Director, Organic Acquisition

Cars.com LLC; United States; Remote; USD 154,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) match

Stock Purchase Plan

Flexible time off

Paid parental and caregiver leave

Home office stipend

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Cars.com LLC is seeking a strategic Director of Organic Acquisition to lead SEO growth across Cars.com and related sites. You will guide technical, content, and AI-driven initiatives, partner with Product, Engineering and Editorial, and build a high-performing team to drive traffic, leads, and brand health.

The role emphasizes innovation in AI-enabled search, strong measurement of rankings, and collaboration with Paid Media for full-funnel impact.

Qualifications

• 10+ years overall in SEO or related field with 5+ years in people management
• Deep expertise in SEO strategy, technical and content SEO
• Strong understanding of how LLMs parse content and explain concepts to non-tech stakeholders
• Experience at a site with 2M+ monthly organic visits is preferred
• Proven track record of driving organic growth through innovation and cross-functional influence
• Excellent written and verbal communication; external thought leadership is a plus

Responsibilities

• Own and lead organic acquisition strategy for Cars.com across technical, content, and LLM optimization
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and UX to align roadmaps and drive SEO engineers
• Regularly audit site health, performance, and competitors
• Collaborate with Editorial to identify content opportunities aligned with consumer intent and goals
• Develop frameworks for content testing and AI-assisted copywriting
• Lead and mentor a two-person team and collaborate with Paid Media for full-funnel success
• Advise on B2B and investor sites and share best practices with dealer SEO teams
• evangelize SEO across the organization and foster a culture of innovation and accountability

Skills

SEO strategy

Technical SEO

Content SEO

Leadership

Cross-functional influence

Communication

LLM awareness

Tools

Google Search Console

GA4

SEMrush

Ahrefs

Screaming Frog

Lumar

Job description

Power confident decisions at Cars.com Cars.com is the marketplace millions of people trust to buy and sell cars with confidence. More than 25 years ago, we started as a simple idea, connect buyers and sellers, and today we do a lot more: trusted reviews, transparent pricing, and real-time, proprietary data that cut through the noise of one of life's biggest purchases. Our scaled marketplace, paired with interconnected technology, data, and media, gives dealers and OEMs everything they need to sell more cars. At Cars.com, we debate openly, decide fast, and deliver what we say we will. We solve real problems for car shoppers and dealers, simplify for speed, and focus on what matters most. We win together or not at all. Here, your work counts, your ideas can help shape what’s next, and you’ll build alongside people who have your back. We’re in the middle of a real transformation, modernizing the company and investing in AI and data to move faster. You're joining the No. 1 brand people think of first when shopping for a car, at the exact moment it's being rebuilt for what's next. You help decide what that becomes. That kind of influence is rare, and it's exactly why this is a place worth building your career. Don't just take our word for it, we're proud to be named one of Built In's 2026 Best Places to Work in Chicago and across the U.S. Ready to help build the most trusted place to buy and sell a car? Join us.

We are looking for a strategic and innovative Director of Organic Acquisition to lead organic search growth efforts for Cars.com. This is a highly visible role focused on driving growth via high-quality, scalable traffic and leads using forward-thinking SEO and AEO techniques, innovative content development, and data-led recommendations and experimentation—all while navigating the fast-paced and ever-changing search landscape. The ideal candidate will bring deep SEO expertise, creative and innovative thinking, and strong leadership to help us improve discoverability, amplify brand presence, and convert organic visibility into measurable business results. We are seeking a leader who can guide the organization through the search transformation—from a traditional SEO organization to one that is positioning our brand at the forefront of user search discovery within LLMs, generative AI outputs and agentic solutions. This role will work cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Editorial, Analytics, and more—crafting a modern SEO and AEO program that’s consumer‑centric and results‑oriented. You will report to the Sr. Director of Brand and Content. This role has two direct reports and is focused on the B2C website Cars.com while also advising on the B2C site and our investor relations site, as well as partnering with our dealer SEO Services team on best practices and thought leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

• SEO Strategy & Execution Own and lead organic acquisition strategy for Cars.com including all aspects of SEO from technical, to content to LLM optimization and innovation to drive transformative growth in website traffic and leads
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and UX teams to refine and execute strategy against an aligned roadmap and PM SEO engineers against dedicated roadmap
• Regularly audit competitors, site health and organic performance using best‑in‑class tools
• Partner with Editorial teams to identify new content opportunities that align with consumer search intent and business goals.
• Build innovative frameworks for content testing (e.g., modular SEO content, FAQ schemas, AI-assisted copywriting).
• Champion thought leadership and act as organization SME on the ever changing landscape around AI, LLM search and consumer search behavior to ensure SEO strategy remains relevant and impactful.
• Own SEO analytics - Make decisions on vendors and tooling and report on rankings, traffic, CTR, conversions and other relevant metrics.
• Lead and manage a high performing team with two direct reports to achieve SEO objectives
• Work closely with Paid Media to align organic and paid strategies for full‑funnel success
• Advise on the B2B site and our investor relations site, and partner with our dealer SEO Services team on best practices and industry thought leadership
• Advocate and evangelize for SEO across the organization and educate stakeholders on its role in long‑term growth and brand health
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience total with a majority in SEO or related field with 5+ years of people management experience
• Deep expertise in SEO strategy, technical and content SEO
• Deep technical understanding of how LLMs parse content while still able to clearly explain these concepts to someone with less technical fluency.
• Preferred experience at a site with 2M+ monthly organic visits
• Experience in a media company a plus
• Proven track record of driving organic growth through innovation, experimentation, and cross‑functional influence
• Highly proficient in tools like Google Search Console, GA4, SEMrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, Lumar, and related platforms
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and experience with external thought leadership speaking or writing a plus

Compensation

We share compensation up front so you have the information you need to make a confident decision. This range reflects target base compensation. Where you land depends on skills and experience. Salary Range: $154,200.00-192,750.00

Benefits

Benefits Confidence, built in. The same confidence we build for car buyers and sellers, we build into how we treat our own:

• Medical, dental & vision from day one — no waiting period
• 401(k) with company match, immediate vesting
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan — buy Cars.com stock at a discount
• Unlimited Flex Time Off, 11 paid holidays, 1 volunteer day
• Paid parental and caregiver leave
• $350 one‑time home office stipend + $70/month for virtual‑first work
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year ...and more — see our full Benefits, Perks & Culture here

Legal

For US‑based positions: Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. We're unable to sponsor employment visas at this time. Cars.com is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Applicants: click here to review our Privacy Policy for Applicants.

Current employees: click here to review our California Privacy Policy for Employees.

Brand & sub-brands

U.S. Cars.com: You'll work under the Cars.com name. U.S. Dealer Inspire: You'll work for Cars.com, but build our Dealer Inspire technology. Dealer Inspire is owned by Cars.com and serves as our digital experience sub‑brand for dealers in the U.S. Canada: You'll work for Cars.com, but build our D2C Media technology for the Canadian market. D2C Media is owned by Cars.com and serves as our digital experience brand in Canada.

What we don't have yet is everyone we need to get there. That's where you come in. We are looking for strong talent to help build what’s next.