Initiative - SEO Manager (Unilever Seconded Role)

Position Summary

Unilever is a global consumer goods company known for its commitment to sustainability and a diverse portfolio of iconic brands.  Unilever's expansive brand lineup includes household names such as Dove, AXE, Olly, Liquid IV, and Hellmann’s. Every day, over 2 billion people around the world rely on our products for their daily needs.

Unilever is seeking a dynamic and seasoned SEO/AEO Manager with experience in Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), combined with a strong foundation in traditional SEO, to lead organic search strategy across its Personal Care and Beauty portfolio of brands. The SEO/AEO Manager will own the development and execution of advanced AEO and SEO strategies, enabling content to be discovered and cited by answer engines. This includes structuring content for AI comprehension, optimizing for featured snippets, knowledge panels, and voice search, while leading cross-functional teams and agencies to maximize organic reach.

In this role, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping how consumers discover and engage with our brands through AI-driven search – influencing digital visibility and helping Unilever stay at the forefront of an evolving search landscape.

If you have what it takes, are results oriented, and thrive in performance-driven environments, we’d love to hear from you!

Key Responsibilities

• Own the design and implementation of comprehensive SEO and AEO strategies, ensuring the optimization of search visibility across search engines, voice, and answer-based results.
• Lead an interagency team across media, content, and web development to synchronize efforts, deliver on strategy, and elevate performance across KPIs.
• Conduct prompt and keyword research, monitor search trends, and identify high-impact content opportunities.
• Oversee full content lifecycle optimization, from prompt research and structured content creation to technical schema markup implementation for AI extraction.
• Collaborate with web development agencies to optimize website architecture, metadata, and content for improved search engine visibility and user experience.
• Oversee both on-page and off-page SEO, including technical audits, building authority, schema markup, and performance monitoring.
• Track and report on KPIs specific to AEO performance: featured snippet acquisition, voice search visibility, zero click engagement, and brand authority recognition.
• Stay current with emerging AEO technologies, voice search trends, large language model outputs, and generative AI capabilities to continually evolve strategies.
• Align SEO and AEO roadmaps with wider marketing initiatives, including paid media, social campaigns, and content strategies, ensuring cross-channel synergies.

Desired Skills & Experience

• 5+ years of advanced SEO experience, ideally with AEO implementation and direct answer content optimization.
• Strong leadership skills and proven experience leading multiple media/content agencies or cross-functional teams in delivering measurable SEO and AEO outcomes.
• Ability to complement deep technical expertise with a clear understanding of business impact; translating search performance into tangible outcomes for brand growth and consumer engagement.
• Demonstrated passion for content and marketing, with a consumer-first mindset that ensures content strategies are crafted to resonate with audience needs and foster meaningful brand engagement.
• Deep technical SEO understanding and experience in AEO, including structured data/schema markup, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and content extraction for AI engines.
• Familiarity with SEO and AEO analytics tools such as Google Search Console, Semrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, and specialized AEO/voice search monitoring tools
• Extensive knowledge of search engine algorithms, ranking factors, featured snippet dynamics, and AI-powered answer extraction.
• Strong analytical skills with a focus on interpreting AEO specific metricsand user engagement for optimization.
• Leadership and project management capabilities to guide internal teams and external agencies in complex multi-channel campaigns.
• Certifications in SEO, AEO, Google Analytics, or AI content optimization programs

This is an active vacancy. We are currently hiring for this role and reviewing applications on an ongoing basis.

Expected Salary: TBD

Omnicom Media is providing the compensation range that the company is willing to pay for this position based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities.

Initiative unlocks business growth for the world’s most ambitious brands. We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different. When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow. Initiative builds Fame and Flow for brands like Amazon, RBC, LEGO, Nintendo and Canada Goose. Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability. Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 9,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world. Initiative Canada has received many of the industry’s most coveted awards, including two gold Strategy Media Agency of the Year awards, eight Cannes Lions, and a position on WARC's Top 50 Most Effective Media Agencies in the World. In 2023 Initiative was named the North American Network of the Year by the Festival of Media, and Global Network of the Year by both Ad Age and Ad Week. To learn more, visit initiative.com.

Initiative is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, colour, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, disability, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, provincial, or municipal law. If you require an accommodation in any aspect of the selection process, please reach out to [email protected]