Sr. Manager, SEO + GEO

Walker Sands•Chicago, MA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Walker Sands is seeking a high-impact Sr. Manager, SEO + GEO to join their growing B2B marketing agency. This role focuses on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), including optimizing for AI-generated answers (also known as Answer Engine Optimization - AEO). The position involves innovative, cutting-edge work at the intersection of Search and AI, integrated with earned, owned, shared, and paid media. The Senior Manager will bring deep expertise to B2B client programs, collaborating on strategy, conducting technical audits, performing optimizations, and measuring results. The role requires someone who enjoys investigating complex questions and testing new approaches. As a core member of account SEO and GEO teams, the Senior Manager will act as a subject matter expert, defining priorities and executing client work. Collaboration with account leads, senior strategists, clients, and teammates across PR, content, social, paid media, web, and analytics is essential to connect search insights and amplify results across channels.

Requirements

A strong track record in SEO, including making substantial contributions to complex client programs and demonstrating results.
5+ years of relevant experience (depth of work matters most).
Practical experience improving visibility in AI-generated answers (GEO or AEO), including audits, optimization, and measurement, plus a desire to keep testing and learning as the field develops.
Deep technical SEO knowledge and the ability to investigate issues, give developers clear recommendations, and verify implementation.
Comfortable moving between strategy and the details.
Expert-level SEO and GEO judgment across audience, keyword and prompt research, content optimization, site architecture, authority, and measurement.
Ability to connect detailed recommendations to the broader search and integrated marketing strategy.
Confidence working with Google Search Console, GA4, crawl tools, SEO research platforms, and AI visibility tools.
Ability to pull and analyze raw data, identify actionable insights in complex data sets, and explain metrics in the context of client goals.
Ability to learn clients’ products, solutions, buyer personas, and business context, and understand their CMS, analytics, and related platforms well enough to recommend feasible improvements.
Clear writing and confident client communication, including conversations with senior leaders.
Ability to produce client-ready recommendations, ask thoughtful questions, explain tradeoffs, and collaborate effectively across disciplines.
A consultative mindset, curiosity about SEO and GEO, and sound judgment when using AI assistants.
Ability to anticipate needs, solve problems proactively, and balance several clients’ priorities with close attention to accuracy and deadlines.

Nice To Haves

Proactive approach: bringing ideas, solutions, and momentum without waiting for direction.
Collaborative spirit: making work better by working well with others.
Innovative mindset: staying ahead of platform changes, emerging tools, and new approaches, and helping the team adopt them thoughtfully.
Agency readiness: maintaining pace, navigating shifting priorities, and helping the team do the same.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with account leads and senior strategists to help define SEO and GEO strategies.
Understand each client’s products, solutions, audiences, and business goals; use that context to set priorities and develop proactive, practical recommendations.
Independently manage assigned projects, workstreams, and deliverables across multiple client programs.
Delegate work to interns, Specialists, and Senior Specialists as appropriate, providing clear direction and reviewing deliverables for quality.
Use agency and client project management systems to organize work and keep execution moving.
Conduct and review technical SEO and GEO audits, investigating crawlability, indexing, rendering, site architecture, internal linking, structured data, and access for relevant search and AI crawlers.
Work with web teams to implement and validate fixes.
Research keywords, buyer questions, AI prompts, competitors, and the publications, communities, and other sources that shape AI answers.
Turn findings into content, website, and authority-building recommendations, collaborating with PR and content teams on opportunities to strengthen client visibility.
Develop content briefs and outlines that guide writers in creating content aligned with clients’ business goals and audience needs.
Translate keyword, prompt, and audience research into clear direction on topics, structure, and questions to address, helping content perform in organic search and AI answers.
Develop and review content optimization recommendations for organic search and AI discovery, helping clients make their expertise clear, useful, credible, and relevant to buyers.
Help define measurement plans and prepare and review accurate, regular reporting for account and client leads.
Analyze organic search performance, qualified traffic and conversions, AI visibility and share of voice, brand mentions, citations, and competitor trends.
Explain findings and measurement limits, and provide actionable recommendations tied to client goals.
Collaborate in client conversations from onboarding through ongoing strategy and reporting.
Explain complex concepts and deliver consultative strategic recommendations that align with clients’ business needs.
Communicate strategy, findings, and metrics clearly to practitioners and executives, recommend solutions to roadblocks, and raise opportunities for other agency services with Client Services.
May manage direct reports or interns and coach teammates as team needs allow, including teaching research, technical methods, reporting, and interpretation through work reviews and training.
Partner with account leads on scope, priorities, and internal and client deadlines.
Take responsibility for assigned deliverables and delegated work, communicate timeline changes early, and coordinate execution with other disciplines.
Use AI assistants for research, analysis, and developing ideas. Check sources and outputs, apply your judgment, and help the team improve its workflows.
Maintain a commitment to constant learning and experimentation, including staying current on SEO, GEO, analytics, and broader marketing trends.
Test new approaches, share what you learn, and help turn successful experiments into repeatable methods the team can use across client programs.

Benefits

Total compensation between $77,500 - $89,000 per year.
Bonus potential based on company performance.
Clear career paths, mentorship programs, and learning events.
Flexible PTO and Hybrid Work (includes 8 paid holidays, half-day summer Fridays, and a week off between Christmas and New Year).
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
Mental health resources.
Pet insurance.
Employer-matched 401(k) and access to financial planning services.
Life insurance.
Disability coverage.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for confidential support.
Paid leave for new parents and caregivers.
Policies for fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, adoption challenges.
Regular performance reviews, clear goal-setting, and ongoing coaching.
Milestone Sabbatical: two-week sabbatical and a $2,000 gift after five years.
Employee resource groups.
Volunteer opportunities.
Award-winning culture.