Head of Marketing

About us:

Luno is the crypto investment app you can rely on, enabling you to buy, store and explore crypto securely. We’re committed to putting the power of cryptocurrency in everyone's hands sensibly and responsibly.

Since 2013, we’ve helped millions of people around the world invest safely in crypto. We do this by cutting through the hype and supporting customers at every step of the way. All products and cryptocurrencies on our platform must first meet stringent legal, risk and technical security standards. 

Transparency is key for us. Luno stores all crypto on a 1:1 basis and we have rigorous processes in place so you can be confident your investment is secure. We’re available in more than 40 countries around the world and we work closely with respective regulators in all of these markets to be fully compliant, as we believe this is the best way to help everyone, everywhere, invest safely.

The role in a nutshell:

Your core mission (The “Why)

South Africa is Luno’s most established market and the commercial anchor of the Africa region. Nigeria is the highest-potential emerging market on the continent. This role exists to hold both, with the sophistication to protect and grow ZA while building the infrastructure to unlock NG at scale. The Head of Marketing, ZA/NG is the most senior marketing presence in the region, owning strategy, budget, team performance, and market outcomes end to end. This is not a coordination role. It is an ownership role.

• You set and own the marketing strategy for South Africa and Nigeria, translating Luno’s global priorities into plans that reflect local market realities, competitive dynamics, and customer behaviour in each country.
• You directly manage a team of embedded specialists across CRM, performance marketing, and ATL/brand, with dotted-line accountability to central functions for execution quality and standards.
• You own and manage the regional marketing budget, making allocation decisions across channels, campaigns, events, and partnerships with clear commercial justification.
• You report directly to the VP of Marketing and are the primary voice of the Africa region in global marketing planning cycles.

Your mission will be:

Core pillars of ownership and impact (The “What”)

• Regional Marketing Strategy. Own and author the annual and quarterly marketing strategy for ZA and NG. For South Africa, this means defending and growing Luno’s leadership position in a competitive, FSCA-regulated market. For Nigeria, this means building brand presence and performance infrastructure in a high-volatility, high-opportunity environment. The strategy must be grounded in data, commercially justified, and defensible to the VP of Marketing and global leadership.
• Team Leadership & People Management. Directly manage the embedded regional team, which spans Creative, CRM, performance marketing, and ATL functions (events, PR, sponsorships, sales activation). Set clear performance expectations, run regular team reviews, and develop team members against their growth frameworks. Manage upward and across the central marketing organisation to ensure embedded specialists receive the functional support and standards they need.
• Budget Ownership & Commercial Accountability. Own the regional marketing budget for ZA and NG. Plan, allocate, and track spend across paid media, ATL, events, sponsorships, PR, and agency partnerships. Present budget performance and recommendations to the VP of Marketing on a regular cycle. Make and defend trade-off decisions when priorities shift or markets change.
• Full-Funnel Marketing Execution. Direct the end-to-end marketing execution for both markets across all functions: performance marketing (paid acquisition, ROAS, channel mix), CRM (lifecycle campaigns, retention, reactivation), and ATL (OOH, events, PR, sponsorships, sales activation). Ensure channel activities are joined up, on-brand, and tracked against clear KPIs. This role does not execute in every channel but is accountable for the quality and coherence of output across all of them.
• Market Intelligence & Stakeholder Representation. Be the authoritative internal voice on the South African and Nigerian markets. Bring competitor intelligence, regulatory developments, and customer behaviour insights into global marketing planning. Represent the region in cross-functional forums, product launches, and leadership reviews, ensuring that market context shapes decisions made centrally.

A little about you:

- Qualifications:

• Degree in Marketing, Business, or related field (advantageous; track record takes precedence)
• Postgraduate or MBA advantageous

- Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of marketing experience, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role with direct people management and budget accountability (required)
• Demonstrated experience owning full-funnel marketing across performance, CRM, and brand/ATL channels, not specialist depth in one (required)
• Deep working knowledge of the South African market: consumer behaviour, competitive landscape, regulatory environment (FSCA/CASP), and media landscape (required)
• Meaningful exposure to or experience in the Nigerian market, including media dynamics, payment behaviour, and regulatory context (required; deep expertise advantageous)
• Experience in fintech, crypto, or a regulated financial services environment (required)
• Proven track record managing marketing budgets with clear ROI accountability, including ATL spend, agency partnerships, and events (required)
• Active personal engagement with crypto markets (advantageous)

- Most Critical Competency Requirements 

- Strategic Leadership

• Sets a clear, credible strategy for two structurally different markets and holds themselves accountable to it. Distinguishes between defending a mature market and building an emerging one, and makes resource allocation decisions accordingly. Does not default to activity when clarity is what is needed.

- People Leadership

• Manages a team of specialists across different disciplines without micromanaging execution. Creates clarity on priorities, gives useful feedback, and develops people against their growth frameworks. Navigates the complexity of embedded roles with dotted-line central accountability without creating confusion about who owns what.

- Commercial Rigour

• Makes budget decisions with commercial intent, not habit. Tracks spend against outcomes, not activity. Surfaces problems with budget performance before they become crises. Understands unit economics well enough to have a view on channel ROI and where incremental spend is and is not warranted.

- Market Credibility

• Has genuine knowledge of the South African market that earns respect internally and externally. Can speak credibly about Nigerian market dynamics without overstating familiarity. Builds and manages relationships with media partners, agencies, and local stakeholders with appropriate seniority.

- Cross-functional influence

• Operates effectively across a matrixed organisation. Builds productive working relationships with central marketing functions (Performance, CRM, PMM, Design, Content) without creating dependency or duplication. Represents the region with authority in global planning forums and gets decisions made, not just heard.

Life at Luno:

• Remote but reachable work policy gives you the freedom to choose between working from home or the office.
• Plus the option to buy and sell up to 5 days leave
• Improve body and mind, with excellent private medical insurance
• Access to Learnably and our additional learning platforms for your personal and professional development
• 6 months primary care-giver leave
• Paw-ternity leave for your furry friend
• Annual Inspiration Day in addition to your annual leave which increases based on your length of service! 
• A collaborative, friendly work community, with regular social events and virtual cooking, dancing, drawing and house planting classes hosted by our Lunauts
• Free lunch and snacks
• 0 fees up to a certain amount with Luno from the day you start.*

*Offer only available on Luno Instant Buy, not Luno Exchange.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

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