Director of SEO

Critical Mass; Calgary; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading digital marketing agency in Calgary is seeking a Director of SEO to define and lead innovative SEO strategies for various global brands. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in managing SEO teams and driving measurable outcomes, while fostering collaboration across departments. This contract role offers the opportunity to shape SEO initiatives until March 30, 2026.

Qualifications

• 8-10+ years of search experience, including 3+ years leading high-performing teams.
• Track record of driving measurable performance improvements.
• Deep understanding of search engine algorithms and technical SEO.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creation and optimization of holistic search strategies.
• Hire and manage a high-performing team of search strategists.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to incorporate SEO best practices.

Skills

Search engine optimization

Data analysis

Team leadership

Communication

Project management

Tools

SEMrush

Google Analytics

Tableau

Job description

In this role, you’ll define and lead the vision for best-in-class SEO strategies across some of the world’s most recognized brands.

As Director of SEO, you are both a strategic leader and a hands‑on innovator—able to translate the evolving search landscape into actionable opportunities for clients and the agency alike. You know how to unlock the stories found in data, and translate those stories into opportunities to meet customers wherever they’re searching. You’ll use search insights to craft data‑driven strategies that demonstrate a deep understanding of our clients’ businesses, objectives, and customers. You’ll also develop strategic SEO roadmaps and processes to drive measurable results through content strategy, user experience, and a strong technical foundation.

You’ll play a pivotal role in expanding our SEO services and capabilities, building high‑performance teams, and helping our clients achieve toptier performance.

This is a contract role until March 30, 2026.

You Will

• Lead the creation, definition, execution, and optimization of holistic search strategies
• Represent the Search practice within the agency as a senior strategic thought leader, innovator, and champion for the role of search across the customer journey
• Hire, manage, and grow a high‑performing team of search strategists
• Serve as an integral part of the account leadership team, making recommendations on strategy and approach to drive innovation and performance
• Use search data (in conjunction with other research sources) to understand user intent, drive content strategies, and identify business opportunities for clients
• Pitch and implement new search projects and service offerings
• Lead and implement AI Search Optimization/GEO strategies
• Define success metrics and translate SEO results to business objectives
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to incorporate SEO strategies and best practices
• Deliver actionable insights and strategic recommendations to clients through insightful, visually compelling reports
• Optimize social search channels (e.g. YouTube, TikTok) to maximize brand and content visibility across the digital landscape
• Integrate paid and organic search strategies and workflows to reduce costs while maximizing key business activities
• Conduct regular SEO audits and competitive analyses
• Effectively convey SEO concepts and success stories in a concise and easy‑to‑understand manner
• Develop frameworks and processes to systematically track and improve search performance
• Define search‑driven guidelines and requirements for page content, copy, page speed, accessibility, indexability, structured markup, site architecture, URL structure, page titles, meta descriptions, headings, anchor text, internal linking, site maps, etc.
• Monitor, analyze, and report on search results and performance to both internal and external stakeholders
• Keep current with the latest digital trends and changes in the search marketing landscape, identifying new opportunities for clients (e.g. AI search, ML‑driven automation, visual search, voice search, social search, etc.)

You Have

• 8-10+ years of search experience, including 3+ years leading high‑performing teams
• Experience leading and managing a team of SEO specialists
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with strong presentation and data storytelling skills
• Track record of driving measurable performance improvements
• Ecomm/retail SEO strategy and experience (e.g. optimizing product/category pages), with a systematic approach that has driven measurable results and incorporates
• Experience with GEO and AI search optimization for both AI Overviews and LLMs (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Mode, etc.)
• Experience with global brands and international SEO, including strategies for multiple regional sites, languages, etc.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to drive progress and manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Experience defining and documenting internal processes and best practices to improve SEO implementation
• Deep understanding of search engine algorithms, ranking factors, SEO best practices, and technical SEO
• Proficiency in third‑party SEO/SEM tools, such as SEMrush, BrightEdge, Ahrefs, ScreamingFrog, etc.
• Proficiency in data analytics and visualization tools, such as Google Analytics, Google Data Studio, Adobe Analytics, Google Search Console, Tableau, etc.
• Experience with GEO/AI search tracking tools, such as Profound, BlueFish, BrightEdge AI Catalyst, etc.
• Strong Excel skills, including pivot tables, vlook‑ups, and comfort working with large datasets
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and make data‑driven decisions
• Experience developing and executing content strategies that improve brand visibility, traffic and engagement through content creation and optimization
• Experience with testing and leveraging AI tools (ChatGPT, etc.) for SEO tasks and workflows
• Experience with paid search/SEM, or experience driving integration of SEO/SEM strategies and workflows

Critical Mass is an equal opportunity employer.

As set forth in Critical Mass’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.