Vice President, Performance Content (SEO/GEO/AEO)

Chicago, IL (Hybrid)

$149K/yr – $215K/yrSenior LevelFull time

Posted 2 weeks ago

Job Summary

Own the SEO strategy and multi-year roadmap across client portfolios, mentor senior teams, and drive cross-functional, AI-aware initiatives with measurable business impact.

  • Own the SEO vision, governance, and delivery standards
  • Partner with cross-functional leaders to embed SEO in holistic plans
  • Lead executive storytelling and measurement across traditional and AI-driven search

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Set the SEO vision and multi-year roadmap across assigned client portfolios, aligning strategy to business objectives and measurable KPIs across both traditional and AI-driven search environments.
  • Serve as a senior escalation point and trusted advisor, building and maintaining executive-level client relationships and guiding high-stakes decisions.
  • Establish and reinforce wide standards for SEO strategy, governance, QA, and delivery consistency across technical, content, and authority workstreams.
  • Lead and develop senior talent (Directors, Associate Directors, and Managers), driving coaching, succession planning, and a high-performance, learning-oriented team culture.
  • Drive integrated solutions by partnering with cross-functional leaders (e.g., paid search, analytics, activation, content, and broader media teams) to ensure SEO is embedded in holistic plans.
  • Own the evolution of the SEO toolset and tech stack, ensuring teams are equipped to analyze and optimize performance across both traditional and AI-driven search environments.
  • Guide enterprise measurement approaches and executive-ready storytelling, including how success is defined and measured across both traditional search performance and emerging AI-driven search experiences.
  • Selectively leverage AI-assisted capabilities where appropriate (e.g., opportunity identification, workflow efficiencies, trend monitoring) while maintaining strong human judgment and quality control.
  • Drive the development of scalable frameworks, capabilities, and solutions that enable clients to compete for visibility across AI-driven and answer-based search experiences.
  • Support account growth and new business by shaping SEO narratives, contributing to pitches, and clearly articulating the value of SEO across the evolving search landscape.

Requirements

  • 7–10+ years of SEO experience with depth across technical SEO, content strategy, performance measurement, and enterprise execution (agency experience strongly preferred).
  • 3+ years leading teams and developing managers/leadership layers; demonstrated ability to scale quality across multiple accounts.
  • Strong Knowledge of Generative Engine Optimization and Answer Engine Optimization
  • Strong proficiency with web analytics and measurement (e.g., Google Analytics/Adobe Analytics) and enterprise SEO platforms/tooling.
  • Proven ability to translate complex findings into clear executive-ready narratives, recommendations, and decision frameworks.
  • Deep expertise in the evolving search landscape, including AI-driven and generative search, with the ability to shape organizational POV and drive adoption of new capabilities across teams and clients.
  • Strong cross-functional leadership skills, including partnering with product/engineering/content stakeholders to drive implementation.
  • Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and project/program leadership capabilities.
  • Bachelor’s degree preferred

Benefits

  • - Paid Family Care for parents and caregivers for 12 weeks or more
  • - Monetary assistance and support for Adoption, Surrogacy and Fertility
  • - Monetary assistance and support for pet adoption
  • - Employee Assistance Programs and Health/Wellness/Comfort reimbursements to help you invest in your future and work/life balance
  • - Tuition Assistance
  • - Paid time off that includes Flexible Time off Vacation, Annual Sick Days, Volunteer Days, Holiday and Identity days, and more
  • - Matching Gifts programs
  • - Flexible working arrangements
  • - 'Work Your World’ Program encouraging employees to work from anywhere Publicis Groupe has an office for up to 6 weeks a year (based upon eligibility)
  • - Business Resource Groups that support multiple affinities and alliances
Starcom logo

Starcom

3.7 Glassdoor

With a history that dates back over 80 years, Starcom is a global communications planning and media leader. We are an agency still grounded in our founding principle that people are at the center of all we do. Each day, we apply this belief to harness the transformative power of data and technology to inspire and move people and business forward. With almost 7,000 employees in over 100 offices around the world, Starcom partners with the world's leading marketers and brands, including Bank of America, Best Buy, Kellanova, McDonald's, Novartis, Samsung, Visa, WK Kellogg Company and more.

Founded in 1936
Chicago, Illinois, USA
6.1K employees (2,084 in marketing)
66% recommend to a friend
59% CEO approval

Salaries

Posted range

$149K/yr – $215K/yr

Taken straight from the job posting.

See all Starcom salaries

Funding

Total Funding
$57.1M
Last Raise
$43.2M
Series A, 1 months ago

Funding History

  • Feb 2026
    Series A • $43.2M
  • Aug 2025
    Series A
  • May 2025
    Series A • $13.9M

Traffic Signals

Monthly Visitors
20.1K
Traffic Source Mix
Search
43.1%
Direct
41.6%
Referral
9.1%
Social
4.6%
Paid
1.1%

Headcount Trend

Current headcount: ~6.1K

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