Vans: Manager, Search & AI Enablement

Vans•Costa Mesa, CA

About The Position

Vans is an original brand rooted in the authentic lifestyle of skateboarding, driven by a mission to inspire and empower individuals to live “Off The Wall” by embracing freedom, non-conformity, and relentless progression. The company aims to constantly outdo itself and push culture forward with its global communities. The Manager, Search & AI Enablement leads the strategy and execution of search visibility (SEO & GEO), product data attribution, and AI-driven experimentation across both B2B and DTC eCommerce channels. This role reports directly to the Head of eCommerce and is responsible for improving discoverability, data integrity, and scalable intelligence to accelerate revenue growth and operational efficiency. Operating at the intersection of Marketing, Product, Data, Technology, and Sales, this leader translates search and data signals into actionable insights, builds foundational data pipelines, and pilots AI-powered capabilities to enhance decision-making and performance.

Requirements

Deep understanding of SEO and organic discoverability in eCommerce environments
Experience working with large-scale product data and attribution frameworks
Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives in matrixed organizations
Strong analytical and storytelling skills; ability to translate data into action
Comfortable operating in ambiguity and driving structured experimentation
8+ years of experience and professional achievements

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting both B2B and DTC commerce models
Hands-on experience piloting or scaling AI / machine-learning-enabled solutions
Familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., GA4), SEO tools, product information systems, and experimentation frameworks
Background in retail, apparel, footwear, or consumer brands
People management or indirect leadership experience

Responsibilities

Own global organic search and discoverability strategy across DTC and B2B platforms, driving technical SEO, content optimization, and regional execution to improve visibility, traffic quality, and revenue impact.
Partner cross-functionally to improve product discoverability, collaborating with Brand, Content, Product, and Merchandising teams to optimize product detail pages, taxonomy, metadata, and content frameworks.
Lead product data quality and attribution enablement, strengthening data completeness, consistency, and governance across systems to connect product content, search exposure, and sales outcomes.
Translate complex data into actionable insights, enabling commercial, marketing, and leadership teams to make informed decisions through clear reporting, attribution models, and performance narratives.
Identify, pilot, and scale AI-powered use cases across search optimization, product content, insights generation, and operational efficiency, serving as the business lead for experimentation and adoption.
Measure and optimize business impact, tracking ROI, adoption, and performance of search, data, and AI initiatives; sunsetting low-value efforts while scaling proven solutions.
Act as a strategic cross-functional leader and influencer, supporting global and regional teams with shared frameworks, playbooks, and best practices, and managing external partners and platforms related to search, analytics, and AI.