Associate Director, SEO

Kepler Group•New York, NY

3d•$117,000 - $130,000

About The Position

We are seeking an Associate Director of SEO to bridge the gap between high-level strategy and innovative execution. In this dual-impact role, you will lead SEO strategy and implementation for a portfolio of key client accounts while serving as a subject matter expert (SME) for the future of AI search, including LLM discovery and GEO nuance. This role will be responsible for designing and implementing SEO best practices and strategies across 2-3 client accounts and will have 2-4 direct reports.

Requirements

7+ years in SEO, with a proven track record of managing enterprise-level accounts (agency experience preferred).
Deep understanding of crawlability, schema markup (and its role in AI training), and Core Web Vitals.
You are already experimenting with GEO tactics and understand the nuances of how LLMs retrieve and synthesize information.
Ability to explain the shifts in SEO for LLMs to senior stakeholders who may not be technical.

Nice To Haves

Experience with local listing management or franchises/multiple location businesses a plus
Proficiency with industry standard tools plus experience using Python or SQL for data-driven SEO is a major plus.
Experience working in new business/pitch environments a plus, but not required

Responsibilities

Act as the organic search lead for high-value client teams, translating complex SEO data into actionable business growth.
Oversee technical audits, content strategy, and authority building, ensuring all tactics align with the client’s broader marketing ecosystem.
Lead client presentations, moving beyond "rankings" to communicate impact on revenue, brand share of voice, and market trends.
Develop and test methodologies for "Answer Engine" visibility, focusing on how brand citations and sentiment are surfaced in AI-driven results (e.g., Perplexity, SearchGPT, Gemini).
Identify opportunities to use LLMs to automate SEO workflows, from advanced intent mapping to programmatic content optimization.
Partner directly with the AVP of Search to draft whitepapers, internal training modules, and build "future-proofing" playbooks for the agency as needed.
Influence product roadmaps for Kepler’s internal GEO tools used for LLM research and client presentations (e.g., Kip AIR).
Directly manage SEO Managers and Specialists, fostering a culture of curiosity and technical excellence.
Work alongside Paid Search and Content teams (both at Kepler or inter-agency) within designated client accounts to ensure a unified "Total Search" approach.