Search Engine Optimization Manager

About Merkle

Merkle, part of the dentsu network, powers the experience economy by combining data, technology, and creativity to deliver customer experiences that set brands apart. For over 35 years, Merkle has partnered with global brands to build loyalty, drive growth, and create meaningful connections. Recognized by leading analyst firms as a global leader in digital transformation, commerce, experience design, and data management, Merkle brings together over 16,000 employees across 30+ countries.

At Merkle, you’ll join a collaborative culture where innovation and problem-solving thrive, giving you the opportunity to shape the future of customer experience while growing your skills and career.

About the Role

A Senior Manager – SEO/GEO leads the strategic direction and hands-on execution of organic visibility across traditional search engines and generative AI ecosystems. This role balances leadership with specialist expertise, actively driving technical SEO, content strategy, GEO research, LLM persona development, and generative answer optimization while also coaching, mentoring, and upskilling team members. The Senior Manager partners closely with product, content, data, media, and external agencies to align efforts, ensure cross-channel integration, and deliver scalable frameworks across markets. As both a leader and subject-matter expert, they translate complex insights into actionable roadmaps, elevate E-E-A-T and brand authority, and secure consistent, measurable presence and recommendation across search engines, AI assistants, and multimodal platforms.

As SEO Manager, you will be leading a team of SEO Specialists and Sr. Specialist. At a high level, below are the responsibilities from this role:

Key Responsibilities

As SEO Manager, you will be leading a team of SEO Specialists and Sr. Specialist. At a high level, below are the responsibilities from this role:

• Lead the strategic direction for SEO and GEO across traditional search engines and generative AI platforms.
• Drive hands-on execution in technical SEO, content optimization, GEO research, and LLM-based visibility enhancement.
• Act as a subject-matter expert, translating complex insights into clear, actionable roadmaps.
• Develop and refine GEO frameworks, including LLM persona testing, generative answer optimization, and cross-platform visibility tracking.
• Coach, mentor, and upskill SEO/GEO team members to strengthen capability and performance.
• Collaborate with product, content, data, media, and external agency partners to deliver integrated organic growth initiatives.
• Ensure alignment with business objectives across markets and guide stakeholders through best practices and opportunities.
• Elevate brand authority and E-E-A-T signals through structured technical, content, and off-page strategies.
• Monitor performance across search, AI search engines, and multimodal platforms, turning insights into high-impact improvements.
• Maintain a balance between leadership and execution, stepping in to support complex tasks or fill SME gaps as needed.

Requirements

• 6–10 years of experience in SEO with exposure to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI-driven search ecosystems.
• Strong hands-on capabilities in technical SEO, content optimization, structured data, and website performance.
• Working knowledge of generative AI platforms and familiarity with LLM-based testing, prompt optimization, and GEO frameworks.
• Proficiency with key SEO tools (GSC, Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, SEMrush, etc.) and comfort interpreting data via GA4 or BI dashboards.
• Ability to translate complex SEO/AI insights into clear strategies, roadmaps, and stakeholder-friendly recommendations.
• Experience collaborating with product, engineering, content, UX, data, and media teams on integrated organic growth initiatives.
• Strong communication, leadership, and mentoring skills, with the ability to guide teams and align multiple stakeholders.
• A proactive, experimental mindset with a passion for emerging search technologies and continuous optimization.

Additional information

Dentsu is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on sex, gender identity, race, colour, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disabilities, or any other protected basis because we believe the best and brightest come from all walks of life. We aspire to foster a community in which diversity is valued in both our employees and our ideas.