Head: Corporate Communications

takealot.com, South Africa's leading online retailer, is looking for a highly accomplished Head of Corporate Communications  to join our Corporate Affairs team in Cape Town.

We are a young, dynamic, hyper growth company looking for smart, creative, hard-working people with integrity to join us. We offer a market related, Total Remuneration Package which allows full flexibility according to your needs, a great work environment and a promise that you won’t be bored as long as you are prepared for a challenge and want to build something great.

This position reports to the Group Executive: Public Affairs

• Develop and lead the Takealot Group corporate communications and reputation strategy, aligned to business strategy, the Group's South African identity, economic contribution, innovation agenda and social impact.
• Create and maintain a clear messaging architecture, approved proof points and corporate narrative that can be used consistently across Group functions and business units without diluting their distinct customer brands.
• Position the Group credibly on the issues that shape its licence to grow: e-commerce and the digital economy, entrepreneurship and localisation, employment and platform work, logistics innovation, consumer trust and inclusive growth.
• Translate the strategy into a prioritised annual communications plan linked to material reputation risks, policy priorities, business milestones and opportunities for proactive leadership.

• Lead Group-level relationships with business, political, technology, labour, consumer and general news media, building a proactive programme rather than a predominantly reactive press office.
• Advise and prepare the Group CEO and designated executives for interviews, speeches, opinion pieces, panels and other high-value platforms; ensure executive visibility is purposeful and tied to strategic priorities.
• Lead communications for Group results, material corporate announcements, partnerships and strategic milestones in coordination with Finance, Legal, Naspers/Prosus and the relevant business units.
• Set media-response and spokesperson protocols, oversee high-risk media enquiries and ensure the Group and BU teams communicate accurately, consistently and at appropriate speed.

• Maintain an active reputation and issues register linked to Public Policy, Risk, Legal and operational risk processes, identifying emerging narratives before they become material reputation events.
• Develop scenario plans, holding statements, key messages, escalation paths and spokesperson arrangements for priority risks, including driver and labour issues, community tension, consumer or product-safety concerns, regulatory scrutiny, technology incidents and operational disruption.
• Lead the communications response during Group-level crises and coordinate relevant BU, Legal, Risk, Operations, Customer and executive stakeholders around a single verified position and clear decision rights.

• Define and embed the operating model, decision rights and escalation protocols between Group Corporate Communications and the CMOs of takealot.com, Mr D and TFS.
• Convene a regular Group communications forum to align major announcements, emerging issues, executive visibility and narrative priorities while preserving BU ownership of consumer and commercial marketing.
• Retain final accountability for the Group's institutional position and corporate reputation. The relevant CMO retains final accountability for customer brand and commercial execution; major launches, partnerships, incidents and public-interest campaigns are coordinated jointly where the two intersect.
• Maintain a single source of truth for approved corporate facts, messages, policy positions and proof points, with clear approval routes for corporate statements, media responses and reputation-sensitive communications.

• Build a decision-useful reputation intelligence capability covering media, stakeholder sentiment, message penetration, misinformation, emerging issues, competitor narratives and material shifts in the external environment.
• Measure what matters: quality and relevance of coverage, message pull-through, stakeholder understanding and trust, executive credibility, issue preparedness and response effectiveness. Do not rely on advertising-value equivalency or volume alone.
• Build and lead the corporate communications team and agency model, manage approved budgets and develop strong capability in writing, media relations, issues management, research, executive communications and rapid response.
• Use AI-enabled monitoring, research, drafting and scenario preparation to improve speed and coverage while retaining human judgement, source verification, confidentiality, editorial accountability and the required Legal or executive approvals.

• An Honours degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Corporate Affairs, Business, Political Science, Public Policy, Law, Economics or a related field. A relevant master's degree is advantageous.
• At least 12 years experience in corporate communications, reputation management, strategic communications, public affairs or journalism in a complex, high-profile or regulated organisation.
• At least five years at senior leadership level, advising CEOs, executive committees or boards and leading teams, agencies and budgets.
• A strong record across corporate narrative, media relations, executive communications and issues or crisis management, including coordination across brands or business units.
• Experience navigating sensitive policy, regulatory or societal issues, influencing without direct authority and making sound decisions under pressure