Senior Manager, SEM & SEO Strategy

The Senior Manager, SEO & SEM Performance is responsible for driving digital acquisition of PC Financial credit & banking products through cutting edge search campaigns that are powered by data, scaled efficiently through rigorous experimentation and are centered around the customer. You will leverage your effective storytelling skills to showcase the value of the search journey in driving business results. You will flex your collaborative & strategic leadership style to ensure the flawless planning and execution of a highly matrixed media strategy & team, designed to fundamentally deliver acquisition growth for the business.      

What you’ll do:

• Lead the team responsible for the development and execution of SEM, and Paid AI strategies and initiatives that drive conversion and acquisition (quality results at accelerated volumes and efficient costs). Two SEM specialists, and one Manager of SEO. 

• Build data-driven and customer focused plans across Paid Search, Performance Max and content opportunities for organic visibility. 

• Be a thought leader in Paid Search & Organic (traditional SERP & AI) strategies and effectively influence these ideas to business stakeholders to gain confidence and alignment.  

• Work directly with Brand Marketing on Content roadmaps and strategies to boost the visibility of our brand and products in SERP’s and AI Overviews. 

• Collaborate with Digital Platforms on technical SEO implementation.  

• Collaborate with the Acquisition Targeting team to identify opportunities to leverage first-party data for targeting and measurement.  

• Define, measure and report on KPIs that hold SEM investments accountable to desired business outcomes, including the Cost Per Activation & ROI. 

• Lead the learning and development of emerging Generative and Answer Engine Optimization tactics. 

• Report on the effectiveness of SEM investments to senior stakeholders during weekly, monthly, and quarterly business reviews.  

• Partner with cross functional acquisition strategy teams to plan acquisition targets. 

• Streamline processes to maximize time spent on value-added planning and optimization. 

• Work with finance and contract partners for new vendor on-boarding, and resolution of billing accruals.  

 What you bring:

• Post-secondary degree/diploma in a related field (Business, Marketing, Advertising) 

• Experience in Financial Services (Credit Card and Deposit Acquisition) is a strong asset. 

• 7+ years of experience in SEM & SEO and execution including 2-3 years of experience managing a team of digital media practitioners. 

• Demonstrated ability to meet and exceed KPIs. 

• Familiar with organic monitoring tools such as Screaming Frog, SEMRush, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and Webmaster Tools. 

• Demonstrated working knowledge of buying platforms like SA360, Google Ads, and Microsoft Ads. 

• A strong grasp of the agile methodology is an asset but not . 

• An analytical thinker with the ability to turn data into actionable insights and effective paid media strategies.  

• A critical thinker with the ability to develop a POV and implications based on data, and present findings to key stakeholders. 

• Collaborative and positive attitude with passion for questioning assumptions and answering questions with data, to unlock value for the business & the enterprise. 

• Self-directed, proactive, able to define a vision and effectively lead the team through the execution of said vision. 

• Strong in Excel and reporting automation / experience using Business Intelligence tools (Looker, Google Data Studio or equivalent). 

• Excellent priority management skills demonstrated with both stakeholder partners & media specialists 

• Possess a passion for the search ecosystem, a curiosity to keep learning, and a deep understanding of emerging trends in AI and measurement tools.