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Stella Rising · 3 days ago

Associate Director, SEO

United States

Full-time

Remote

Lead/Staff, Director/Executive

Stella Rising is a leading marketing and media agency specializing in high-growth consumer brands. They are seeking an Associate Director of SEO to oversee the execution of SEO services, manage a team, and ensure client satisfaction through effective communication and strategy implementation.

AdvertisingBrand MarketingDigital MarketingSEOSocial Media Marketing

Comp. & Benefits

Hiring Manager

Kate Dillon

Responsibilities

Lead strategy, deliverables, and communication on 2-4 clients (depending on the scope and number of direct reports) resulting in strong client satisfaction, growth, and retention. Autonomously spearhead client conversations to discern business objectives and ad hoc requests, translating them into holistic SEO roadmaps aligned with industry best practices. This includes the ability to quickly adjust to shifting client priorities and gaining their buy-in

Expert experience in all SEO tools (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog) and ability to leverage the advanced capabilities of each platform, such as API configurations and custom extractions. Be able to train junior members to utilize these tools in more advanced ways and identify and evaluate new tools and platforms; working with the leadership team to integrate them into workflows

Manage and execute the implementation of SEO strategy for all department deliverables (on-page, off-page, and technical SEO). This includes overseeing and providing feedback for the work product for others on your team, ensuring compliance with all processes, assisting with the development of new deliverables, and creating SOP documentation and videos to assist with team training

Provide advanced analysis of SEO performance metrics in GA4, GSC, and Looker, such as organic traffic, rankings, conversions, and user engagement; generate comprehensive and insightful monthly reports and renewal decks for clients

Provide thought leadership across (1) the team; creating time and safe space for knowledge sharing, Q&A, brainstorming, discussion of client case studies/issues, and team summits, as well as (2) the agency including blog posts, webinars, whitepapers, etc

Collaborate with development teams on SEO initiatives like site migrations, redesigns, and all tasks requiring dev assistance

Create strong partnerships with necessary internal and external teams to implement client-approved strategies, provide insights on campaign performance, and resolve client issues for your clients and the clients of direct reports

Maintain awareness of new SEO trends and applications for relevant campaigns and train others

Hold regular meetings with direct reports addressing client accounts, personal development and growth, strategic support, career advice

Manage 3-5 direct reports including managers with their own direct reports. Provide guidance, mentorship, and training to direct reports to enhance their SEO knowledge and skills and develop SEO strategies

Participate in team brainstorming meetings to share innovation ideas, including assisting with case studies and award entries, developing and leading learning and development, researching new SEO strategies to support innovation, and contribution to the company blog and other social media communities

Lead renewal conversations and presentations ensuring we have a winning deck and pitch. Manage renewal timelines, ensuring the team is prepared and on time with end of year/campaign recaps and follow up with clients on signatures to lock in SOWs

Proactively identify organic growth opportunities for incremental budget or servicing

Periodically attend direct reports’ client calls to provide support, give feedback, and establish relationship with client, this includes regular pulse checks on each account to ensure strong results and client relationship

Support managing direct reports in leadership, conflict resolution, client retention and strategy

Meet with managers across divisions to discuss strategy and operations across the team as singular unit vs pods

Lead regular team, pod, and/or department meetings

Work with clients to understand KPIs, create SEO forecasts, set goals and metrics for each account, track, conduct SEO testing, and report on progress

Qualification

SEO principlesSEO tools masteryData analysisClient managementProject managementTechnical SEOOn-page SEOGoogle Analytics 4Looker StudioMS Office SuiteCommunication skillsTeam management

Required

Exceptional skills and understanding of complex SEO principles (including technical SEO and language related to web development) and of new developments in SEO, such EEAT, AI, Helpful Content Updates, and SGE

Mastery of SEO tools such as Screaming Frog, Search Console Indexing reports, GA, Looker Studio, Ahrefs, and SemRush and an understanding of complex ways to leverage these tools

Exceptionally strong understanding of how to unpack meaningful insights from data to support SEO recommendations and organic growth opportunities, including cross-channel and single-channel opportunities and problem-solving

Exceptional project management skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple tasks and timelines. Must have demonstrated ability to handle large and complex client accounts and experience successfully managing migrations

Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, to collaborate effectively with team members and stakeholders, including non-SEO and/or senior leadership client members

Exceptional client management skills, including effectively communicating SEO recommendations and their impact and independently managing timelines and projects

Mastery level ability to execute deliverable processes and create result-driving custom deliverables that map back to client OKRs and true-north KPIs

Exceptional skills in both technical and on-page SEO, including an understanding of JavaScript, crawling and indexing, rendering, E-E-A-T, and core on-page SEO fundamentals

Advanced experience managing e-commerce and lead-generation clients

Advanced experience managing multi-year SEO campaigns and experience with the following client campaign cycle touchpoints: onboarding, retention, QBRs, OKRs, escalations

Advanced experience uncovering clients' strategic goals and using that to inform SEO work

Advanced experience with Google Analytics 4 and Looker Studio

Advanced ability to develop strategies for clients that are outside the box and go beyond our normal course of deliverables

Demonstrated conflict resolution and client retention skills

Experience managing team members and providing guidance on SEO deliverables, campaign management, and data analysis. Previous experience in managing direct reports required

Strong MS Office Suite skills (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook)