Freelance Intelligence Director

About this role

<div class="content-intro"><p>Ogilvy Social Lab, part of WPP, is setting global benchmarks in digital marketing and is driven by offering our expertise to both local and international clients through a multi-market footprint.</p> <p>We have enabled 'borderless ways of working', operating as connected teams and providing Creative, Content, Media and Intelligence capabilities to Ogilvy agencies and clients in more than 20 countries.</p> <p>Join our globally connected team and work on challenging projects that transcend borders. Embrace a career that takes you to new horizons and make a global impact!</p> <p><strong>About WPP</strong></p> <p>WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite&nbsp;cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel&nbsp;in a single company –&nbsp;powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open,&nbsp;to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit&nbsp;<u><a href="http://wpp.com/" data-outlook-id="7f087527-f491-4cb6-a79d-3b4a67d1ec89">WPP.com</a></u>.</p></div><p>We are looking for a:<br><strong>Intelligence Director </strong></p> <p><strong>Summary of the role:</strong></p> <p>Lead a team to deliver high-quality Data, Insights and Analytics to our clients to understand current performance, wider trends and impact. Ensure that the team is delivering insight and intelligence to augment strategic, media and creative approaches and provide services that meet our clients' current and future needs. Think holistically about the client’s needs and how data can be harnessed across the organisation to deliver better insights and outcomes.</p> <p>The role will also require you to collaborate, partner and connect the Media, Content and Strategy teams – leveraging our advanced technologies and tools as well as introducing new analytical skills to create actionable insights that improve our strategic outputs.</p> <p>Consult across all data &amp; intelligence deliverables and own intelligence delivery towards other Ogilvy &amp; WPP agencies (new business support / strategic insights).</p> <p><strong>Day to day </strong></p> <ul> <li>Lead one of the teams in our Intelligence business unit and ensure our related products keep evolving through innovation</li> <li>Lead the team to deliver a high-quality service to local and international clients. Enable them to meet professional development objectives.</li> <li>Establish strategic relationships with in-market and clients to share data and intelligence and work together to achieve shared strategic objectives</li> <li>Increase our local and international footprint through new business development, reputation and thought leadership. Scale the team to meet the global demand for our intelligence services,</li> <li>Manage incoming demand to the Intelligence team, prioritising and assessing requests based on priority, capacity and the suitability of the request for the team.</li> <li>Drive the development of analytical capability across the team, proactively sharing knowledge and building networks.</li> <li>Ability to step in and analyse social and digital media data through a set of tools (Synthesio, Rival IQ, GWI, SEMRush, Statista, Social Lab Proprietary Tools, etc.) based on briefing</li> <li>Support planners in developing data-validated strategies bringing data richness to what consumers are ‘saying’, ‘sharing’ and ‘searching’ online.</li> <li>Create new, commercially viable data products.</li> <li>Collaborate with WPP and external data providers</li> <li>Design insightful reports and audits with strategic recommendations</li> <li>Client facing for the presentation of intelligence work</li> <li>Be the owner of the intelligence technology stack</li> </ul> <p><strong>Your track record shows &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong></p> <ul> <li>Min 8 years’ experience in data Analytics, Insights and Strategy</li> <li>Minimum three years managing a team</li> <li>An understanding of the diverse range of analytical possibilities available on the digital platforms to help design and build a data service that we can leverage for both new business and existing clients.</li> <li>Experience in Social Listening / Data and Analytics / Data visualisation / Consumer research / Digital Strategy</li> </ul> <p><strong>You are great at</strong></p> <ul> <li>Team Management</li> <li>Well-versed in modern digital strategy. You can develop strategic recommendations based on data surfaced through analytic tools&nbsp;and market research.</li> <li>Comfortable using social and digital monitoring technologies (social listening)</li> <li>Experience using data tools such as Synthesio, Brandwatch, Meltwater, GWI, Rival IQ, SEMRush etc</li> </ul> <p><strong>&nbsp;</strong><strong>Key responsibilities&nbsp;</strong></p> <ul> <li>New business development (size of the intel unit)</li> <li>Reputation in the network (&amp; beyond)</li> <li>New products developed and sold to clients and partners</li> <li>Staff retention and engagement</li> </ul> <p><strong>Operations:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Main point of contact with Client Servicing</li> <li>Resourcing management / Traffic <ul> <li>Assigning the right resources &amp; skillsets to incoming projects</li> <li>Monitoring capacity</li> </ul> </li> <li>Building scope of work based on clients’ and partners’ briefings <ul> <li>Interrogating briefs</li> <li>Guiding clients through our different services, tools and outputs.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Monitoring strategy &amp; intelligence income and profitability.</li> <li>Developing and maintaining ongoing collaboration with third-party tech vendors &amp; exploring new tools.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Consulting:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Co-creating &amp; leading the implementation of upskilling &amp; coaching programs for the intelligence staff.</li> <li>Creating updated service offerings to the Ogilvy network and to our end clients.</li> <li>Packaging new intelligence products and participating in marketing and new business development.</li> </ul> <p><strong>About you</strong></p> <ul> <li>Comfortable in growing senior client relationships and business.</li> <li>Flexible and open to work in an agile and fast-paced environment</li> <li>Self-reliant and accountable – you should be able to take strategic control of all accounts within your portfolio.</li> <li>Skilful project management</li> <li>Exceptional team player with the confidence and integrity to earn client and internal team confidence quickly</li> <li>Proven ability to work under the pressures of an agency environment with fast-paced objectives and multiple clients and internal asks</li> </ul> <p><strong>We offer</strong></p> <ul> <li>Full-time job within a growing and trendsetting agency</li> <li>Global client portfolio</li> <li>Attractive package and benefits</li> <li>Continuous trainings. Career conversation and growing opportunities</li> <li>Hybrid model of 3:2.</li> </ul>

LOCATION

Cape Town, Western Cape

WORK MODE

Hybrid

JOB TYPE

Not specified

POSTED

Sep 29, 2026

Source: Ogilvy Social.Lab South Africa Careers