Director of Paid Search (Hybrid)

GEICO • New York City, NY

11d • Hybrid

About The Position

GEICO is seeking a Director of Paid Search to own paid search strategy and execution, including emerging AI-driven paid search experiences, for its MOAT (Home, Renters, and other Property) and Specialty lines of business. The role leads a team of in-house practitioners and agency partners, manages search investment across a diverse product portfolio, and is accountable for quote volume, conversion quality, and efficient acquisition cost. The director reports to the Senior Director, Search & Partner Marketing and works closely with product and line-of-business leaders, underwriting, data science, analytics, and other partners. This is a hands-on leadership role combining detailed campaign oversight with strategic communication to business leaders.

The director develops a search approach tailored to the distinct economics, seasonality, availability, and customer intent of each product line. The role owns budgets and campaign management, builds testing and measurement programs, optimizes for quality outcomes such as completed quotes and sales, and evaluates platform capabilities including AI-powered search experiences. It also coordinates paid search with cross-sell opportunities, organic search, site conversion, and regulated-category compliance.

This is a hybrid role based in Manhattan, Bethesda, or Chicago. GEICO describes its culture as inclusive and collaborative and offers development programs, mentorship, training and certification opportunities, competitive compensation, and benefits.

Requirements

• 10 or more years of digital marketing experience, including significant hands-on paid search experience and experience leading search teams.
• Background in a conversion-driven service business such as financial services, insurance, SaaS, or banking.
• Experience leading practitioners and managing a hybrid model of in-house teams and agency partners.
• Deep hands-on knowledge of Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising, including bid strategies, automation, AI-driven campaign types, and their effects on targeting and control.
• Experience managing search across multiple products or lines with different seasonality, margins, and availability, and allocating budgets among them.
• Knowledge of SEM bid-management platforms, conversion tracking, web analytics, and the data privacy landscape.
• Experience with attribution beyond last click, incrementality testing, and forecasting for products with seasonal or uneven demand.
• Ability to present to senior leadership, communicate performance assessments, and incorporate feedback to sharpen strategy.
• Hands-on comfort with AI tools such as Claude and Copilot, and a working understanding of how AI-driven search is changing ad formats, targeting, and buyer research.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and resources in a fast-paced, growth-oriented organization.

Nice To Haves

• Paid search experience in insurance or other regulated financial services.
• Experience with home, powersports, recreational, or other specialty insurance or consumer lines with seasonal demand.
• Experience driving cross-sell and bundling from an existing customer base through search.
• Experience managing search where product availability varies by state or region.
• Experience with AI search ad formats and early-stage measurement of those formats.
• Experience leading an in-housing effort or restructuring an agency model.

Responsibilities

• Set the paid search strategy and roadmap for the MOAT and Specialty lines in alignment with growth, profitability, and lifetime-value objectives.
• Lead and develop in-house practitioners and agency partners, building an accountable, collaborative, high-performing team.
• Prioritize search investment across products based on economics, seasonality, and strategic importance.
• Represent paid search for these lines and align the approach with the broader search and partner portfolio.
• Evaluate and pilot new search capabilities, including AI-driven search ad experiences, and recommend where to invest.
• Own paid search budgets, allocate investment across products, states, and campaigns, and monitor pacing and forecasts against quote and sales goals.
• Adjust investment to reflect seasonal demand, underwriting appetite, state availability, weather, and market events.
• Oversee account structure, keyword and audience strategy, bidding, ad copy, and landing-page alignment for product-specific intent.
• Capture demand from existing GEICO customers and auto shoppers where cross-sell and bundling opportunities exist, coordinating with the relevant teams.
• Ensure ad content and landing experiences are accurate, on-brand, and compliant.
• Optimize toward completed quotes, sales, and other quality outcomes rather than lead volume alone, ensuring bidding reflects product value.
• Build and document a test-and-learn program covering ad copy, landing pages, bidding strategies, audiences, and match types.
• Develop measurement plans covering CPA, LTV, and incrementality, accounting for differences in conversion volume and cycle length.
• Use platform-native AI and automation with guardrails aligned to each line's goals.
• Partner with product and line-of-business leaders and underwriting on targeting, availability, and growth priorities.
• Work with data science and analytics on attribution, forecasting, and the value of cross-sell and bundled customers.
• Collaborate with site, UX, creative, and compliance teams on landing pages, ad content, and quote flows.
• Coordinate with organic search and site conversion teams so paid and organic presence work together.
• Manage relationships with search platforms and agency partners, including Google and Microsoft.
• Present performance assessments, perspectives, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.

Benefits

• 401(k) savings plan with a 6% match, vested from day one.
• Performance- and recognition-based incentives.
• Tuition assistance.
• Mental healthcare.
• Fertility and adoption assistance.
• GEICO Flex program offering up to four weeks of remote work per year.
• Personalized development programs, industry-leading training, certification opportunities, career mentorship, and coaching.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed