Director of Organic Growth & AI SEO

Cars.com; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Cars.com is seeking a strategic and innovative Director of Organic Acquisition to lead organic search growth. The role focuses on driving high-quality traffic and leads through advanced SEO, AEO, and AI-driven content development, shaping how Cars.com discovers and engages users in a landscape influenced by generative AI.

The candidate will guide a two-report team, collaborate with Product, Engineering, Editorial, Analytics, and other teams, and report to the Sr. Director of Brand and Content.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience total with a majority in SEO
• 5+ years of people management experience
• Deep expertise in SEO strategy, technical and content SEO
• Strong understanding of how LLMs parse content and communicate concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Experience at sites with high organic traffic is a plus
• Proven track record of driving organic growth through innovation and experimentation

Responsibilities

• Develop and own the organic acquisition strategy for Cars.com across technical, content, and LLM optimization
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, UX, Editorial, Analytics and other teams to align roadmaps and drive SEO-led growth
• Audit site health,竞争 performance, and implement best-in-class SEO practices
• Partner with Editorial to identify content opportunities aligned with consumer search intent
• Lead innovative content testing frameworks and AI-assisted copy strategies
• Advocate for SEO across the organization and educate stakeholders on its long-term impact
• Manage a high-performing SEO team and coordinate with Paid Media for full-funnel success
• Guide B2B and investor relations SEO strategy and share industry thought leadership

Skills

SEO strategy

Technical SEO

Content SEO

LLM optimization

Team leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytics

Stakeholder education

Job description

Cars.com is seeking a strategic and innovative Director of Organic Acquisition to lead organic search growth. The role focuses on driving high-quality traffic and leads through advanced SEO, AEO, and AI-driven content development, shaping how Cars.com discovers and engages users in a landscape influenced by generative AI.

The candidate will guide a two-report team, collaborate with Product, Engineering, Editorial, Analytics, and other teams, and report to the Sr. Director of Brand and Content.