Associate Discoverability Director, SEO & GEO

Title: Associate Discoverability Director, SEO & GEO Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States; Kansas City, Missouri, United States; Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States; Rogers, Arkansas, United States

Job Summary:

The Associate Discoverability Director, SEO & GEO is a dedicated VML Discoverability consultant deployed to support strategic client engagements. Acting as a trusted advisor, this person delivers strategic guidance across organic search, technical SEO, content discoverability and AI-search readiness (Generative Engine Optimization). They lead planning sessions, workshops and roadmap development with clients, and partner closely with stakeholders to match search expertise to client needs.

The role is advisory. The consultant diagnoses, recommends and guides; client teams own implementation. Success means clients leave each engagement with a clear, prioritized SEO and GEO program they can operationalize.

Key Responsibilities:

Individual

• Supervise execution of standard Organic Search recommendations for improving Organic Search on websites in various stages of development, keyword research utilizing leading industry tools, analyze and optimize on-page Organic Search signals like titles, descriptions, copy, images, internal links, comprehensive site audits and competitive analyses, Organic Search recommendations for non-website digital assets like video Connections, social media profiles, local listings, vertical directories and others
• Supervise documentation of client history, processes, contact information, major initiatives, past recommendations and projects, and site changes
• Reviewing and providing feedback on direct reports' monthly organic search performance reports, decks, strategies and other deliverables
• Effective and persuasive presentations (verbal and written) for teams and clients
• Help enterprise clients expand their knowledge and use of search engine optimization and drive internal client adoption
• Attend meetings with other company functions necessary to perform duties and organizational development
• Stay current on the constantly changing search and technology industry
• Participate in new business pitches, RFPs, RFIs, scoping and new or expanded SOWs
• Identify opportunities, set goals, develop strategic plans, and outline tactical approach to executing plans. Motivate direct reports to achieve exceptional results for clients, as well as drive team goal forward to achieve ambitious internal goals.
• Leads day-to-day organic search stewardship for all assigned accounts
• Integral role of search strategy planning for tactical execution and measurement
• Collaborates across departments to present proposals, strategies and results to client; collaborates across departments to ensure appropriate inclusion at the correct times in the process for client work
• Owns day-to-day client communication, addressing issues and ensuring deadlines and quality standards are met.
• Staying current on rapidly changing industry standards and pushing clients to implement their best search work
• Navigating multiple dependencies on technology, content creators and other Connections in order for search work to be effective
• Leverage automation tools to find efficiencies in the work that is completed
• Reviews client-facing decks, performance reports and search strategies
• Identify opportunities, set goals, develop strategic plans, and outline tactical approach to executing plans
• Proficient in all Organic Search tools and platforms department utilizes
• Escalates key issues as necessary to Director
• Champions advancement initiatives and facilitates positive change management
• Ambassadorship to departments that fuel Organic Search team growth, like Innovation Team and Content Systems department
• Ambassador and advocate for the agency and the Organic Search practice within the agency, as well as the advertising and search communities
• Producing thought leadership pieces like POVs and industry news round-ups
• Developing case studies based on past work for new business initiatives and to validate client relationships
• Embodies and supports department vision, including helping coordinate internal team and agency initiatives to achieve practice goals
• Vendor proposals, management and relationships
• Awards and recognition application processes

Management

• Guide Connection Managers, Senior Connection Managers and Connection Supervisor on effective search strategy development and execution, provide feedback to improve work and deliver optimal solutions for clients
• Checks junior team members' work to ensure that VML Organic Search delivers cutting edge, high-quality search work that is of consistently high caliber and customization to each client's needs
• Supervise account strategy for Connection Managers to highest quality strategy, tactical execution and deliverable presentation to clients.
• Role model and mentor to junior staff members, including positive and critical performance feedback, and professional development goals
• Contributes to interviewing and hiring process of new junior team members
• Train junior staff on processes, team policy and job expectations

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree minimum, in Marketing, Advertising, Journalism, Business, Technology, English, Linguistics/Language, Communications, Digital/Web/Interactive, Psychology or a related field
• Years of experience: 8 to 10 in SEO, with significant client-facing advisory experience
• Hard skills: Expert SEO including technical SEO; working knowledge of GEO and AI-search visibility; advanced proficiency in Semrush, with familiarity across other organic search tools (Moz, BrightEdge, SearchMetrics and similar); advanced web analytics and Search Console analysis; basic HTML and structured data literacy; AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity; workshop facilitation; public speaking and presentations; roadmap development; Excel; Keynote or PowerPoint; research; time tracking and hours forecasting; basic project management
• Soft skills: Consultation skills, executive presence, stakeholder management across multiple parties (client, partner and agency), strategy, critical thinking and healthy skepticism, prioritization, balancing competing demands, clear scope discipline, collaboration, willingness to educate, patience, resourcefulness, receptiveness to feedback, self-awareness, detail orientation, discretion with confidential client information, lifelong learning and AI exploration

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a consultative or pre-sales role for a SaaS or martech platform
• Track record advising enterprise clients across multiple industries on SEO program design and operationalization
• Hands-on experience with Semrush Enterprise or AI visibility tooling
• Familiarity with Adobe Experience Cloud products
• Relevant certifications (for example, Semrush Academy or Google Analytics)