Director of Organic Search

Augurian•St Paul, MN

About The Position

The organic search landscape is shifting faster than most teams can keep up. You're the person who keeps this one ahead.. As Director of Organic Search, you’ll lead a team of specialists in building strategies that tie SEO and AEO performance directly to the outcomes clients care about: revenue, market share, and competitive advantage. This is a role for someone who thinks like a business advisor first and a search practitioner second. You’ll set the strategic direction for the organic practice, own the team’s P&L, and be the person clients and internal leaders turn to when the stakes are high. You’ll also shape how the team evolves—driving the adoption of AI tools and workflows, building a consultative culture, and ensuring the practice stays ahead of a rapidly changing search landscape. If you’re energized by leading through ambiguity, developing people, and making an organic practice genuinely indispensable to clients, this is the role.

Responsibilities

Set the strategic vision for the organic practice, ensuring strategies span SEO, AEO, and content and are anchored in client business objectives.
Serve as a senior strategic advisor to key clients—leading consultative engagements that translate search performance into business-level recommendations.
Stay ahead of shifts in search (algorithm updates, AI-driven search, answer engines) and guide the team’s strategic response.
Heavily influence scoping and pricing for new and updated client retainers, ensuring profitability and alignment with team capacity.
Define and own the organic team’s AI roadmap: evaluate emerging tools, establish governance frameworks, and lead adoption across the practice.
Champion the integration of AI into core workflows—content creation, keyword research, technical audits, reporting, and predictive analytics—to drive efficiency and quality.
Develop AI usage guidelines, quality standards, and training programs to ensure responsible and effective use across the team.
Partner with services leaders and technology teams to evaluate AI investments that serve the broader organization.
Ensure development and execution of SEO and AEO strategies through managers across the team—keyword research, on-page optimization, technical SEO, and answer engine visibility.
Act as the last line of defense for ensuring deliverables meet client expectations.
Buffer the service team when capacity gets tight; reallocate resources proactively.
Ensure efficient use of resources and adherence to budgetary constraints for headcount, tools, and training.
Drive content strategy development, ensuring alignment with SEO and AEO goals and overall client objectives.
Oversee the creation of high-quality content that resonates with target audiences and supports organic growth.
Use analytics tools to analyze organic campaign performance and provide detailed, insight-driven reports to clients.
Manage oversight and training on pre-meeting insights, QA processes, and reporting standards.
Act as the primary point of contact for key clients, deeply understanding their business models and growth levers.
Cultivate long-term client partnerships by delivering strategic value—not just campaign updates.
Ensure client engagements are structured as consultative advisory relationships, not just reporting cycles.
Support marketing and sales efforts: scoping, pricing input, pitching, onboarding, expectation management, case studies, and practice-area SME contributions.
Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of organic marketing professionals, fostering a culture that is collaborative, consultative, and results-driven.
Provide strategic oversight on SEO, AEO, and content execution to ensure optimal client outcomes.
Coach and develop direct reports through regular mentorship, performance reviews, and career development conversations.
Build team capabilities through training, knowledge sharing, and AI upskilling programs.
Source and manage contractors to supplement team capacity as needed.
Develop interview materials tailored to each role; lead screening and final interviews.
Guide the hiring team in evaluating candidates for technical skill, consultative aptitude, and cultural fit.
Drive recruitment decisions that build a team capable of delivering on both current and evolving client needs.
Collaborate with paid media, analytics, and sales teams when cross-channel value justifies the investment of time.
Contribute organic expertise to cross-channel initiatives and integrated strategies.
Provide consistent input to services leaders on joint technologies and process enhancements.
Actively manage the team’s P&L; coordinate with services leaders on headcount and tooling decisions.
Maximize team revenue while balancing team health, client satisfaction, and organizational priorities.
Uphold and promote the agency’s core values, fostering a positive, inclusive, and intellectually curious workplace.
Drive initiatives that enhance employee engagement, satisfaction, and professional growth.