[Hiring] Associate Director, SEO @DEPT®

Role Description

The Associate Director, SEO, is a strategic leader responsible for steering organic growth for high-complexity, high-value accounts. You move beyond day-to-day execution to act as a senior consultant, bridging the gap between technical SEO and the broader media landscape. You are an expert at identifying how organic search can integrate with Paid Search, Content, and PR to create a "Total Search" advantage. As a leader within the craft, you are responsible for maintaining senior client relationships and ensuring our SEO strategies are driving tangible business results.

Key responsibilities include:

• Direct long-term SEO and GEO strategies for enterprise accounts, ensuring visibility across traditional SERPs and AI-driven surfaces (LLMs, AI Overviews, etc.).
• Lead the integration of SEO with other media disciplines (Paid Search, Social, PR) to maximize visibility and drive a cohesive "Total Search" strategy.
• Serve as a senior strategic advisor to clients, presenting complex data-driven roadmaps and identifying "Growth Invention" opportunities that expand their digital footprint.
• Architect comprehensive authority-building programs, overseeing the integration of strategic outreach and digital PR tactics to drive domain equity and brand trust.
• Provide high-level oversight and technical expertise on site migrations, headless architecture, and advanced schema implementations.
• Drive agency growth by contributing to the scoping, strategy, and presentation of SEO/GEO for new business pitches and existing account expansions.
• Identify and lead organic growth opportunities within existing client relationships, contributing to the agency’s revenue targets through proactive account expansion.
• Serve as a senior strategic advisor to clients, presenting data-driven roadmaps that prove the ROI of organic search to C-suite stakeholders.
• Stay at the forefront of search innovation, including AI-driven search (SGE), voice search, and advanced data visualization for SEO.
• Directly manage and mentor a team of Managers and Associates, fostering a culture of high performance, technical excellence, and career progression.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of SEO experience, with a proven track record of leading strategy for large-scale or enterprise-level clients.
• Proven experience in people management (3+ years preferred), with a passion for developing talent and building high-performing teams.
• Strong expertise in Technical SEO—able to "speak geek" fluently and navigate complex technical environments (JS rendering, API-driven SEO, advanced crawling, migrations, headless CMS, etc.).
• A deep understanding of the evolving AI search landscape and a clear vision for how GEO integrates into a modern organic strategy.
• Experience in business development, including a talent for scoping projects and a high "win rate" in lead-room pitch environments.
• Advanced understanding of the "Total Search" philosophy—how Paid and Organic search work better together.
• High-level proficiency in SEO enterprise tools (Botify, BrightEdge, Screaming Frog) and data visualization platforms (Looker Studio, PowerBI).
• A "better together" attitude, with the leadership presence to influence cross-functional internal teams and senior-level client stakeholders.
• Preferred experience with holistic search strategies that bring synergy between both Paid and Organic channels.

Benefits

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401k plan, plus matching
• PTO
• Paid Company Holidays
• Parental Leave

Company Description

DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Coach, eBay, and OpenAI.