Search Engine Optimization Manager

Zendesk•Austin, TX

1d•$126,000 - $190,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We are hiring an SEO Manager to own SEO and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) for the AMER region. This role will be responsible for driving organic performance today while preparing Zendesk for the rapid shift toward AI-powered, answer-first discovery experiences. As search evolves beyond traditional SERPs into generative and answer-based surfaces, this role will sit at the intersection of SEO, AEO, analytics, and experimentation while staying on top of industry news, emerging search trends, and changes in AI-driven discovery. Success means delivering stable and improving SEO performance that is resilient to shifts in search algorithms, while structuring Zendesk content to thrive in answer-first discovery.The ideal candidate can operate independently, regularly conducts and records SEO and AEO tests, clearly shares practical insights, and works closely with other teams to quickly put recommendations into action. This is an experienced individual contributor role requiring strong ownership, prioritization, and cross-functional influence.

Requirements

BA/BS degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, Computer Science, Data Analytics, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, or a related science or quantitative field, or equivalent practical experience
6+ years of hands-on SEO experience, preferably in SaaS or enterprise environments
Strong technical SEO, content SEO, and performance analytics experience
Proficiency with SEO tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz, Screaming Frog, BrightEdge, and AEO platforms like Profound
Experience with digital analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or equivalent platforms
Demonstrated ability to work independently and solve ambiguous problems
Experience running experiments and interpreting complex data
Strong written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

Experience with AEO, generative search, or AI-powered discovery systems
Experience using AI tools or automation to scale SEO workflows
Prior ownership of a large regional or market portfolio
History of building scalable SEO frameworks or processes

Responsibilities

Own SEO and AEO performance for the AMER region, including traffic, visibility, and MQL influence
Proactively identify opportunities, risks, and performance changes, translating signals from SERPs and emerging answer surfaces into clear hypotheses and prioritized action plans.
Adapt SEO strategies as search engines and AI-driven discovery evolve, leading initiatives end-to-end from diagnosis through execution and measurement.
Independently plan and prioritize high-impact initiatives, manage timelines, anticipate dependencies, coordinate cross-team collaboration, and escalate early with recommended solutions to ensure timely, effective decision-making and execution
Leverage AI tools to accelerate analysis, content optimization, and metadata workflows
Build repeatable processes, documentation, frameworks, and templates that support consistent SEO and AEO execution across AMER
Perform deep analysis using GA4, GSC, SEO platforms (e.g., SEMrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog), and AEO tools like Profound to evaluate performance across traditional SERPs and emerging answer-based surfaces, connecting insights to business outcomes
Design and run hypothesis-driven experiments across SEO and AEO initiatives, including content structure, metadata, internal linking, and entity coverage.)
Connect organic performance data to business metrics such as MQLs and pipeline influence, and build or maintain dashboards to track performance and experiment results
Collaborate cross-functionally with Content, Product Marketing, Engineering, Analytics, Paid Media, and Technical SEO to align SEO and AEO priorities, implement initiatives end-to-end, and optimize search performance across paid and organic channels.
Communicate complex SEO and AEO insights clearly to non-technical stakeholders, influencing roadmap and prioritization decisions through data-driven storytelling.
Serve as the AMER SEO/AEO point of contact, ensuring alignment, accountability, and effective cross-team collaboration