SEO/AEO Specialist

We are seeking a driven and curious SEO/AEO Specialist to join a collaborative, high-performing web team. In this role, you will support and execute SEO strategy-bridging technical implementation, content briefing, project management, and agency collaboration to grow organic traffic, share of voice, and conversion rates across our digital properties.

As search continues to evolve toward AI-driven discovery and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), you will play a key role in ensuring our brand remains visible and competitive across the full search ecosystem-from traditional rankings to AI overviews and answer engines. You will work closely with a tight-knit web team and partner with an external SEO agency to drive measurable, meaningful results.

Responsibilities

Own the content briefing process end-to-end: conduct keyword research and competitive analyses, develop detailed SEO/AEO briefs for content creators, and ensure search insights are effectively integrated into web pages, articles, landing pages, and content updates

Serve as the project manager for SEO initiatives-maintaining a prioritized workload across technical tasks, content projects, and agency deliverables; tracking progress, flagging risks, and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks

Collaborate closely with the internal web team, development team, marketing technologies team, and external SEO agency-supporting clear communication, accountability, and timely execution across all workstreams

Support and execute SEO and AEO strategies in partnership with the team and external agency, with a focus on driving organic traffic (quantity and quality), improving conversion rates, and growing share of voice

Address technical SEO issues-including site speed, Core Web Vitals, crawlability, and indexation-in collaboration with the development team and external agency

Support structured data and schema implementation to improve visibility across traditional search engines and AI-generated answers

Maintain performance dashboards, track key SEO/AEO KPIs, and proactively investigate anomalies or emerging opportunities

Stay current on the evolving search landscape, including AI overviews, answer engine optimization, entity-based visibility, topical authority, and structured content strategies

Participate in quarterly training sessions and contribute to a culture of continuous learning and experimentation

Complete other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Below are the minimum requirements of the education, experience, knowledge, and skills required to competently perform in this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education & Experience

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, or related field preferred

2-4 years of experience in SEO, digital marketing, or a related field

Hands-on experience with SEO/analytics platforms: Google Search Console, Google Analytics (GA4), BrightEdge, and Semrush

Experience with CMS platforms, particularly Drupal or similar (Sitecore, Sitefinity, Episerver, etc.)

Demonstrated experience creating SEO/AEO content briefs and managing the briefing process with content creators or editorial teams

Technical Skills

Solid understanding of technical SEO fundamentals: site architecture, crawlability, indexation, Core Web Vitals, page speed, and internal linking

Familiarity with structured data, schema markup, and semantic SEO principles

Awareness of AEO and AI-driven search trends, including entity optimization, topical authority, and how AI-generated answers surface content

Basic familiarity with HTML and web technologies; ability to write and communicate development tickets clearly

Experience maintaining SEO dashboards and reporting on performance metrics

Soft Skills & Cultural Fit

Highly collaborative with a team-first mindset-comfortable working across web, development, content, and agency teams

Strong project manager: you keep work organized, deadlines visible, and stakeholders informed-even when juggling multiple workstreams simultaneously

Proactive and curious: you seek out information, spot problems before they escalate, and bring ideas to the table

Strong sense of urgency and ownership-you track outcomes, not just activities, and hold yourself accountable for results

Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to translate complex data and search concepts into clear, actionable recommendations for non-technical stakeholders

Detail-oriented with the ability to manage competing priorities and adapt quickly to shifting organizational needs

Comfortable working individually or as part of a team, and willing to go above and beyond when the work calls for it

Eagerness to learn and experiment in a constantly evolving space-this team does not set it and forget it

What Success Looks Like

First 90 Days

Establish yourself as a trusted and collaborative team member. Build strong working relationships with the team and external SEO agency. Take full ownership of your execution responsibilities-project management, content briefing, reporting, and day-to-day SEO tasks.

Ongoing KPIs

Share of voice across priority programs and topic areas

Organic traffic quantity and quality

Conversion rate improvements tied to SEO initiatives

Regular reporting, anomaly investigation, and strategic recommendations delivered to the team and leadership

Candidates local to DC/ Baltimore area preferred

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