[Hiring] Off-Page SEO Manager @Black & White Zebra

Role Description

BWZ is looking for an Off-Page SEO Manager to build our link-acquisition engine from the ground up. We're investing in a more diversified, sustainable authority acquisition strategy. You'll manage existing vendor relationships while building and scaling off-page link acquisition initiatives. Reporting to our Senior SEO Manager, you'll partner closely with our Content team to turn our tools and resources into genuine linkable assets.

Who you are:

• You're a self-starter who's comfortable operating with more ambiguity than structure.
• You understand what separates a good link from a bad one.
• You're not precious about starting with unglamorous, manual work (vendor management, reclamation, cold outreach).
• You think in terms of repeatable processes, not one-off wins.

What you'll be doing (responsibilities):

• Own the end-to-end vendor relationship lifecycle, including sourcing, negotiation, quality review, performance tracking, and ongoing optimization.
• Build and scale BWZ's earned and owned link acquisition capabilities — including reclamation, partner and reciprocal link-swap relationships, and outreach tied to linkable assets.
• Partner with our Content team to turn calculators, templates, and resource pages into outreach-ready linkable assets — owning the recipient lists, outreach, embed tracking, and reporting for each campaign.
• Evaluate external link partnership platforms and provide recommendations on long-term partnership strategy.
• Track and report clear numbers monthly: total links acquired, cost per link, and the shifting split between sources.
• Grow the contribution of earned and owned acquisition channels over time.

How your success will be measured:

• New Quality Links Acquired: Total new links per month meeting our quality bar across all channels — reclamation, partner swaps, data outreach, and linkable-asset/badge campaigns.
• Channel scale & diversity: Growth in the number of durable, repeatable acquisition channels producing quality links.
• Acquisition efficiency: Blended cost and effort per quality link trending down over time as owned and earned channels scale and mature.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on experience in link building, link acquisition, or a closely related SEO discipline.
• Strong relationship-building instincts — comfortable initiating and nurturing recurring partnerships with external stakeholders (editors, SEO managers, site owners, agencies).
• Working understanding of what makes a link valuable (relevance, authority, placement) versus low-quality or risky.
• Comfort with outreach and SEO research tooling (e.g., Pitchbox, Ahrefs/SEMrush, email outreach platforms).
• A self-directed, experimental approach — able to propose an idea, test it, and iterate without heavy oversight.
• Strong organization and reporting instincts — you naturally track what's working, what isn't, and why.

Nice to haves

• Experience specifically with vendor/paid-link program management.
• Familiarity with link-swap or marketplace platforms.
• Experience building or promoting "linkable assets" (calculators, tools, badge/award campaigns) as a growth channel.
• Background in B2B media, SaaS, or content-driven organizations.

Requirements

• $80,000 - $100,000 a year.

Salary Statement

This full-time position is available as either a remote or hybrid position (depending on location), with an annual salary in the range of $80,000 to $100,000 CAD. The range is a guide for the expected skills, knowledge, and experience for new hires based in Canada only. Seniority level and salary ranges are determined through interviews and a review of education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities of the applicant, equity with other team members, and alignment with market data. This means ranges will vary for candidates based outside of Canada and/or at different seniority levels. In addition to annual salary, full-time employees are also eligible for a discretionary bonus and a comprehensive benefits package.

Company Description

We’re a rapidly growing, independent media tech company headquartered in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Since 2012, our portfolio of influential digital publications has been helping millions of people succeed at work.

• Our brands cover thought leadership for executives in project management, people management, product management, tech, marketing, and many others.
• We got our start in 2011 as The Digital Project Manager blog, founded by our CEO Ben Aston.
• We’ve grown into an international team of 70+ creators, strategists, and innovators with a portfolio of more than 15 online publications.
• We enjoy an impact-driven environment that combines the agility of a startup with the creativity of an agency and the diversity of a global company.
• We’ve previously ranked #30 in The Globe and Mail’s Fastest Growing Company list as well as Deloitte's Fast 50 program.
• We’re listed in both Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers, and Best Employers in BC!