Associate Director - SEO

ABOUT THE ROLE You will lead Acxiom's SEO practice in MENA and the team that delivers organic search performance for high-profile clients, with accountability for client outcomes, delivery quality and revenue. The role sits between client leadership, technical SEO and commercial management. You set SEO strategy for each account, grow retainer value, evolve the offering for eCommerce and AI-driven search, and build the team as the client base expands. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Client leadership & delivery • Own end-to-end delivery of SEO programmes for key clients: strategy, scope, timelines, budget and KPI reporting. • Act as senior SEO adviser to clients; present performance and recommendations to client leadership, justifying spend and return. • Brief and coordinate specialist teams (analytics, content, development, outreach) to meet client KPIs. • Position SEO within the paid, owned and earned mix, working with media, social, content and CRM teams. Commercial growth & pipeline • Own revenue and margin for the SEO portfolio: work with finance on forecasts and revenue realisation; design profitable scopes. • Grow existing accounts through proactive account management and upsell; safeguard retainer spend with clear performance reporting. • Lead the SEO input to new business RFPs and pitches, and work with sales and agency partners to build pipeline. SEO products & eCommerce • Evolve the SEO offering, including eCommerce SEO (category, product and feed optimisation) and visibility in AI search such as AI Overviews and LLM answer engines. • Turn proven work into reusable products: audit frameworks, playbooks and reporting dashboards. • Publish points of view and case studies, enter industry awards, and represent Acxiom at conferences and client events. People, partners & operations • Hire, coach and develop the team; set goals, run 1:1s and appraisals, and build development plans that retain talent. • Run the weekly team WIP; own the quality of team output and report weekly on project and business status to the Regional Director. • Manage SEO tools and vendors for value; coordinate with Acxiom global offices and roll out global initiatives in the region. MUST-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS • 8+ years in SEO or organic search at an agency, in-house or at a consultancy, including 3+ years leading teams. • Track record of retaining and growing high-profile client relationships with significant ongoing SEO billings. • Deep expertise in technical SEO, content and on-page optimisation and authority building (digital PR, outreach); working knowledge of SMO. • Commercial skills: forecasting, profitable scoping and managing delivery against budget. • Experience of eCommerce SEO and of driving organic visibility from shopper interest. • Experience justifying SEO investment to direct-response clients with clear, ongoing reporting. • Hands-on with Google Search Console, GA4, Semrush or Ahrefs, Screaming Frog and Looker Studio. • Strong project management; confident presenting to senior client stakeholders. • Active presence in the SEO community: speaking, published thought leadership or professional memberships. NICE TO HAVE • Experience optimising for generative and AI search (GEO / AI Overviews). • Bilingual English-Arabic SEO and multi-market GCC experience across retail, telco, real estate, automotive or luxury. • Experience combining SEO with first-party data, audience insights or customer data platforms. • Track record of awards, case studies or award shortlists in search. • Bachelor's degree in marketing, business or a related field; Arabic is a plus.

8+ years in SEO or organic search at an agency, in-house or at a consultancy, including 3+ years leading teams. Track record of retaining and growing high-profile client relationships with significant ongoing SEO billings. Deep expertise in technical SEO, content and on-page optimisation and authority building (digital PR, outreach); working knowledge of SMO. Commercial skills: forecasting, profitable scoping and managing delivery against budget. Experience of eCommerce SEO and of driving organic visibility from shopper interest. Experience justifying SEO investment to direct-response clients with clear, ongoing reporting. Hands-on with Google Search Console, GA4, Semrush or Ahrefs, Screaming Frog and Looker Studio. Strong project management; confident presenting to senior client stakeholders. Active presence in the SEO community: speaking, published thought leadership or professional memberships.

Own end-to-end delivery of SEO programmes for key clients: strategy, scope, timelines, budget and KPI reporting. Act as senior SEO adviser to clients; present performance and recommendations to client leadership, justifying spend and return. Brief and coordinate specialist teams (analytics, content, development, outreach) to meet client KPIs. Position SEO within the paid, owned and earned mix, working with media, social, content and CRM teams. Own revenue and margin for the SEO portfolio: work with finance on forecasts and revenue realisation; design profitable scopes. Grow existing accounts through proactive account management and upsell; safeguard retainer spend with clear performance reporting. Lead the SEO input to new business RFPs and pitches, and work with sales and agency partners to build pipeline. Evolve the SEO offering, including eCommerce SEO (category, product and feed optimisation) and visibility in AI search such as AI Overviews and LLM answer engines. Turn proven work into reusable products: audit frameworks, playbooks and reporting dashboards. Publish points of view and case studies, enter industry awards, and represent Acxiom at conferences and client events. Hire, coach and develop the team; set goals, run 1:1s and appraisals, and build development plans that retain talent. Run the weekly team WIP; own the quality of team output and report weekly on project and business status to the Regional Director. Manage SEO tools and vendors for value; coordinate with Acxiom global offices and roll out global initiatives in the region.