Introduction Metropolitan is one of the oldest financial services brands in South Africa. With a 125-year legacy of serving the communities in which it operates, Metropolitan represents true empowerment in serving Africa's people through affordable financial solutions that create financial growth and security. Metropolitan operates in South Africa, but the brand is also present in 7 African countries including, Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, Ghana and Lesotho. Metropolitan provides financial wellness solutions that meet the needs of low-income clients, including funeral insurance, health, savings, hospital cash-back cover, retirement solutions and life insurance. www.metropolitan.co.za

Disclaimer As an applicant, please verify the legitimacy of this job advert on our company career page.
Role Purpose Develop and deliver integrated communication, engagement campaigns and programmes aimed at building a connection with and amongst internal and external stakeholders. The Integrated Communications Manager will work closely with internal teams, stakeholders, and external partners to enhance our brand presence and ensure consistent messaging across all communication channels.

Requirements

• Degree in Journalism/ Strategic Communications / Public Relations / Social Sciences or equivalent

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• 5-7 years in a strategic communication or end to end brand marketing management role in within the insurance, financial services media houses Strong understanding of various communication platforms

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• 3 years management experience

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• Experiential milestones: Ability to work with a matrix organisation and deliver through & with others

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• Working in a high-volume, fast-paced environment, with multiple stakeholders

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• Proven marketing strategies and campaigns planning & execution

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• Strategic abilities demonstrated

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• Ability to communicating complex information in simple terms. Proficient in a vernacular language (advantageous)

SKILLS

• Excellent skills in writing and editing of copy; articles; press-releases; social media feeds; etc

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• Subject matter Expert: Content creation for internal and external communication platforms

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• Operational Excellence

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• Innovation & Strategic thinking

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• Personal Mastery and Leadership

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• Relationship building and influence

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• Analytical Skills

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• Commercial acumen

Duties & Responsibilities Develop and implement brand management strategies and initiatives:

• Design and execute integrated communication strategies that align with the overall organizational goals and objectives.

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• Drive business growth through innovative digital strategies and effective media investment.

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• Is responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of integrated internal and external communication, reputation management, and change management employee engagement programmes aimed at enhancing the reputation of the business, and building passion and organisational pride among all internal and external stakeholders.

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• Develop engaging content for various platforms, including digital, print, social media, and press releases, ensuring a consistent tone of voice and brand message.

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• Leverage positive reputation through media coverage across owned, earned, paid, and hybrid (influencer) channels in B2C and B2B digital, print and broadcast channels.

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• Partner with key stakeholders to plan, develop and deliver internal communication that help achieve their objectives and engage internal and external stakeholders with message continuity.

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• Apply knowledge and understanding of the business context to ensure credible and effective employee communication and internal reputation positioning.

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• Support the delivery of events, both digital and face to face, including annual employee conference, townhall sessions, roadshows, etc.

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• Co-champion delivery change communication strategy, to help raise awareness of relevant news and business updates and drive desired behaviours and culture change across the business.

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• Provide strategic counsel and support to management team with leadership communication to support implementation of the company strategy.

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• Enhance the visibility of Exco within the organisation through a clear and targeted communication plan for each Exco member/ function.

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• Build the leadership profile and reputation of Exco members and the key leadership team externally through media liaison and industry communication.

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• Craft and place opinion articles to build the reputation of the organisation as a business thought leader in the South African business context and in our industry.

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• Ensure that all marketing communications initiatives adheres to METROPOLITAN branding guidelines, brand narrative and enhance overall brand image.

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• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including marketing, public relations, and product solutions, to ensure alignment on messaging and branding initiatives.

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• Manage the service delivery of external agencies and suppliers.

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• Conduct on-going competitor analysis to ensure brand activities are competitive and innovative.

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• Gather and analyse relevant client and brand information to identify trends and areas of opportunity.

Assess the effectiveness and enhance the impact of the brand:

• Measure the effectiveness of communications using the available channels and tools, recommending.

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• subsequent improvements/ further initiatives to achieve business desired objectives.

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• Track and monitor issues that directly and indirectly impacts our brand reputation and escalate to through the relevant channels.

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• Implement social media listening tools in line with group standards

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• Track and monitor media activity, sentiments, and perceptions of METROPOLITAN and develop appropriate action plans to build and protect the brand and its products.

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• Gather and analyse relevant client and brand information to identify trends and areas of opportunity.

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• Calculate success of brand campaign based Return on Investment (ROI) criteria.

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• Provide detailed and precise reports to illustrate trends, predictions and relevant strategies.

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• Conduct on-going competitor analysis to ensure brand activities are competitive and innovative.

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• Support brand health monitoring initiatives through campaign testing & evaluations and implement actions to improve the health of the brand.

Drive a client centric environment that focuses on best practice service delivery:

• Build and maintain relationships with clients and stakeholders that promote cross delivery practice solutions.

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• Contribute to sustaining a competitive edge through external networking and benchmarking and representation on related forums.

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• Define fair and innovative client service practices which build rewarding relationships, and allows team to provide exceptional client service.

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• Engage with key internal and external stakeholders to identify changing client needs and make

recommendations to align service offering with client needs.

• Manage a client service excellence culture which builds enduring relationships and allows team to provide exceptional client service.

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• Provide authoritative, expertise and advice to clients and stakeholders.

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• Build and maintain relationships with clients and internal and external stakeholders.

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• Participate and contribute to a culture which builds rewarding relationships, facilitates feedback and provides exceptional client service.

Effectively lead team:

• Create a positive work climate and culture to energise employees, give meaning to work, minimise work disruption and maximise employee productivity.

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• Demonstrate exemplary leadership behaviour, through personal involvement, commitment and dedication in support of organisational values.

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• Select and recruit suitably qualified talent in line with Employment Equity principles and METROPOLITAN values.

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• Drive a culture that guides and directs best practice, fostering an environment of continuous learning, improvement and cohesiveness.

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• Enable a learning and growth culture whereby information regarding successes, issues, trends and ideas are actively shared between team members.

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• Execute effective workforce planning practices to ensure that staffing requirements are accurately forecasted.

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• Identify employee growth and development needs and schedule interventions to enable ongoing development, training and personal growth.

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• Effectively manage performance within the team in order to ensure business objectives are achieved.

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• Encourage innovation, change agility and collaboration within the team.