Head of SEO

DNM Digital; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Direct access to senior leadership

Ownership of SEO delivery standards

Exposure to enterprise-level clients

Job summary

DNM Digital is seeking a Head of SEO in Sydney to lead delivery standards and strategy across enterprise clients. This player-coach role blends hands-on SEO with broader ownership of performance, reporting and team development.

You will mentor a small team, collaborate with senior leadership, and scale the function as the agency grows, ensuring alignment with commercial objectives and high-quality client outcomes. The role requires technical depth and proactive KPI focus.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of SEO experience in an agency environment.
• 2+ years of team management experience, including hiring and coaching.
• Proven ability to lead people, not just campaigns.
• Comfortable owning performance, delivery quality, and outcomes.
• Excellent communicator managing senior stakeholders and junior staff.
• Highly organised and process-driven; KPI/metrics focused.
• Experience with enterprise-level clients, reporting frameworks and pricing discussions.

Responsibilities

• Lead an SEO team of 5 including senior specialists and offshore VAs.
• Run regular WIPs to manage workflow, priorities, and deadlines.
• Conduct one-on-ones to support development, accountability, and performance.
• Act as escalation point for delivery, performance, and client issues.
• Review team KPIs and provide clear, actionable feedback.
• Ensure all reporting meets DNM standards and monthly reporting is on time.
• Own performance risk reporting with mitigation plans.
• Maintain high delivery standards as the team grows.
• Personally manage a small portfolio of enterprise clients including strategy and performance.
• Support SEO upsells and quarterly business reviews; assist with new business pitches.
• Translate priorities and strategy down to the team; collaborate with accounts.

Skills

SEO experience

Team management

Leadership

Excellent communication

Process-driven

KPIs & reporting

Enterprise clients

GSC

GA4

SEMrush

Ahrefs

Technical SEO

AI in SEO

Tools

Google Search Console

GA4

SEMrush

Ahrefs

Job description

Head of SEO

Job Title: Head of SEO

Location: North Strathfield, Australia

Salary: 6 figures dependent on experience

We Offer

• Competitive 6 figure salary package based on seniority and experience
• Hybrid working
• Clear systems, expectations, and accountability
• Direct access to senior leadership
• Genuine ownership over SEO delivery standards
• Exposure to enterprise-level clients
• Career progression as the agency scales
• A high-performance team that values quality and results
• Regular team events and a strong internal culture

At DNM Digital, we are a performance-driven digital agency focused on SEO, content, and digital growth. We work with ambitious brands across Australia and internationally who care about measurable results, not vanity metrics.

We operate with accountability, clarity, and high standards. As we continue to scale, we are looking for a Head of SEO to lead the SEO team and ensure delivery quality, reporting standards, and performance remain strong across the agency.

This is a player-coach role suited to someone who still enjoys the craft of SEO but is ready to take broader ownership of strategy, delivery standards, and team development. You will initially lead a small internal team while working with external support resources, with the opportunity to shape how the SEO department evolves as the agency scales.

What You'll Be Doing

Team Leadership

• Lead an SEO team of 5 including senior specialists, and offshore VAs
• Run regular WIPs to manage workflow, priorities, and deadlines
• Conduct one-on-ones to support development, accountability, and performance
• Act as the escalation point for delivery, performance, and client issues

Performance & Standards

• Review team KPIs and provide clear, actionable feedback
• Ensure all reporting meets DNM reporting standards
• Ensure monthly reporting, link briefs, and content orders are completed on time
• Own performance risk reporting, ensuring risks are clearly identified and mitigation plans are documented
• Maintain high delivery standards as the team scales

Client Ownership

• Personally manage a small portfolio of enterprise-level SEO clients
• Oversee strategy, communication, and performance on those accounts
• Ensure work aligns with commercial objectives, not just SEO deliverables

Commercial & Growth

• Support the accounts team with SEO upsells, retention conversations, and quarterly business reviews
• Assist the business development team in closing key SEO accounts when needed
• Contribute to SEO service pricing to ensure we remain competitive without undervaluing delivery

Communication & Stakeholder Management

• Manage communication upwards to senior leadership
• Translate priorities and strategy clearly down to the team
• Work closely with the accounts and business development teams on retention, upsells, and new business pitches
• Provide visibility on performance, risks, and opportunities

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of SEO experience within an agency environment
• 2+ years of team management experience, including hiring and performance coaching
• Proven ability to lead people, not just campaigns
• Comfortable owning performance, delivery quality, and outcomes
• Excellent communicator who can confidently manage both senior stakeholders and junior team members
• Highly organised and process-driven
• Confident reviewing work, giving feedback, and holding people accountable
• Experience working with KPIs, reporting frameworks, and enterprise-level clients
• Proficient with core SEO tools including Google Search Console, GA4, SEMrush or Ahrefs
• Strong technical SEO knowledge — crawlability, indexation, site architecture, and Core Web Vitals
• Up to date with modern search trends including AI-driven search behaviour and entity-based SEO

SEO expertise matters, but judgement, leadership, and standards matter more in this role.

Key Targets

Success in this role is measured against the following:

• Client churn rate < 2.5%
• 80%+ of SEO clients hitting agreed KPI targets
• Monthly reporting delivered on time across 100% of accounts
• Team DLER > 3.33

Why This Role Is Different

This is a genuinely high-impact leadership role within a rapidly growing independent agency where SEO is at the core of the business.

SEO drives a significant portion of our revenue, making this a critical hire with real ownership and influence across the agency. You will work closely with senior leadership to ensure SEO continues to scale as a core growth channel for our clients and the business.

We're looking for someone who is:

• Technically sharp and comfortable being hands-on when needed
• Strong across technical SEO, AI, on-site optimisation, and commercial strategy
• Confident mentoring and developing SEOs
• Comfortable working directly with leadership to evolve the SEO function
• Thinking beyond outdated SEO playbooks and focused on modern search, entities, and AI-driven search behaviour