Job Description
across the organization -- about new search engine developments (Google, Bing, Duck Duck Go, etc), enhancements, best practices, and site issues. You will be responsible for the company's overall SEO health, working closely with cross-functional teams to provide key SEO oversight and leadership as it pertains to editorial, technical, and product goals and development. You will be tasked with fostering the search traffic pipeline, monitoring its health, and managing team members at various levels and in various locations to provide around-the-clock support for CNN Digital. You'll be tasked with improving the overall SEO health of the site by monitoring various SEO tools for errors and communicating those errors and fixes to the appropriate teams. When necessary, you will support CMS, https, and domain migrations across CNN's domestic and international properties to ensure CNN Digital remains competitive and successful in search around the world.
The director of global search should have superb communication skills, and experience interfacing with senior-level leadership. This person will be able to blend the art and science of SEO to drive CNN to success and exhibit masterful management and delegation skills to ensure all teams around the world are aligned on SEO audience growth strategies. Very strong organization, problem solving, and interpersonal skills. Self-starter that is comfortable initiating and leading efforts, projects and programs.
The Daily
STRATEGIC INFLUENCE
• Ability to manage SEO initiatives at every level of the organization.
• Ability to educate, communicate, and present to team members at various levels within the organization and across all time zones and several languages.
• Ability to distill simple takeaways from complex problems and put change into action.
• Ability to train and foster a team of analysts and managers to become trusted partners throughout the organization.
• Deliver industry-leading insights that are digestible by members at all levels of the organization.
• Own the feedback loop around strategic SEO initiatives, providing actionable steps to push our business forward.
• Develop workflow recommendations to include the data necessary to inform content and programming decisions in order to quickly move on opportunities that will grow CNN's search audience and increase their loyalty.
• Develop & champion improved processes for insight collection and dissemination across Audience Development, Product and Editorial teams.
• Is forward thinking, by being on the forefront of updates within the SEO atmosphere – keeping the audience development, product, and business teams aware of any upcoming changes that would affect our business. Staying current on Search Engine Optimization topics by monitoring search industry websites, forums, blogs and news sources.
EXECUTIVE PRESENCE & CROSS FUNCTIONAL LEADERSHIP
• Ability to educate, communicate, and present to team members at various levels within the organization.
• Will be present in meetings with executives at times and must be able to articulate the SEO team's actions in a meaningful way.
• Will write executive summary reports to be shared at VP level and up.
• Ability to prioritize and manage product improvements across the CNN portfolio that will positively effect SEO performance. Should be able to ''talk the talk'' with product and technical teams and leadership.
INTERNATIONAL AND MULTILINGUAL TEAM MANAGEMENT
• Ability to effectively manage a team of SEO analysts that sit in multiple CNN locations worldwide and work with CNN properties in multiple languages.
• Ability to hire, onboard, and manage resources that sit in different locations worldwide.
• Ability to be agile as the needs of the business change and we are required to hire more staff across our worldwide bureaus.
• Experience successfully working cross-departmentally, effectively communicating across groups with varying levels of knowledge around SEO, including leadership.
The Essentials
TECHNICAL SKILLS
• Ability to identify SEO enhancements, SEO issues, and SEO roadblocks and effectively communicate those to stakeholders.
• Have deep functional and technical understanding of SEO and how to implement best practices throughout an organization.
• Ability to perform advanced SEO QA work to ensure new products and product updates meet basic SEO requirements for success.
• Advanced skillset in Google Search Console tools.
• Advanced skillset in tools monitoring search visibility, like NewsDashboard
• Advanced skillset in tools measuring site authority and evergreen projects, like SEM Rush
• Advanced skillset in analytics tools like Adobe Analytics or Google Analytics.
• Knowledge of the technical aspects of SEO, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, HTTP, URL structures, keyword analysis, content optimization, search engine spiders, indexes and algorithms, website session management, and other factors that can impact SEO.
• Advanced skillset in Excel and data visualization.
• 5-7+ years of SEO experience
• 4+ years of management experience
• BA/BS in Marketing, Communications or Business Management with a strong understanding of technical SEO or BA/BS in Engineering or related technical field
• Experience working in, and supporting a newsroom
• Experience working as a journalist in a global news organization preferred
• Master's degree in journalism preferred
The Perks
• Paid time off every year to volunteer
• Access to wellbeing tools, resources, and freebies
• 2018 Best Company for Working Mothers2018 Best Company for Dads
• An in-house learning and development team to help shape and grow your career
• Part of the WarnerMedia family of powerhouse brands
Jobcode: Reference SBJ-r7n9kp-54-172-162-78-42 in your application.