Sr. Manager, SEO + GEO

Walker Sands; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 78,000 - 89,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401(k) retirement match

Flexible PTO

Hybrid work

Job summary

Walker Sands is a fast-growing B2B marketing agency seeking a Senior Manager of SEO + GEO to drive search strategy and client outcomes in a hybrid Chicago-area role. You will lead technical audits, optimize for AI-driven search, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to connect search insights with content, PR, and analytics.

You’ll own priority client programs, mentor teammates, and shape measurement plans while staying ahead of SEO and AI trends to deliver measurable results.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant SEO experience in client programs.
• Experience with GEO/AEO and AI-related optimization.
• Strong technical SEO and site-audit skills.
• Clear writing and client-facing communication.
• Ability to analyze metrics and tie insights to business goals.

Responsibilities

• Define SEO and GEO strategies with account leads and senior strategists.
• Manage multiple client programs and deliverables across workstreams.
• Conduct technical SEO and GEO audits and validate fixes.
• Research keywords, AI prompts, and competitors to shape content and authority.
• Develop content briefs and outlines aligned with client goals.
• Create and review content optimization for organic search and AI discovery.
• Define measurement plans and review reporting on performance metrics.
• Translate complex concepts into client-ready recommendations.

Skills

SEO strategy

GEO / AEO

Technical SEO

Client communication

Data analysis

Tools

Google Search Console

GA4

Crawl tools

AI visibility tools

Job description

Walker Sands is one of the fastest-growing integrated B2B marketing agencies in the world. We are looking for a high-impact Sr. Manager, SEO + GEO to help fuel that continued growth. Total compensation for this role is expected to be between $77,500 - $89,000

As an agency, we exist to accelerate growth—for our clients, our people and the B2B industry. We partner with B2B technology and services companies, from high-growth Silicon Valley businesses to global Fortune 500 brands, to drive meaningful business results. At Walker Sands, curiosity sparks new ideas, collaboration makes the work stronger, and people are at the center of everything we do.

Walker Sands is looking for a Senior Manager who loves digging into how search works and helping clients get found. Search engine optimization (SEO) and generative engine optimization (GEO) are part of our agency DNA. Our GEO work includes optimizing for AI-generated answers, an area you may know as answer engine optimization (AEO). We do innovative, cutting-edge work in Search and AI, exploring how they intersect with earned, owned, shared, and paid media. You’ll bring deep expertise to B2B client programs, collaborating on strategy and getting hands-on with technical audits, optimization, and measurement. We’re looking for someone who enjoys investigating difficult questions and testing new approaches.

As a Senior Manager, you’ll be a core member of account SEO and GEO teams and a subject matter expert who helps define priorities and turn ideas into effective client work. You’ll collaborate with account leads, senior strategists, and clients, and may serve as the lead on some engagements. Integrated marketing programs are the norm here: you’ll work with PR, content, social, paid media, web, and analytics teammates to connect search insights with their work and amplify results across channels.

What You Will Do (Responsibilities)

• Collaborate with account leads and senior strategists to help define SEO and GEO strategies. Understand each client’s products, solutions, audiences, and business goals; use that context to set priorities and develop proactive, practical recommendations.
• Independently manage assigned projects, workstreams, and deliverables across multiple client programs. Delegate work to interns, Specialists, and Senior Specialists as appropriate, providing clear direction and reviewing deliverables for quality. Use agency and client project management systems to organize work and keep execution moving.
• Conduct and review technical SEO and GEO audits. Investigate crawlability, indexing, rendering, site architecture, internal linking, structured data, and access for relevant search and AI crawlers. Work with web teams to implement and validate fixes.
• Research keywords, buyer questions, AI prompts, competitors, and the publications, communities, and other sources that shape AI answers. Turn findings into content, website, and authority-building recommendations, collaborating with PR and content teams on opportunities to strengthen client visibility.
• Develop content briefs and outlines that guide writers in creating content aligned with clients’ business goals and audience needs. Translate keyword, prompt, and audience research into clear direction on topics, structure, and questions to address, helping content perform in organic search and AI answers.
• Develop and review content optimization recommendations for organic search and AI discovery, helping clients make their expertise clear, useful, credible, and relevant to buyers.
• Help define measurement plans and prepare and review accurate, regular reporting for account and client leads. Analyze organic search performance, qualified traffic and conversions, AI visibility and share of voice, brand mentions, citations, and competitor trends. Explain findings and measurement limits, and provide actionable recommendations tied to client goals.
• Collaborate in client conversations from onboarding through ongoing strategy and reporting. Explain complex concepts and deliver consultative strategic recommendations that align with clients’ business needs. Communicate strategy, findings, and metrics clearly to practitioners and executives, recommend solutions to roadblocks, and raise opportunities for other agency services with Client Services.
• May manage direct reports or interns and coach teammates as team needs allow, including teaching research, technical methods, reporting, and interpretation through work reviews and training.
• Partner with account leads on scope, priorities, and internal and client deadlines. Take responsibility for assigned deliverables and delegated work, communicate timeline changes early, and coordinate execution with other disciplines.
• Use AI assistants for research, analysis, and developing ideas. Check sources and outputs, apply your judgment, and help the team improve its workflows.
• Maintain a commitment to constant learning and experimentation, including staying current on SEO, GEO, analytics, and broader marketing trends. Test new approaches, share what you learn, and help turn successful experiments into repeatable methods the team can use across client programs.

