Sr. Strategist, SEO & AI Discovery

Dentsu; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, vision, dental insurance

Life insurance

401k

Flexible paid time off

15+ paid holidays per year

Paid sick leave

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Merkle in Chicago seeks a Sr. Strategist, SEO & AI Discovery to lead SEO programs for a client portfolio, directing audits and translating performance into business actions.

This senior IC role blends technical SEO, content strategy, AI-driven discovery, and performance measurement, with a focus on delivering measurable client outcomes.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of progressive SEO experience in agency, consultancy, or complex multi-stakeholder environments.
• Strong technical SEO across crawl, indexation, rendering, site architecture, and JS SEO.
• Ability to translate SEO analyses into business-focused recommendations.
• Hands-on with GSC, GA4, Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, Ahrefs, SEMRush, and AI visibility tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead SEO strategy across assigned accounts and connect recommendations to business goals.
• Serve as day-to-day search lead, building trusted client relationships.
• Own complex SEO/AI audits and analyses across multiple areas.
• Develop measurement frameworks linking organic visibility to business outcomes.
• Turn data into decisions using multiple data sources and tools.
• Create actionable, prioritized recommendations with impact and effort.
• Lead technical SEO workstreams across crawl, indexation, rendering, and schema.
• Advance content and AI Search visibility with topical authority and LLM focus.
• Ensure end-to-end delivery, including scoping, planning, QA, and timelines.
• Mentor junior staff and support client-ready communications.
• Support account growth through pitches, renewals, and SOW scoping.

Skills

SEO strategy

Technical SEO

Analytics & measurement

Client advisory

AI discovery

Data sources integration

Project leadership

Tools

Google Search Console

GA4

Screaming Frog

Sitebulb

Ahrefs

SEMRush

Data Studio

AI visibility platforms

Job description

Job Description: As a Sr. Strategist, SEO & AI Discovery at Merkle, you will lead SEO strategy across a portfolio of client accounts, setting program direction, owning complex audits and recommendations, and translating search performance into business outcomes. This role is built for a senior individual contributor who can move comfortably between technical SEO, content and on-page strategy, AI-driven discovery, performance measurement, and client advisory. You will serve as a trusted lead for assigned accounts, helping clients understand what is happening, why it matters, and what to do next.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead SEO strategy across assigned accounts: Set search program direction, prioritize workstreams, and ensure recommendations connect to client business goals, marketing priorities, and measurable outcomes.
• Serve as the day-to-day search lead: Build trusted relationships with client stakeholders, understand their goals, KPIs, business context, priorities, and decision-making dynamics, and translate search priorities into clear, business-relevant action.
• Own complex SEO / AI audits and analyses: Independently diagnose performance opportunities across technical SEO, content and on-page optimization, AI Search visibility, competitive landscape, and site architecture.
• Develop measurement frameworks: Define SEO reporting structures that connect organic visibility, technical health, content performance, classic SERP visibility, AI Overview presence, LLM visibility, and business outcomes.
• Turn data into decisions: Analyze data from GSC, GA4, crawl tools, rank tracking, log files, AI visibility platforms, and third-party tools to identify patterns, explain performance shifts, and prioritize action.
• Create actionable recommendations: Translate findings into prioritized recommendations with clear impact, effort, dependencies, confidence level, and implementation guidance for client, content, and engineering teams.
• Lead technical SEO workstreams: Guide recommendations across crawl, indexation, rendering, JavaScript SEO, Core Web Vitals, site architecture, internal linking, schema, structured data, migrations, and re-platforming.
• Advance content and AI Search visibility: Lead search intent mapping, topical authority planning, SERP feature analysis, AI Overview evaluation, LLM visibility analysis, entity and brand authority recommendations, and scalable on-page optimization frameworks.
• Own delivery quality: Manage assigned SEO workstreams end-to-end, including scoping, work planning, QA, stakeholder updates, timeline management, and on-time delivery.
• Mentor and review junior work: Coach consultants and staff consultants on analysis planning, data interpretation, recommendation quality, deliverable structure, and client-ready communication.
• Support account growth: Identify organic growth opportunities, contribute SEO expertise to pitches, RFPs, renewals, and SOW scoping, and help shape work that is clearly scoped, valuable to clients, and feasible for the team to deliver.
• Improve the SEO practice: Contribute to internal templates, playbooks, QA standards, training materials, AI-assisted workflows, and process improvements that help the team deliver better work at scale.

