Associate Search Strategy Director

Agency:

Critical Mass

Job Function:

Strategy and Planning

Job Subfunction:

Account Planning and Brand Planning

Job Description:

In this role, you’ll lead a high-performing team of SEO and SEM marketers in driving best-in-class search strategies for some of the world’s biggest brands.

As Associate Search Strategy Director, you know how to unlock the stories found in data and translate those stories into opportunities to meet customers wherever they’re searching across the evolving digital landscape. You’ll use search insights to craft data-driven strategies that demonstrate a deep understanding of our clients’ businesses, objectives, and customers. You’ll also develop strategic search roadmaps and processes to drive measurable results through content strategy, user experience, and a strong technical foundation.

You’ll play a critical role in shaping our search services and capabilities, building a high-performance team, and helping our clients achieve top-tier performance.

• Own the creation, definition, execution, and optimization of integrated SEO/SEM strategies
• Represent the Search practice within the agency, serving as a strategic thought leader, entrepreneur, advocate, and educator
• Hire, manage, and grow a high-performing team of search strategists
• Serve as an integral part of the account leadership team, making recommendations on strategy and approach to drive innovation and performance
• Use search data (in conjunction with other research sources) to understand user intent, drive content strategies, and identify business opportunities for clients
• Pitch and implement new search projects and service offerings
• Define success metrics and translate SEO/SEM results to business objectives
• Align paid and organic search strategies to reduce costs while maximizing key business activities
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to incorporate SEO & SEM strategies and best practices
• Deliver actionable insights and strategic recommendations to clients through insightful, visually compelling reports
• Optimize social search channels (e.g. You Tube, Tik Tok, Reddit, etc.) to maximize brand and content visibility across the digital landscape
• Conduct regular SEO/SEM audits and competitive analyses
• Develop and implement AI Search Optimization/GEO strategies
• Effectively convey SEO/SEM concepts and success stories in a concise and easy-to-understand manner
• Develop frameworks and processes to systematically track and improve search performance
• Advise on technical website development to maximize search indexability and visibility, including JavaScript SEO and accessibility considerations for both users and LLM crawlers
• Define search-driven guidelines and requirements for page content, copy, page speed, accessibility, indexability, structured markup, site architecture, URL structure, page titles, meta descriptions, headings, anchor text, internal linking, site maps, etc.
• Monitor, analyze, and report on search results and performance to both internal and external stakeholders
• Keep current with the latest digital trends and changes in the search marketing landscape, identifying new opportunities for clients (e.g. AI search, ML-driven automation, visual search, voice search, social search, etc.)

• 7+ years of search experience
• Experience leading both paid and organic search strategies, and the integration of both
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with an emphasis on crafting compelling visual stories in slide format
• Experience leading and managing a team of search specialists
• Proven track record of developing and implementing search strategies that successfully drove performance and conversion growth
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to drive progress and manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Experience defining and documenting cross-disciplinary internal processes to improve search implementation and best practices
• Experience managing SEM campaigns with large budgets (>$100,000)
• Deep understanding of search engine algorithms, ranking factors, SEO best practices, and technical SEO
• Proficiency in third-party SEO/SEM tools, such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, etc.
• Proficien…