Director, Content, NEF

Job Description: Director Content Lead - Africa Operating Unit

Reports to: NE Franchise IMX Lead - Africa OU
Location: In market within assigned Franchise (Country bound), Nigeria/Egypt

Role Purpose

The Africa Operating Unit (AOU) Marketing organization is undergoing a transformation to accelerate balanced, sustainable growth through consumer intimacy, cultural relevance, precision marketing, and best in class execution. This transformation requires worldclass content that resonates deeply with African consumers, shoppers, and customers-grounded in culture, creativity, and data.

The Content Lead plays a mission critical role in bringing this ambition to life. This role leads the development, localization, and deployment of culturally relevant, insight driven, and market ready marketing content across the Franchise. Operating within a tightly integrated OU-Market model, this leader ensures that all work aligns with global/OU platforms while reflecting local nuances, cultural tension points, and emerging consumer trends.

This role is a key enabler of high-quality, highspeed, ROI driven marketing execution across the Franchise.

Focus, Scope & Impact

1. Content Leadership & Development

• Develop, adapt, and deploy high-quality content that is culturally rooted and deeply relevant to the Franchise's consumer and shopper landscapes.

• Serve as the custodian of creative excellence-ensuring consistency in tone, messaging, and visual identity across all Franchise work.

• Translate local insights, cultural signals, and social conversations into compelling creative ideas and assets.

• Work with IMX and Category teams to shape and land 'One Briefs' that drive powerful, integrated creative work.

• Partner seamlessly with:

• OU Category Leads

• OU IMX (Integrated Marketing Experience)

• Local Media Leads

• Frontline & Brand Strategy Leads

• Franchise Marketing and Commercial teams

• Co lead the localization of global/OU platforms and ensure local content reflects cultural reality and brand ambition.

• Participate in OU wide initiatives to scale and uplift best practices in content development and deployment.

• Lead and manage the Franchise's network of creative, digital, production, and content agencies.

• Manage full funnel production models, including:

• Oversee end-to-end production (online & offline), ensuring speed, quality, and cost-effectiveness.

• Drive adoption of AI enabled production, modular content creation, and new age content models to improve agility and ROI.

• Develop content briefs and creative territories that connect seamlessly with Franchise EPICs (Experiential, Influencer, Partnerships, Social & Digital).

• Ensure campaigns are optimized for local media, influencer, and digital ecosystems.

• Work with connections/EPICs teams to maximize reach, engagement, cultural relevance, and campaign amplification.

• Partner with Insights to uncover 'killer insights' that unlock brand and category growth.

• Use creative testing and performance analytics to guide continuous content improvement.

• Ensure global/OU campaigns are adapted authentically for cultural fit and market relevance across the Franchise.

• Own and manage all production & deployment (P&D) budgets for assigned Franchise markets.

• Ensure rigorous financial stewardship, cost management, transparency, and ROI optimization.

• Lead prioritization frameworks to maximize impact with available resources.

• 10+ years of experience in content development, creative leadership, cultural storytelling, or agency management-preferably within Africa or multicultural emerging markets.

• Strong track record leading multicounty marketing workstreams with demonstrated excellence in timelines, budgets, and stakeholder management.

• Experience working with creative agencies, digital ecosystems, production teams, and content hubs.

• Bonus experience in:

• Media

• Brand strategy

• Digital marketing

• Asset management systems

• Deep mastery of local culture, language(s), social trends, and consumer behaviour in the Franchise market.

• Demonstrated ability to work in complex, matrixed organizations.

• Growth Mindset: Curious, experimental, embraces new technology and cultural shifts.

• Dream Big + Deliver: Ambitious thinker who maintains high performance standards despite complexity.

• Enterprise Mindset: Acts in the best interest of the whole franchise and OU.

• Servant Leadership: Empowers teams, fosters inclusion, uplifts diverse voices, and champions cultural authenticity.

• Exceptional ability to influence and collaborate within a highly networked system.

• Strong executive presence with the ability to align cross functional senior stakeholders.

• Ability to simplify complexity and transform insights, trends, and system needs into actionable content strategies.

• Inspires others through creativity, storytelling, and deep cultural empathy.

• Talent must be located within the specific Franchise market and demonstrate deep cultural fluency.

• Mastery of the local consumer, media landscape, cultural codes, and creative ecosystem is essential.

• Ability to travel within the Franchise and occasionally across the AOU.