Search Lead

At Critical Mass, the Search Lead advances account- and practice-level priorities by leading data-driven Search strategy and delivery for a leading financial-services client. The role brings together search engine optimization (SEO), generative engine optimization (GEO), and AI Search to turn consumer intent, technical performance, content, brand signals, and competitive intelligence into prioritized roadmaps and measurable business outcomes. Reporting to the Search Director, the Search Lead partners closely with them to investigate, validate, and strengthen the overarching Search strategy, bringing forward alternative approaches and opportunities to amplify impact while leading day-to-day execution, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and team development.
You WillSearch Strategy and AI Discovery
Partner with the Search Director to investigate, validate, and refine integrated SEO/GEO/AI Search strategies, identifying alternative approaches and opportunities to amplify strategic impact while leading day-to-day execution, current-state assessments, strategic recommendations, and prioritized roadmaps.
Direct AI brand and narrative audits to understand how a client’s brand, products, and services appear across major AI platforms, examining visibility, sentiment, citations, recommendation frequency, sources, and AI-generated narratives.
Map search demand, consumer intent, and AI-assisted financial discovery journeys, identifying priority topics, conversational prompts, decision points, and content opportunities.
Lead competitive and category benchmarking across search and AI environments, evaluating competitors, aggregators, and category leaders to uncover visibility gaps, whitespace opportunities, and narrative advantages.
Develop an integrated brand ecosystem GEO strategy across owned, earned, and paid channels, aligning content, authority signals, partnerships, and brand narratives.
Technical, Content, and Channel Optimization
Oversee technical SEO and AI-readiness assessments covering crawlability, indexability, rendering, semantic structure, schema markup, site architecture, internal linking, and content accessibility;
prioritize barriers to discoverability and citation authority with technical teams.
Guide content optimization strategies across product pages, FAQs, educational content, and supporting assets, emphasizing semantic clarity, embedding alignment, answer-first formats, relevant topic coverage, and discoverability in traditional and AI-generated results.
Provide ongoing technical and content optimization recommendations and implementation support, informed by search behavior, major algorithm changes, and developments in large language models and AI discovery.
Coordinate integrated SEO/SEM strategies and measurement to strengthen brand visibility throughout the funnel, improve efficiency, and connect organic, paid, and relevant social search opportunities.
Performance, Client Partnership, and Cross-Functional Delivery
Define success metrics tied to client business objectives;
develop holistic dashboards and interpret performance across traditional and AI search, including visibility, citations, competitive presence, and other relevant outcomes.
Lead ongoing performance monitoring and quarterly SEO/GEO reporting, supported by monthly planning and status discussions that clarify priorities, progress, findings, next steps, and strategic opportunities.
Facilitate recurring working sessions across content, paid media, social, PR, creative, analytics, technology, and partner agencies;
establish aligned priorities, shared briefs, and coordinated execution.
Deliver polished, insight-led reports, strategic points of view, and presentations for senior internal and client stakeholders, translating complex data and technical topics into actionable decisions.
Team and Practice Leadership
Lead and organize Search workstreams, translating project requirements into clear assignments and next steps;
oversee quality, timelines, and consistency of client deliverables while keeping Search discipline and account leads informed.
Manage and coach direct reports where assigned, proactively assess team needs, review and refine work and presentations, and support career development aligned with Critical Mass expectations.
Advance Search practice capabilities through knowledge-sharing, cross-disciplinary education, strategic frameworks, tools, processes, and automation;
support new business pitches, RFPs, and opportunities to expand existing client programs.
What You Will Do
Advanced understanding of Search strategy and SEO, including technical optimization, search-driven content strategy, consumer intent, competitive analysis, and the translation of insights into business priorities.
Ability to lead GEO and AI Search strategy, including AI visibility and narrative analysis, prompt and journey research, AI-oriented technical and content assessments, and practical optimization recommendations.
Strong analytical judgment and data storytelling skills, with the ability to establish success measures,
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