What You’ll Bring

• 3+ years of progressive SEO experience, preferably in an agency, consultancy, or complex multi-stakeholder environment.
• Strong technical SEO capability across crawl, indexation, rendering, site architecture, internal linking, Core Web Vitals, structured data, migrations, and JavaScript SEO.
• Demonstrated capability in SEO analysis and measurement, including the ability to combine multiple data sources and translate findings into business-relevant recommendations.
• Hands-on experience with tools such as Google Search Console, GA4, Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, Ahrefs, SEMRush, enterprise crawlers, rank tracking platforms, Data Studio, and AI visibility tracking platforms.
• Ability to build clear, persuasive client deliverables, including audits, executive summaries, dashboards, roadmaps, and strategic recommendation decks.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to adjust communication for executives, marketers, engineers, content teams, and internal stakeholders.
• Experience leading client conversations, answering questions in real time, and explaining and supporting recommendations with evidence, context, and judgment.
• Working knowledge of AI Search, including AI Overviews, LLM-powered discovery, citation visibility, entity authority, and AI-assisted SEO workflows.
• Strong project and workstream ownership, including the ability to manage timelines, flag risks early, coordinate with PMs and cross-functional teams, and keep stakeholders informed.
• Comfort mentoring consultants and staff consultants and reviewing their work for analytical accuracy, strategic clarity, and client readiness.

Preferred / Bonus Experience

• BigQuery, SQL, Python, server log analysis, API-based reporting, or other scalable data workflows.
• Experience with international SEO, e-commerce SEO, local SEO, video/image SEO, link building, digital PR, or SEO testing.
• Experience developing reusable SEO templates, processes, playbooks, training materials, or productized service offerings.

Leadership & Ways of Working

You are proactive, responsive, and self-directed. You readily provide status/account updates, risks, or next steps. You can manage multiple accounts or workstreams at once without losing quality, context, or follow-through. You are comfortable with ambiguity and can turn broad client questions into structured analysis plans and practical recommendations. You raise risks early, propose paths forward, and balance client needs with team capacity and scope boundaries. You help make the team better by sharing what you know, improving how work gets done, and creating space for consultants and staff consultants to grow.

The annual salary range for this position is 65K- 75K.

Placement within the salary range is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law.

Benefits available with this position include: Medical, vision, and dental insurance, Life insurance, Short-term and long-term disability insurance, 401k, Flexible paid time off, At least 15 paid holidays per year, Paid sick and safe leave, and Paid parental leave.

Dentsu also complies with applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, in accordance with its plans and policies.

For further details regarding Dentsu benefits, please visit www.dentsubenefitsplus.com.

At dentsu, we believe great work happens when we're connected.

Our way of working combines flexibility with in-person collaboration to spark ideas and strengthen our teams.

Employees who live within a commutable distance of one of our hub offices, currently located in Chicago, metro Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City, are required and expected to work from the office three days per week (two days per week for employees based in Los Angeles).

Dentsu may designate other Hub offices at any time.

Those who live outside a commutable range may be designated as remote, depending on the role and business needs.

Regardless of your work location, we expect our employees to be flexible to meet the needs of our Company and clients, which may include attendance in an office.

#LI-EB1 #LI-HYBRID Location: Chicago - N. State Brand: Merkle Time Type: Full time Contract Type: Permanent

Dentsu is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees.

We do this without regard to race, color, national origin, sex , sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status, political affiliation, religious practices and observances, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

Dentsu is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to, among others, individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans.

If you need an accommodation because of a disability to search and apply for a career opportunity with us, please send an e‑mail [e-mail] clicking on the link to let usknow the nature of your accommodation request and your contact information.

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About dentsu For over 120 years, innovation has been a core tenet of our offering – exploring new ways to reach, engage and nurture relationships with audiences. Together we drive a multiplier effect for clients at a global scale, through the development of Integrated Growth Solutions that are underpinned by our promise to clients: innovating to impact. Be a force for good. Sustainability is a vital part of our business and an important area of focus for our clients. We’re leading the way – helping to build a more sustainable planet. Dream loud. In this moment of transformation, we need our people to be fearless, embracing change and ambiguity, driven by the love for their work and excitement for the future. Team without limits. We create opportunities for connection and collaboration between our colleagues and clients, building a sense of belonging and having some fun along the way. Find out more about us Who we are Our Social Impact Our work