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

Your responsibilities will include

Corporate narrative and reputation strategy

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.

Media relations, executive communications and thought 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.

Issues, crisis and reputation risk

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.

Public policy, stakeholder and social impact communications

Work with Public Policy and Stakeholder Relations to translate complex policy positions into clear public narratives without pre-empting the accountable advocacy or negotiating mandate.
Build communications strategies around priority issues such as the future of platform work and the Third Way, fair e-commerce competition and customs/VAT parity, consumer protection, localisation, driver ecosystem sustainability and digital economic inclusion.
Lead the narrative for the Takealot Township Economy Initiative (TTEI) and broader social impact agenda, connecting driver development, marketplace SMEs, township and rural inclusion, franchisee development and skills programmes to measurable economic contribution.
Partner with Social Impact, Sustainability, Finance and programme owners to ensure public claims are evidence-based, balanced and auditable; turn verified data and human stories into credible stakeholder and media content without overclaiming.