SEO Manager

Company description

Who We Are in the UK?

Spark Foundry, the Acceleration Agency.

We help brands to identify, learn and respond to opportunities faster than the competition.

Every client has an area of their business they need to accelerate, from short-term goals to long-term transformation.

We’ve proven our approach during the most difficult year on record. Now we’re using it to provide a launchpad for their future.

Come be an accelerator with us.

How we accelerate

• Planning: an approach that works in practice rather than theory, arming planners with the ability to create cutting edge campaigns
• Intelligence: a suite of tools that give definitive answers to big questions, and uncovers actionable insights about real people
• Trading: a model built on flexibility and trusted relationships, underpinned with bold guarantees
• Relationships: a culture of asking challenging questions to better understand the brief – we are not a ‘yes’ agency
• People: a strong history of recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds and accelerating their careers

Our Commitment

We are diverse though our experience, people and the clients we look after - and we celebrate that diversity. Our people hold us accountable to our beliefs and via regular surveys and our grass roots D&I team, The Collective, and internal next generation board, Firestarters, we hold regular events and work continually towards generating ideas, initiatives and educating our people to ensure we are a diverse and inclusive agency.

As part of our dedication to create an inclusive and diverse workforce, Spark Foundry is committed to equal access to opportunity for people without regard to race, age, sex, disability, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion.

Overview

As an SEO Manager at Performics, you’ll be the strategic lead on one or more key accounts, partnering closely with the SEO Account Director to design and deliver next-generation organic search programs. You’ll blend technical rigour, creative insight and data analysis to craft holistic SEO strategies - spanning technical audits, content planning, local search and AI-driven discovery - that exceed client KPIs and business objectives.

You’ll manage, upskill and mentor a team of SEO Executives, own the end-to-end delivery of projects (from roadmapping and briefs through to reporting and strategy evolution), and stay ahead of search trends - whether algorithm shifts, emerging LLM capabilities or new social-search behaviours. Your proactive, test-and-learn mindset will drive continuous optimisation, ensuring our clients’ owned media channels deliver maximum visibility, engagement and conversion.

Responsibilities

• Strategic planning: Develop comprehensive SEO strategies (technical, on-page, off-page and local) aligned to client business goals and digital KPIs.

• Execution & oversight: Lead technical audits, site migrations and content optimisation, ensuring flawless implementation and rigorous QA.

• Team management: Line-manage and upskill SEO Executives, providing mentorship, peer-to-peer training and clear workflows to maintain high service standards.

• Cross-channel integration: Collaborate with Paid Search, Social, Content and CRO teams to embed SEO insights into wider performance marketing programs.

• Performance analytics: Define and track success metrics (rankings, organic traffic, engagement and conversions) using Google Analytics, Search Console, Semrush, etc.; translate data into actionable recommendations.

• Client & stakeholder management: Maintain day-to-day client relationships, present insights and roadmaps, and articulate complex technical concepts in clear, persuasive language.

• Innovation & trendspotting: Research and share new ideas - AI search features, voice search, technical innovations - to keep our offering cutting-edge.

• Process improvement: Partner with the Account Director to refine workflows, optimize resource allocation and scale best practices across teams.

Qualifications

• Experience: Prior hands-on SEO experience, ideally within an agency environment supporting enterprise-level clients.

• Technical Proficiency: Solid understanding of HTML, CSS/JS fundamentals and how they impact crawling, indexing and UX; adept with SEO and generic marketing toolsets (e.g. Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, Looker Studio, Semrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, Lumar, Similarweb).

• Analytical Skills: Comfort with data analysis - pulling insights from performance dashboards and search data, setting forecasts, measuring ROI and reporting to stakeholders.

• Leadership & Communication: Proven ability to manage and motivate junior staff, run trainings, and confidently present to clients and senior internal teams.

• Strategic Thinking: Track record of crafting multi-layered SEO plans that integrate with broader marketing strategies; proactive problem-solving mindset.

• Learning Agility: Passion for staying abreast of algorithm updates, AI-powered search advances and emerging digital trends - and translating them into client advantage.

• Tools & Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree (Marketing, Business, IT or similar) preferred; certifications such as Google Analytics IQ, SEMrush or Moz beneficial.

Additional information

Spark Foundry offers a wide range of benefits to support our employees. Full details are shared when you join, but highlights include core benefits such as Pension, Life Assurance, and Private Medical cover, alongside enhanced policies like Reflection Days and Shared Parental Leave. You’ll also have access to a range of additional initiatives, including:

Please check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups).

Publicis Groupe works primarily from the office or our clients' office four days per week.

At Spark Foundry, we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, citizenship, relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.

We are committed to providing a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. If you have any access needs - for example, related to disability, neurodivergence, or a health condition - please let us know. We’ll work with you to ensure the process works for you. Sharing this information will never impact your application.

Guided by our values, we listen with empathy, uplift each other, take responsibility, and embrace change - building a culture where everyone feels seen, respected, and genuinely included.