Senior SEO Specialist

One Core Media; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Highly competitive salary + bonus

Hybrid remote-friendly (2–3 days in‑of

Medical and dental benefits

Collaborative culture

Cross-disciplinary teamwork

Job summary

One Core Media is seeking a Senior SEO Specialist to lead a seasoned SEO team in a hybrid role based out of North York. You will execute campaigns hands-on while mentoring 2–3 days in-office weekly and collaborating with content, UX, and development teams to optimize AI-driven visibility.

You’ll drive local and global SEO initiatives, manage client relationships, and deliver data-driven insights through dashboards and reporting to showcase performance across channels.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of SEO agency experience, including leadership or management.
• Ability to lead, mentor, and grow a team while executing campaigns hands-on.
• Strong communication with clients and internal stakeholders.
• Experience with local, national, and global SEO strategies and Google Business Profile.
• Proficiency in keyword research, content marketing integration, and AI-enabled optimization.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage & execute SEO campaigns, mentoring a team of specialists.
• Design and implement cutting-edge SEO strategies blending traditional tactics with AI.
• Collaborate with content, UX and development to build schema and data for AI visibility.
• Oversee local SEO, Google Business Profile, reviews, and localized content programs.
• Develop dashboards and reports tracking rankings, traffic, conversions and AI metrics.
• Act as trusted advisor to clients, presenting strategies and results to stakeholders.

Skills

Team Leadership

SEO Strategy

Keyword Research

Content Marketing

Local SEO

Client Management

Cross-functional Collaboration

AI in SEO

Data-Driven Decisions

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant field

Tools

Google Analytics

Search Console

Schema & Structured Data

CMS Platforms

Job description

We’re a fully integrated performance agency - combining SEO, Paid Media, Creative, Brand Strategy, Web Development, CRO, and Data Analytics under one roof - with teams across Canada, the US, and Europe. We’re growing fast and looking for a Senior SEO Specialist who can do it all: execute campaigns hands‑on, lead and grow a team, and build trusted long‑term relationships with clients. You’ll be joining an established SEO team of 9 full‑time specialists - there’s real depth here to lead, collaborate with, and grow.

The Role

This is a hybrid role based out of our North York office, with 2–3 days per week in‑office preferred. Remote candidates are welcome to apply - we're open to the right fit regardless of location.

What You’ll Do

Lead, Manage & Execute

You're not just a strategist - you're hands‑on. You'll manage and mentor a team of SEO specialists while also rolling up your sleeves to execute campaigns directly. You set the standard by doing, and you build the team up by leading.

Design & Execute Cutting‑Edge SEO Strategies

• Plan, implement, and oversee holistic SEO campaigns for local, national, and global brands, blending traditional tactics with AI‑first optimization (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and other LLM platforms).
• Craft and refine content prompts tailored for large language models to secure featured snippets and AI‑powered answers.
• Collaborate with content, UX, and development teams to build schema and structured data that enhance AI Overviews and knowledge‑graph visibility.

Local SEO & Google Business Profile Mastery

• Optimize and manage Google Business Profiles to improve local pack rankings, drive customer actions, and deliver bottom‑line ROI.
• Implement review‑generation campaigns, citation audits, and localized content programs to strengthen presence in key markets.

Performance Measurement & Reporting

• Develop dashboards and reports that track both traditional KPIs (rankings, traffic, conversions) and emerging AI-driven metrics (AI answer appearances, LLM coverage).
• Translate insights into clear, actionable recommendations for clients and internal stakeholders.

Trusted Advisor & Client Relationship Owner

Serve as the primary SEO consultant for clients - someone they genuinely enjoy working with. Build strong, long‑term relationships, communicate complex ideas with clarity and confidence, and present strategies and results to stakeholders at all levels. You'll also support the sales team with pitches and SEO assessments.

What We’re Looking For

• HARO, Skyscraper techniques, manual outreach, and other creative link‑building approaches.
• AI Overviews optimization, and optimizing for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini.
• Deep‑drive keyword research and driving new page creation initiatives.
• Technical SEO auditing and feature prioritization.
• Working cross‑functionally with content teams and developers to execute SEO projects.
• Local Google Business Profile optimization from A to Z.
• Strategizing and managing link‑building projects with outside vendors.
• Organizing and leading client presentations, delivering performance reporting, and providing insightful recommendations.
• Proactively managing client accounts across multiple platforms, anticipating issues, and developing solution‑focused recommendations.

You Are Good At

• Developing short‑, mid‑, and long‑term SEO strategies.
• Leading brainstorms, generating ideas, and keeping projects organized.
• Taking hands‑on, creative approaches with content marketing.
• Staying current on new SEO research, AI, and emerging trends.
• Performing site‑specific keyword research and competitive analysis.
• Technical SEO audits and driving on‑page optimization implementation.
• Backlink analysis, opportunity identification, and link solicitation.
• Preparing and communicating regular and ad hoc performance reports.
• Managing and growing a team - delegating effectively, giving clear feedback, and developing people.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills - clients love working with you and your team trusts you.
• 5+ years of SEO agency experience, including at least 1–2 years in a team lead or management capacity.
• Solid knowledge of server technologies (caching, environments, logging).
• Ability to analyze, synthesize, and communicate critical data - and adjust strategies accordingly.
• A bachelor's or master's degree.
• High emotional intelligence, ownership, and accountability.
• Strong leadership presence - you inspire confidence in both your team and your clients.
• Advanced content marketing experience.
• Experience in PR outreach in North America is an advantage.

What We Offer

• Highly competitive salary + performance bonus - we benchmark above market and reward results.
• Flexible work arrangement: remote‑friendly with hybrid preferred (2–3 days in‑office at our North York location).
• Corporate medical and dental benefits.
• A genuinely energetic, collaborative culture where smart people push each other to do great work - no politics, no silos.
• Work alongside brand strategists, creatives, paid media specialists, data analysts, CRO experts, and web developers.
• Real opportunities for career growth into senior leadership as we scale across North America and Europe.

Ready to make an impact?

Tell us about yourself and how you want to make an impact on our clients and our team.