Director, Organic Discovery

The Hartford•Hartford, CT

23h•$133,200 - $199,800•Hybrid

About The Position

The Hartford is seeking a Director, Organic Discovery to lead strategy across the organization’s organic discovery portfolio, including traditional search, AI-driven discovery experiences, and organic social platforms. This leader will shape how The Hartford is found, trusted, and engaged within evolving digital environments, using data, research, competitive insights, and platform trends to improve visibility, credibility, engagement, and business performance. This role partners closely with Content Strategy, Web Experience, Analytics, and Experimentation leaders to translate enterprise objectives into actionable discovery strategies, priorities, and performance frameworks. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in search, AI-powered discovery, and social platform dynamics, along with the ability to connect those disciplines to broader business goals and customer needs. The Director will guide investment priorities, establish governance and optimization practices, and provide executive-level perspective on emerging opportunities and market shifts. This leader will also manage a team responsible for strengthening The Hartford’s presence across increasingly complex digital ecosystems, ensuring work is aligned, measurable, and tied to meaningful business outcomes. This role is based in our Hartford, CT Home Office; regional candidates based remotely within the Northeast may also be considered.

Requirements

Minimum eight years of experience leading search, content discovery, social media, digital marketing, or related digital experience programs, including enterprise-level strategy development tied to measurable business outcomes.
Strong working knowledge of AI-enabled search and discovery, with experience in multiple AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and other models.
Deep expertise in organic search, content discoverability, digital audience behavior, AI-driven discovery experiences, evolving search ecosystems, and performance optimization.
Demonstrated ability to lead teams and cross-functional initiatives through ambiguity and organizational complexity, including at least two years of successful people leadership experience.
Proven ability to influence senior leaders, build business cases, and translate research, analytics, competitive intelligence, and market trends into strategic recommendations and investment priorities.
Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical and platform concepts into clear business implications for leadership audiences, including experience using data to shape executive-level narratives.
Experience establishing performance frameworks, governance models, operating routines, and cross-functional partnerships across content strategy, analytics, experimentation, website management, and digital marketing.
Self-motivated and highly adaptable; able to turn ambiguity into alignment, prioritize competing demands, and drive results in a fast-changing environment.
Experience with analytics and performance tools such as Google Analytics, Tableau, Profound, or similar platforms.
Able and willing to travel up to 10%; travel expectations may be lower for candidates based in Hartford, CT.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Nice To Haves

Prior insurance or financial services industry experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

Partner with marketing, business, and digital leaders to set enterprise organic discovery strategy, roadmaps, and priorities aligned to business goals.
Lead a team responsible for organic search, AI-driven discovery, and organic social visibility initiatives across the enterprise.
Integrate search, AI visibility, and organic social programs to improve findability, engagement, brand credibility, and competitive positioning.
Provide subject matter expertise on search engines, AI-generated discovery environments, social platforms, audience behavior, and emerging trends.
Use performance data, competitive intelligence, platform changes, and audience insights to shape recommendations, investment priorities, and future roadmaps.
Establish optimization frameworks, governance practices, and performance routines that support continuous improvement and measurable outcomes.
Partner across Enterprise Content Strategy, Web Management & Experience, Digital Experimentation, and Digital Analytics to align content, site experience, testing, and measurement with discovery priorities.
Translate complex platform developments and market dynamics into clear business implications and executive-level recommendations.
Identify emerging opportunities, technologies, and capabilities that strengthen organic discoverability and competitive advantage.