Creative Strategist (Paid Ads) - Remote

Company: Pontifex / Denteel Marketing

Location: Remote (South Africa based)

Reports to: the Founder

Engagement: Full-time contractor

Compensation: R65 000 - R85 000 per month, dependent on experience (with performance bonuses)

About the role

Pontifex and Denteel Marketing are scaling fast, and paid ads are a core growth channel - right now concentrated on Meta, with room to expand into YouTube ads and potentially other channels. We're looking for a Creative Strategist whose entire focus is what stops the scroll: developing, testing, and iterating paid ad creative that performs.

This is a distinct discipline from broad content strategy or content direction. You're not planning the Founder's organic content or YouTube long-form - that sits with our Creative Director. Your world is the ad account: what creative concept goes in front of cold traffic next, why, and how you know if it worked.

What you'll do

  • Own paid ad creative strategy end-to-end: concepting, scripting, and briefing ad creative for Meta (with YouTube ads as we expand).
  • Generate a consistent volume of new ad concepts on a weekly cadence, informed by performance data and competitor/outlier research.
  • Analyse ad performance data (thumb-stop ratio, hook rate, hold rate, CTR, CPA) and translate it directly into the next round of creative - what to kill, what to iterate, what to test next.
  • Brief videographers and editors specifically on ad creative - hooks, structure, pacing - distinct from organic content briefs.
  • Direct the media buyer on ad structure and strategy - you're not just working alongside them, you're instructing what they upload and test in the ads account, then managing that execution. 
  • Track and report on ad creative performance in a structured way, building the feedback loop between what's spent and what's made.
  • Stay on top of what's working across the paid ads landscape more broadly - competitor ad libraries, industry trends - to keep the concept pipeline fresh.
  • Strong copywriting ability for the actual messaging of the ad, plus the copy that runs alongside it. You test angles by writing them, which means the quality of the copywriting is core to the role.

What we're looking for

  • Demonstrated experience specifically in paid ad creative - not just organic content strategy. You should be comfortable explaining the difference and have concrete examples of ad creative you've ideated and produced.
  • A strong intuitive sense for what stops the scroll and converts on Meta (and ideally YouTube ads and potentially other channels).
  • Ability to work from data, not just instinct - comfortable measuring the hook rate, hold rate, frequency, cost per lead, cost per conversion etc. and using that to prioritise the next batch of concepts.
  • Real familiarity with the Meta ads account is essential. You should be able to sit inside it and read what the creative is actually doing, rather than waiting for a media buyer to interpret it for you. Understanding what the numbers say about the creative is part of the role itself, not something passed to the media buyer.
  • A portfolio of paid ad creative you've strategized - organic-only portfolios are not a fit for this role.
  • Experience working alongside or within a paid ads/media buying function (media buyers, growth strategists) is strongly preferred.
  • Comfortable briefing videographers and editors specifically for ad performance, not general brand content.
  • High output - able to consistently generate net new concepts rather than one-off campaigns.
  • Able to work remotely with a founder who isn't always in one time zone.
  • Strong communicator, highly organised, and comfortable owning a testing pipeline rather than just executing briefs handed to you.
  • Strong copywriting ability, specifically direct-response copy for ads (hooks, headlines, VSL-style scripts). This is core to the role, not a nice-to-have, since new creative angles are tested through copy and messaging as much as visuals. 

What success looks like

By 3 months:

  • You've embedded into the ad account and understand current performance, audiences, and what's already been tested.
  • A consistent pipeline of new ad concepts is running weekly, briefed clearly to editors/videographers.
  • All relevant ad creative metrics are being tracked and reported on, and the ad account is visibly improving.

By 6 months:

  • You're independently identifying what's working in ad creative and adjusting the concept pipeline without needing direction.
  • Measurable improvement in ad creative performance metrics compared to the 3-month baseline.
  • You've established a clear point of view on paid creative strategy that the team trusts and defers to.

By 12 months:

  • Paid ad creative strategy runs as a fully owned function, directly tied to ad account performance.
  • You've expanded creative testing into additional channels (TikTok/YouTube ads) as the ad spend grows.
  • You're a trusted strategic partner on the growth side of the business, operating with a high degree of autonomy.

To apply:

Please submit your Portfolio & work samples on the following Google form link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrmYxSubOJz5hUMmHCwD5OK-JpXXUwv2Jg_QCeDtbvGNa1QQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=108244692025974227567
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