage costs, and align resources with growth targets.
• Talent Leadership
• Attract, retain and develop top-tier creative and strategic talent.
• Embed a culture of high performance, inclusion, and continuous development.
• Support capability building through formal and informal learning programmes.
• Ensure team compliance with Groupe policies, performance management and disciplinary processes.
• Lead and evolve the hybrid client service and project management function.
• Operational Excellence
• Drive workflow efficiency, delivery assurance and standards of excellence.
• Lead integrated resourcing, scoping, and cost management.
• Align internal teams to deliver seamless, multi-channel campaigns.
• Leverage Groupe networks and tools to enable high-impact work.
• Ensure accountability, clarity, and performance across all teams and projects.
  
  

Qualifications

• Postgraduate qualification in business, marketing, or commerce.
• Tertiary qualification relevant to the advertising industry.
• Minimum 10 years’ industry experience, with at least 5 years in senior leadership.
• Proven success across creative, strategic, and operational domains.
• Strong commercial acumen and financial literacy.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
  
  

Qualities & Critical Skills

Leadership

• Respected industry voice; inspires confidence from clients, peers, and teams.
• Demonstrates integrity, resilience, and long-term strategic thinking.
  
  

Change Agent

• Champions innovation and new ways of working.
• Comfortable navigating transformation and complexity.
• Drives organisational adaptability through technical and human-centred leadership.
  
  

Connector & Collaborator

• Builds strong relationships across clients, teams, and Groupe agencies.
• Creates inclusive, high-trust environments.
• Values diverse thinking and fosters collaboration to drive results.
  
  

Communicator

• Transparent, compelling, and empathetic communicator.
• Ensures all voices are heard, respected, and aligned to the vision.
  
  

Additional Information

This job description outlines the core responsibilities of the role but is not exhaustive. Additional tasks aligned to the scope and capabilities of the role may be assigned as needed.