Executive Head: Group Marketing and Communication x1
Job Details
Job Title: Executive Head: Group Marketing and Communication
Company: VKB Group
Division: VKB Corporate Services
Business Unit: Group Marketing and Communication
Location: Bloemfontein, Free State
Employment Type: Permanent
Experience Level: Mid-Senior
Industry: Agriculture
Job Functional Area: Marketing
Posted Date: 23 October 2026
Closing Date: 6 November 2026
Salary: Not specified in the advertisement
Job Description
VKB Group is a proudly South African agricultural group that supports farmers and produces food from farm to consumer. The organisation operates across various sectors, including agriculture, food production, manufacturing, retail, logistics, storage and handling, financial services, and national and international markets.
VKB Group is seeking an experienced and strategically minded Executive Head: Group Marketing and Communication to provide leadership and direction to its integrated marketing and communication function.
The successful candidate will be responsible for aligning marketing, brand management, corporate communication, stakeholder engagement and customer experience with the Group’s overall business strategy. The role involves leading senior functional leaders, strengthening the organisation’s reputation, improving customer engagement and ensuring consistent brand positioning across its diverse businesses and brands.
The position requires a commercially minded executive with extensive leadership experience, strong stakeholder-management capabilities and the ability to drive strategic initiatives across a complex organisation.
Key Responsibilities
Develop and implement an integrated Group Marketing and Communication strategy aligned with VKB Group’s business objectives.
Provide strategic leadership across Corporate Marketing, Corporate Communication, Commercial Marketing Services and Client Services.
Align marketing, branding, communication and customer-experience priorities across the Group’s businesses and brands.
Advise senior management on marketing strategy, corporate reputation, stakeholder engagement and communication matters.
Lead brand strategy and governance to strengthen brand equity, market positioning and corporate reputation.
Oversee corporate communication, public relations, media engagement, executive messaging and crisis communication.
Develop stakeholder-engagement strategies for farmers, shareholders, customers, employees, communities, government bodies, industry organisations and business partners.
Provide strategic oversight of Corporate Social Investment (CSI), Agri H2O and Edutrace-related initiatives.
Oversee the Group’s centralised customer-service and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) capabilities.
Drive customer-experience improvements through customer insights, service measurements and CRM information.
Lead employer-branding and internal communication initiatives to improve employee engagement, organisational culture and talent attraction.
Support organisational transformation, business integration and growth through effective communication and stakeholder planning.
Drive digital communication, marketing technology, customer-engagement platforms and marketing analytics.
Monitor market trends, customer needs, competitor activity and industry developments to identify opportunities and risks.
Measure marketing performance and return on investment to support informed decision-making.
Oversee marketing and communication budgets, resource allocation, governance and performance reporting.
Develop leadership capabilities, accountability and succession planning within the marketing and communication function.
Minimum Requirements
Qualifications
A completed Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communication, Public Relations, Journalism, Corporate Communication, Business Management or a directly related field.
A relevant postgraduate qualification, Master’s degree or MBA will be advantageous.
Professional accreditation in marketing, communication, public relations or a related discipline will be advantageous.
Work Experience
At least 12 years of progressively senior experience in marketing, communication, brand management, corporate affairs, corporate social investment, stakeholder engagement or related fields.
A minimum of seven years of senior leadership or equivalent strategic leadership experience.
Proven experience developing and implementing organisation-wide marketing, communication, brand or stakeholder-engagement strategies.
Experience working in a large, diversified, multi-brand or similarly complex organisation.
Demonstrated ability to align marketing and communication activities with business strategy.
Experience in corporate communication, media relations, public relations and reputation management.
Practical experience managing crisis communication and high-impact stakeholder matters.
Experience leading digital transformation, marketing technology, CRM or customer-engagement initiatives.
Demonstrated responsibility for budgets, resource allocation and performance reporting.
Proven experience leading senior functional leaders and multidisciplinary professional teams.
Experience in agriculture, agribusiness, food production, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), manufacturing, retail, logistics, financial services or a related complex industry will be advantageous.
Language Requirements
Professional proficiency in English.
Ability to communicate effectively with Afrikaans-speaking stakeholders.
Ability to participate in executive discussions, farmer engagements, media interviews, presentations and internal communication in both languages.
Key Skills and Competencies
The successful candidate should demonstrate the following:
Strategic leadership and organisational influence.
Commercial awareness and business acumen.
Marketing strategy and brand governance.
Corporate communication and public relations.
Media engagement and reputation management.
Crisis and change communication.
Stakeholder and shareholder relationship management.
Customer-experience strategy and CRM oversight.
Digital marketing and marketing technology.
Marketing analytics and performance measurement.
Budget management and resource allocation.
Negotiation and influencing skills.
Decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
Resilience, adaptability and emotional intelligence.
Collaborative leadership and team development.
Public speaking and executive presentation skills.
Project management and change leadership.
Talent development and succession planning.
Location and Travel Requirements
The position is fully office-based in Bloemfontein, Free State.
The successful candidate must reside in Bloemfontein or be willing to relocate by an agreed date.
Regular in-office collaboration with senior leadership and specialist teams is required.
Frequent national business travel is part of the role.