Responsibilities

• Team
• Support in leading a multidisciplinary SEO team across Technical SEO, Content, Analytics, and Digital PR
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team culture, supporting career development, capability growth, and delivery excellence across the department
• Facilitate team catch-ups, plus Global SEO calls
• Updating the wider agency in the monthly Townhall RE SEO & Commercials
• Define best practice methodologies, sharing with the wider team and ensure full integration with all Organic projects and ensure high standards of strategic thinking, delivery quality, and client service
• Work closely with senior leadership to support operational planning, team resourcing, commercial priorities, and management of SEO tools and partnerships.
• The role manages direct reports across Technical SEO, Content, and Digital PR
• Lead integrated SEO and AI Search strategies across a portfolio of enterprise and global clients, ensuring campaigns align with wider marketing and commercial objectives while driving measurable business impact
• Act as a senior strategic advisor on evolving search behaviours, including AI Overviews, LLM visibility, AI assistants, and generative search experiences, translating complex opportunities into actionable recommendations for senior stakeholders
• Facilitate the implementation of efficiencies across SEO/GEO workflows and client deliverables across SEO
• Work closely with other Account Directors and Heads of Department to ensure work produced for clients is best in class, innovative and consistent across all clients
• Track record of growing organic traffic and revenue at scale, with demonstrable commercial impact
• Strong commercial and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trust across marketing, product, engineering, and leadership teams
• Demonstrable understanding of how AI can enhance SEO workflows, operational efficiency, and search strategy development
• Lead thinking around AI Search / GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)
• Help evolve Artefact's AI Search methodologies, frameworks, and product offerings
• Advise clients on visibility across platforms such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Copilot
• Support the development of new measurement frameworks for AI visibility, citations, mentions, and share of voice
• Stay ahead of industry developments and bring innovative thinking into client work and agency propositions
• Represent Artefact's SEO and AI Search expertise through thought leadership, industry events, speaking opportunities, and internal enablement initiatives

Requirements

• 10+ years' experience in SEO, including significant experience in a senior leadership role within an agency or enterprise environment
• Proven experience leading and developing multidisciplinary teams, including direct line management, mentoring, and succession planning
• Strong expertise across all pillars of SEO and AI Search/GEO, including Technical SEO, Content, Digital PR, and performance measurement
• Deep understanding of evolving search ecosystems, including AI Search, search engine algorithms, SERP developments, and changing user behaviours
• Strong commercial awareness with experience supporting business growth through strategic recommendations, pitches, client expansion and proposition development
• Strong analytical and data interpretation skills, with experience using performance data to support decision-making, forecasting, and reporting
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex SEO and AI Search concepts into clear business recommendations for both technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience defining and delivering integrated search strategies across SEO disciplines and wider marketing channels, including Digital PR, PPC, Analytics, and brand-building activity
• Strong problem-solving skills and technical understanding of crawling, rendering, indexation, and search engine accessibility principles

Preferred

• Experience identifying opportunities to automate workflows and improve operational efficiency across SEO and AI Search delivery through AI, scripting, tooling, or process optimisation
• Experience embedding AI into team ways of working, including scaling delivery, improving productivity, and accelerating insight generation
• Experience defining methodologies, frameworks, or propositions within an agency or consultancy environment
• Experience measuring and improving visibility across AI Search platforms, including AI visibility, citations, share of voice, or generative search performance
• Experience working with enterprise and global brands across multiple markets and stakeholders
• Familiarity with data infrastructure and reporting environments such as BigQuery, Looker Studio, APIs, or automated dashboards
• Experience driving cross-functional initiatives across Search, Data, Product, Engineering, or Analytics teams
• Experience contributing to thought leadership, industry events, training programmes, speaking engagements, or published content
• Understanding of UX, CRO, and digital experience principles and how these support organic growth
• Curiosity for emerging technologies and a track record of introducing innovation into ways of working