We’re Hiring: Head of Search Engine Marketing

OVERVIEW:

 

Dealers United is a fast-growing, full-service digital marketing agency in the automotive industry that excels at helping our dealership partners increase sales, increase market share and cut costs. Dealers United is committed to helping dealers solve challenges with best-in-class services, while providing the highest levels of accountability and customer service.

 

The Head of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) will develop, manage, and lead all aspects of the new (SEM) department for Dealers United’s clients. You will build and lead a team of paid search specialists, setting strategies, managing campaigns, and ensuring the highest standards of performance and ROI for our automotive clients. As the Head of Paid Search Engine Marketing, you will provide direct support and training for the Customer Experience teams, and will be responsible for your department’s overall contribution to the company’s revenue and client retention. You will report to the VP of Digital Search, collaborate with other ad platform teams, and ensure the entire Dealers United team has the latest ad platform and product knowledge as it relates to SEM.

As the leader of a new department, you will initially have dual responsibilities to lead the development of our Paid Search offering while building a team around you as the business unit grows — ultimately transitioning many of the tactical responsibilities to your team.

 

 

MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Recruit, lead and mentor a team of paid search specialists, providing guidance, support, and coaching
2. Foster a collaborative and high-performance work environment, encouraging professional growth and development
3. Set clear performance metrics and KPIs for the team, and regularly evaluate and report on progress to the company at-large
4. Coordinate the creation of training resources, standard operating procedures and other documentation for your team’s day-to-day operations
5. Collaborate with product & engineering teams to identify areas where automation and self-service tools can be developed to creative efficiencies and improve customer experiences

TACTICAL RESPONSIBILITIES::

1. Plan, develop and implement paid search (SEM) strategy & campaigns — tailored to the automotive industry — while working with clients to reach their goals
2. Manage the entire campaign lifecycle from strategy, implementation, optimization, bidding and quality management
3. Fully own paid search optimization and ROI maximization for clients
4. Ensure all campaigns run efficiently, on-schedule, within budget, while maintaining strong communication across teams and stakeholders
5. Regularly perform thorough keyword research for campaign and content development that optimize pay per click campaigns (PPC)
6. Identify and report on key business KPIs, testing outcomes and deliver continuous insights to inform growth
7. Quickly identify optimization opportunities across campaign portfolios
8. Suggest improvements for process and productivity optimization
9. Stay up to date with the latest SEM / digital marketing trends, technologies and best practices  to ensure our strategies remain cutting-edge
10. Monitor and analyze the competitive and category landscape to inform campaign enhancements
11. Collaborate with other departments to ensure seamless integration of SEM strategies with other mediums to ensure the greater digital media strategy remains cohesive

IDEAL CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Minimum of 5+ years of Paid Search / Search Engine Marketing campaign management
2. Previous experience in a client-facing role explaining digital media and corresponding metrics
3. Automotive experience is preferred
4. Previous management experience (2+ years) is a preferred
5. Experience developing and maintaining paid search campaigns
6. Strong understanding of advertising metrics in paid search (CPC, CTR, ROI, conversion rates)
7. Knowledge of content development & landing page optimization best practices a plus
8. Proficient in Google Ads Manager, Google Analytics, Microsoft Ads, Excel, Word and PowerPoint
9. Expert understanding of bidding strategies, advanced optimization techniques and analytics platforms
10. Experience with research tools including keyword estimators, SEM Rush, AHREFs, Similar Web, Moz, SpyFu or similar tools
11. Strong organizational and project management skills, in addition to excellent written and verbal communication skills, in a professional environment
12. Multi-task effectively with precise attention to detail
13. Goal-driven and self-motivated team player with a passion for learning
14. Ability to anticipate and creatively resolve problems
15. Exceptional team player possessing initiative and motivation to work unsupervised
16. BA/BS degree or equivalent experience

KEY MEASURES OF SUCCESS:

• SEM campaign performance against both client and company KPIs
• Revenue growth
• Client retention

COMPENSATION:

• The compensation structure for this position is a salaried position and is eligible for bonuses in addition.

TOOLS WE USE:

• Hubspot CRM
• BuyerBridge Platform
• Business / Ads Managers
• Google Suite
• Notion
• Zoom
• Slack
• NinjaCat
• Monday.com
• Ahrefs

DEMANDS, DISCLAIMER & HR STUFF

Demands

Must be able to sit for extended periods of time / 100% of work-day.

Disclaimer

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities and all duties or responsibilities that will be assigned. Other duties and responsibilities will be assigned as required.

Contingency

Offered position will be contingent upon successfully passing a background check.

EEO Statement

Dealers United is committed to equal employment opportunity. We will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally recognized basis including, but not limited to; veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, and physical or mental disability.