Head Of AI Discovery & Seo

The Washington Post is seeking a leader to drive our AI and SEO content discovery strategy, ensuring journalism remains accessible and relevant on emerging platforms. This critical role involves close collaboration with editorial, engineering, product, and growth teams.

• *Key Responsibilities:**
• Define and execute the long-term technical roadmap for Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Large Model Optimization (LMO).
• Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, analytics, infrastructure, and audience teams to align technical implementation with content goals.
• Build and maintain high-performance front-end web applications optimized for SEO, Core Web Vitals, and structured metadata.
• Translate SEO and content discovery strategy into scalable solutions, including rendering logic, metadata frameworks, and platform enhancements.
• Develop strategies for structured data systems (e.g., Schema.org, JSON-LD) to enhance visibility in traditional search and AI discovery surfaces.
• Drive rendering strategies (SSR, SSG, ISR) using modern frameworks, prioritizing crawlability and speed.
• Build internal tooling and dashboards to monitor SEO health, crawl/indexing, and LLM inclusion performance.
• Serve as the company's internal expert on AI-powered search and discovery, advising on risks, opportunities, and trends.
• Define and report on KPIs connecting technical SEO and AI discoverability efforts to business outcomes like organic traffic and engagement.
• *Required Skills & Experience:**
• 10+ years in digital content platforms with a focus on SEO, content discovery, site performance, or platform strategy in media/publishing.
• Strong understanding of technical SEO, including structured data, sitemaps, crawl/indexation, schema markup, and rendering strategies.
• Deep expertise in SEO, AEO, and GEO strategies for evergreen and real-time content.
• Proficiency using analytics and SEO tools (e.g., Google Search Console, GA4, Ahrefs, SEMrush) to drive decision-making.
• Demonstrated success influencing editorial strategy using audience insights and platform algorithm changes.
• Ability to shape and execute long-term content discovery strategies in evolving environments like SGE and AI-powered platforms.
• Skilled at driving organic growth while supporting journalistic goals.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional collaboration between Editorial, Engineering, Product, and Data teams.
• *Preferred Qualifications:**
• Experience in global content strategy, multilingual optimization, or Generative AI applications for content discovery.
• Exposure to semantic search, vector embeddings, or LLM integration for content systems.
• *Work Environment:**

This role works on-site five days a week with exceptions for newsgathering and business travel.

• *Compensation & Benefits:**
• Competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Company-paid pension and 401(k) match.
• Generous paid time off (vacation, sick leave, holidays, personal days).
• 20 weeks paid parental leave.
• Robust mental health resources, backup care, and caregiver concierge services.
• Salary range: $172,300 - $320,100 Annually, dependent on skills and experience. May be eligible for a bonus program.