SEO Manager

Eighty Five Sixty•Del Mar, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

For over 15 years, 85SIXTY has been helping clients transform the way they reach, acquire, and engage with their customers through an integrated combination of data, technology, cross-channel strategies, and creative thinking. Some might call us a full-service digital consultancy, but we like to think of ourselves as a partner that can both drive strategy and orchestrate delivery. Founded in 2010 by a veteran in retail, eCommerce, and digital, 85SIXTY was built around a consultative, high-touch approach that allows us to work across a broad spectrum of areas to increase our value to our customers. We support forward-thinking brands in their journey toward growth by solving complex problems, staying curious, and turning ideas into practical solutions. We are looking for an SEO Manager who is excited about where search is heading and wants to help brands adapt to what comes next. This role goes beyond traditional SEO and requires someone who understands that discoverability is evolving across AI-generated answers, conversational search experiences, social discovery platforms, and emerging search ecosystems. This role combines strategic SEO leadership, client partnership, and people management. You will lead SEO strategy across a portfolio of client accounts while also mentoring and coaching SEO Specialists and junior team members. We are looking for someone who can confidently guide both clients and internal teams, helping shape strategy, prioritize opportunities, develop talent, and create accountability around execution and growth. The ideal candidate is both strategic and hands-on. You should be comfortable leading client conversations, presenting recommendations, developing search strategies, digging into technical SEO challenges, and collaborating across departments to drive measurable business outcomes. You are curious about AI and how it is changing search behavior, but you also know how to balance experimentation with practical execution and clear business impact. Most importantly, we are looking for someone who is proactive, adaptable, collaborative, and genuinely curious. Search is changing quickly, and we want someone energized by learning, testing, mentoring others, and helping clients stay ahead of where the industry is going.

Requirements

5+ years of professional SEO experience within an agency, consultancy, or related environment.
Experience developing and executing successful SEO strategies across multiple industries and website types.
Prior people management experience & responsibilities.
Strong understanding of technical SEO fundamentals including crawling, indexing, site architecture, structured data, page performance, and analytics.
Familiarity with how search is evolving toward AI-generated answers, conversational interfaces, and generative discovery experiences.
Experience tying SEO performance to business outcomes and communicating recommendations confidently to clients and stakeholders.
Strong analytical skills and comfort working with platforms such as GA4, Google Search Console, Adobe Analytics, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Screaming Frog.
Comfort using AI and LLM tools to support analysis, research, workflows, and strategic thinking.
Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools such as Jira, Confluence, Basecamp, or similar platforms.
Agency experience strongly preferred.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting ecommerce SEO initiatives is preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic SEO lead across a portfolio of clients spanning industries such as outdoor, travel, hospitality, apparel, footwear, health & wellness, lifestyle, and consumer brands.
Lead client meetings and present SEO strategies, recommendations, reporting insights, and performance updates in a clear and actionable way.
Build and evolve SEO strategies that support visibility, discoverability, traffic quality, engagement, and conversion goals.
Help clients understand how search behavior is shifting toward AI-generated summaries, conversational search, and emerging discovery platforms.
Identify growth opportunities, competitive risks, and strategic priorities during quarterly and annual business reviews.
Translate technical findings, analytics, and SEO performance into business-focused recommendations that stakeholders can easily understand and act on.
Lead SEO reporting and analysis using platforms such as GA4, Google Search Console, Adobe Analytics, Ahrefs, SEMrush, Screaming Frog, and related SEO tools.
Develop and execute keyword, content, search intent, and site optimization strategies aligned with customer behavior and business objectives.
Audit and improve technical SEO elements including crawlability, indexing, site architecture, internal linking, structured data, metadata, and page performance.
Support ecommerce SEO initiatives across platforms such as Shopify Plus and Adobe Commerce.
Partner with development teams to prioritize and implement technical SEO recommendations.
Monitor trends related to AI Overviews, generative search visibility, SERP volatility, and emerging search behaviors.
Use AI and LLM tools to support research, workflow improvements, data analysis, and strategic planning while applying strong critical thinking and business context.
Lead competitive research and stay informed on changes across SEO, AI search, ecommerce, and digital discovery platforms.
Manage multiple SEO initiatives and client priorities while maintaining strong organization and communication.
Help shape strategies focused on improving visibility within AI-generated search experiences and conversational platforms.
Optimize content and site structures to improve discoverability across platforms such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and other environments where consumers actively research products and brands.
Stay informed on the evolving relationship between SEO, AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), and consumer discovery behavior.
Collaborate closely with Content, Creative, Paid Media, Analytics, Engineering, and Client Strategy teams to align SEO efforts with broader marketing and business goals.
Mentor and support junior SEO team members through collaboration, feedback, and knowledge sharing.
Contribute ideas, testing opportunities, workflow improvements, and documentation that help the SEO department continue evolving.
Participate in internal initiatives, process improvements, and thought leadership opportunities that strengthen the SEO practice at 85SIXTY.