Sr. Director, Head of SEO

We help the world run better
At SAP we keep it simple: you bring your best to us and well bring out the best in you. Were builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce and we need your unique talents to help shape whats next. The work is challenging but it matters. Youll find a place where you can be yourself prioritize your wellbeing and truly belong. Whats in it for you Constant learning skill growth great benefits and a team that wants you to grow and succeed.

The Content Marketing organization within Global Marketing is seeking a Sr. Director Head of SEO to define and lead the next evolution of our global organic growth strategy. This leader will operate as a senior member of the leadership team with a mandate to rebuild scale and modernize the SEO function in alignment with a rapidly shifting search landscape shaped by AI and LLM-driven experiences.

This role is designed for a strategic people leader who can scale both impact and organizational capability. As a Sr. Director-level manager you will set the vision for the SEO function align resources to the highest-value opportunities and ensure your team delivers measurable business outcomes. You will operate with strong enterprise perspective and sound business judgment while empowering your team to execute with clarity and accountability. Success in this role requires building a high-performing organization influencing senior stakeholders and positioning SEO as a core forward-looking growth engine expanding beyond traditional search into AI-mediated discovery Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

You will directly manage and develop a team of SEO professionals at various career stages. Success in this role will require strong leadership presence organizational transformation expertise and a deep understanding of where search is headednot just where it has been.

What Youll Do

Set Vision and Strategy & Drive Business Impact

• Define and own the global organic growth strategy spanning traditional SEO and emerging paradigms including AEO GEO and AI-mediated search ecosystems.
• Establish a forward-looking roadmap that positions the company to win across search engines generative AI platforms and answer-driven interfaces.
• Ensure the team is focused on the highest-impact opportunities and delivering measurable results.
• Anticipate industry shifts and ensure the organization is ahead of changes in search behavior.
• Act as an executive voice of SEO in leadership forums influencing company-wide decisions and long-term investment

Lead Build & Develop the Team

• Directly manage coach and grow a high-performing SEO team.
• Set clear goals performance expectations and development plans for team members.
• Hire develop and retain top-tier talent to scale the function as business needs evolve.
• Foster an inclusive accountable and high-ownership team culture with clear expectations and consistent delivery.
• Operate as a hands-on decisive leader who can step in where needed while empowering the team to execute independently.

Drive Cross-Functional Alignment

• Serve as the senior SEO leader across content digital web analytics and agency partners.
• Influence senior stakeholders and drive alignment on priorities trade-offs and resourcing.
• Ensure SEO and AI-search considerations are embedded early in strategic marketing planning and decision-making processes.
• Navigate complex stakeholder environments with confidence clarity and strong business judgment
• Advocate for the evolution of the SEO function security resources and organizational alignment at executive levels.

Ensure Operational Excellence & Accountability

• Establish clear operating rhythms governance models and performance management systems across the function.
• Hold teams partners and vendors accountable to high standards of execution and business outcomes.
• Oversee agency and vendor performance to ensure strong ROI.
• Use data and insights to continuously refine strategy and team focus.
• Drive a culture of ownership transparency and continuous improvement.

What Success Looks Like

• SEO is established as a strategic future-facing growth engine inclusive of AI-driven search and discovery.
• The team is high-performing well-structured and consistently delivering measurable business impact.
• The company is competitively positioned in traditional search generative AI platforms and answer engines.
• Senior leadership views SEO as a critical trusted driver of growth and innovation.
• The team demonstrates strong engagement retention and leadership bench strength.
• You are recognized as a key leader on the leadership team shaping strategy beyond your function.

What You Bring

• 10 years of progressive SEO and digital marketing experience including enterprise or global environments.
• 35 years of direct people management experience leading high-performing SEO or digital teams.
• Demonstrated ability to build develop and retain strong teams.
• Deep expertise in SEO strategy technical SEO content SEO and AI-influenced search trends.
• Proven track record of influencing stakeholders and representing a function at senior levels.
• Experience leading vendor relationships and managing high-impact RFP processes.
• Strong business acumen and ability to translate strategy into operational execution.
• Experience with workforce planning capacity modeling and budget management.
• Clear confident communicator who closes the loop and adapts style to audience.
• Growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning.

Preferred location: Bellevue and Newtown Square.

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Bring out your best
SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database analytics intelligent technologies and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide we are purpose-driven and future-focused with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries people or platforms we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP you can bring out your best.

We win with inclusion
SAPs culture of inclusion focus on health and well-being and flexible working models help ensure that everyone regardless of background feels included and can run at their best. At SAP we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.

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Compensation Range Transparency: SAP believes the value of pay transparency contributes towards an honest and supportive culture and is a significant step toward demonstrating SAPs commitment to pay equity. SAP provides the annualized compensation range inclusive of base salary and variable incentive target for the career level applicable to the posted role. The targeted annual combined range for this position is00USD.The actual amount to be offered to the successful candidatewill be within that range dependent upon the key aspects of each case which may include education skillsexperience scope ofthe role location etc. as determinedthrough theselection process. Any SAP variable incentive includes a targeted dollar amount and any actual payout amount is dependent on company and personal performance. Please reference this link for a summary of SAP benefits and eligibility requirements: SAP North America Benefits.

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Requisition ID: 452404 Work Area: Marketing Expected Travel: 0 - 10% Career Status: Management Employment Type: Regular Full Time Additional Locations: #LI-Hybrid