Associate Director of Search Experience

**We support 100% remote, in-office, or hybrid work styles for anyone legally eligible to work in the U.S. 

A day in the life:

As the Associate Director of Search Experience, you are a player-coach leader who owns two things above all else: the people on your pod, and the quality of the work that pod produces. You are the person whose judgment, craft, and consistency has earned the genuine trust of the people you lead. You lead from the front, capable of sitting in a new business pitch or an existing client meeting and speaking to Search Experience strategy directly, while also being capable of stepping into execution when needed and doing it at an exemplary standard. You ask nothing of your team that you wouldn't do yourself.

You oversee a pod of search experience professionals, directly managing specialists through senior strategists while providing strategic guidance that drives team growth, retention, and exceptional client outcomes. You are hands-on in ensuring client satisfaction, serving as the first point of escalation, and contributing to high-level Search Experience strategy spanning SEO, GEO/AEO, and content. Beyond client delivery, you champion the evolution of the Search Experience product offering, staying ahead of AI search behaviors and generative search platform changes and ensuring your pod is fluent and prepared. As an AI-Native Channel Architect, you treat Claude, Omega, Iris, and the broader Nova ecosystem as core to how the work gets done, automating repetitive analysis so your time goes toward judgment, strategy, and client relationships. You are on the roadmap to Director, using this role to build the people leadership, product judgment, and cross-functional fluency that role demands.

Key Responsibilities:

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and manage a pod of search experience professionals, including 2-4 direct reports from specialist to senior strategist level.
• Build and maintain individual development plans, coaching cadences, and mentorship for every member of the pod.
• Own team retention via positive team sentiment and clear paths for growth.
• Drive performance management using the ARC framework (Activities, Resources, Capabilities). Diagnose underperformance quickly and accurately, deliver timely and direct feedback as well as raise and promotion recommendations.
• Oversee capacity planning and staffing for search experience pod.
• Generate innovation and foster team training and development (i.e new product updates, channel knowledge, etc) in conjunction with R&D team.

Client Oversight & Strategy

• Provide executive-level oversight for client accounts within the pod, including direct, hands-on support and/or act as an Account Director.
• Serve as the first point of escalation for client concerns, offering strategic guidance and resolving issues with a solutions-first mindset.
• Support high-level strategy development, performance tracking, and internal audit requests to ensure exceptional delivery.
• Track client churn and churn trends within the pod's book of business, and intervene early where risk signals appear.

New Business & Growth

• Contribute to new business efforts by supporting audits, pitches, and opportunity identification.
• Develop compelling case studies to highlight team and client successes.
• Identify and act on key areas of opportunity for service expansions within the book of business.

Product Innovation & Quality

• Own product quality for the pod through consistent, accountable QA processes that catch errors before they become client-facing or revenue-impacting.
• Proactively pursue Search Experience channel evolution outside of day-to-day client work, including reading industry sources, pursuing certifications, and running informal experiments on GEO/AEO and AI search.
• Centralize learnings from the pod's tests and share them with the division.
• Lead knowledge-sharing initiatives and quarterly brainstorms to push the Search Experience product forward.
• Use Claude, Omega, Iris, and Nova tools daily to automate repetitive search analysis (rank tracking, GEO/AEO visibility monitoring, reporting, QA checks), freeing time for strategic judgment and client relationships.
• Maintain full working knowledge of the Power Circuit and Nova ecosystem, and drive completion and adoption across the pod.

Recruitment & Talent Acquisition

• Drive team growth by supporting recruitment efforts, conducting interviews, assessing channel-specific skills, and building business cases for new hires.
• Other applicable or related duties as assigned.
• Employ AI technologies to enhance and optimize business processes
• Utilize and leverage Power Digital's Nova ecosystem as it relates to your department

Role Requirements:

• 4-5 years of digital marketing experience, 3+ in an agency setting
• Minimum 5 years of hands-on experience with search experience execution
• 3+ years of experience managing a team, including performance management and development planning
• Strong understanding of search experience’s place in the marketing funnel
• Working knowledge of organic search, GEO/AEO concepts, AI search behaviors
• Other skills required: 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Self-motivated with a strong desire to build the team and the product. 
• Strong demonstration of AI usage to optimize workflows. 
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Strong work ethic and ability to learn quickly and independently.
• Interested in a long-lasting relationship with a growing company.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Hit Division P&L Goals (as established quarterly)
  • Division ETCR Target (as established quarterly)
  • Organic Search Contribution Margin: 50-60% 
  • Average Organic Search Revenue per Employee: $30k
• +90% Organic Search Pod Retention
• Retention Rate of Service: 95% 
• Personal Revenue per Employee - $10K RPE
• 8.8 Average Client NPS

Most Important Things (MITs)

• Effectively manage your pod to create a positive team member experience aligned with company objectives
• Delivery of a top-tier product for our clients by our team
• Own the growth and evolution of the Search Experience product offering, not just its day-to-day delivery
• Oversee the growth and retention of the team and clients

Benefits & Perks:

• Base salary + commission opportunities
• Robust Medical, Dental, Vision insurance plans with up to 100% employer contribution towards employee monthly premium
• 401(k) plan - 4% employer contribution matching 
• Unlimited Time Off available on day one
• Up to 4 hours per quarter for paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO) towards philanthropic endeavors
• Fully flex work environment: full-remote, in-office, or hybrid 
• A one time $100 USD Work From Home (WFH) stipend automatically added to your first paycheck
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 12 observed United States national holidays + 2 mental health recharge days per year
• Unlimited opportunities for growth & leadership within a rapidly growing firm
• Ongoing employee development programs for personal and professional growth (Hedgehog and Vital 5s)
• Quarterly awards including prize money and recognition for outstanding performance
• Opportunities to be involved in company DEI initiatives