Non-Negotiables

• You’re proactive. You don’t wait for direction; you bring ideas, solutions, and momentum.
• You’re collaborative. You make the work better by working well with others.
• You drive innovation. You stay ahead of platform changes, emerging tools, and new approaches - and help your team adopt them thoughtfully.
• You embody agency readiness. You stay steady in pace, navigate shifting priorities, and help your team do the same.

What You Bring (Requirements)

• A strong track record in SEO, including making substantial contributions to complex client programs and demonstrating results. 5+ of relevant experience is a useful guide; the depth of your work matters most.
• Practical experience improving visibility in AI-generated answers, whether your team calls it GEO or AEO, including audits, optimization, and measurement, plus a desire to keep testing and learning as the field develops.
• Deep technical SEO knowledge and the ability to investigate issues, give developers clear recommendations, and verify implementation. You’re comfortable moving between strategy and the details.
• Expert-level SEO and GEO judgment across audience, keyword and prompt research, content optimization, site architecture, authority, and measurement. You can connect detailed recommendations to the broader search and integrated marketing strategy.
• Confidence working with Google Search Console, GA4, crawl tools, SEO research platforms, and AI visibility tools. You can pull and analyze raw data, identify actionable insights in complex data sets, and explain metrics in the context of client goals.
• The ability to learn clients’ products, solutions, buyer personas, and business context, and understand their CMS, analytics, and related platforms well enough to recommend feasible improvements.
• Clear writing and confident client communication, including conversations with senior leaders. You produce client-ready recommendations, ask thoughtful questions, explain tradeoffs, and collaborate effectively across disciplines.
• A consultative mindset, curiosity about SEO and GEO, and sound judgment when using AI assistants. You anticipate needs, solve problems proactively, and balance several clients’ priorities with close attention to accuracy and deadlines.

What We Offer (Compensation + Benefits)

• Starting Salary: $77,500 - $89,000

  • Base salary is only a part of the total rewards package. Placement on the salary scale will be determined by a variety of factors to ensure internal equity.
  • Starting salaries are not inclusive of a full range of compensation for this role and are instead meant to reflect the expected beginning salary for a new hire. Merit-based increases can be earned after time in role.

• Bonus Potential: This role will be eligible for a bonus based on company performance.

• Growth Opportunities: Clear career paths, mentorship programs, and learning events to help you grow professionally.

• Flexible PTO and Hybrid Work: Take time as needed for vacations, mental health, or personal days. Includes 8 paid holidays, half-day summer Fridays, and a week off between Christmas and New Year.

• Health Coverage: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans. Mental health resources, pet insurance, and more.

• Retirement Savings : Employer-matched 401(k) and access to financial planning services.

• Additional Protection: Life insurance, disability coverage, and other benefits that provide added financial security.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Free, confidential support for you and your household, including counseling, mental health resources, and help navigating life’s everyday challenges.

• Family Support: Paid leave for new parents and caregivers, plus policies for fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, adoption challenges, and more.

• Performance & Coaching: Regular performance reviews, clear goal-setting, and ongoing coaching to help you understand expectations, grow your skills, and make progress in your career.

• Milestone Sabbatical: Celebrate five years with a two-week sabbatical and a $2,000 gift.

• Community & Belonging: Employee resource groups, volunteer opportunities, and programs designed to build connection across the agency.

• Culture: Our agency offers an award-winning culture. Read more on our website here!

We strongly encourage people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities to apply. As an equal opportunity employer Walker Sands is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and welcomes everyone to our team.