Director, Organic Acquisition

Be essential at Cars Commerce

At Cars Commerce, we’re fanatical about simplifying everything about car buying and selling. We do right by our customers and consumers to better connect the industry with simplified and tierless technology to enhance, measure and drive local automotive retail. Whether through our No.1 most recognized marketplace, Cars.com, our industry-leading digital experience, Dealer Inspire, our trade and appraisal technology, AccuTrade, our reputation-based digital wholesale auction marketplace, Dealerclub, or our new Cars Commerce Media Network, Cars Commerce is essential for success in the automotive industry.

No one ever travels alone here: at its core, Cars Commerce is collaboration. In fact, it’s built into the very fabric of our shared values. We like to say we Rise Together – putting people at the center of what we do, from consumer to customer to community. Life at Cars Commerce makes it easy when we share the ethos to be Open to All, encouraging open-minded communication because we know diverse thinking yields better outcomes. But critical to our success is Caring to Challengeand Taking Ownership, fueling a competitive spirit in a respectful environment where we think about tomorrow but act today. At our foundation, we have integrity, Doing the Right Thing, even when it’s hard. It’s our shared commitment to these values that makes Cars Commerce a place where growth becomes not only possible, but downright unavoidable.

But don’t take our word for it. As a U.S. News & World Report Best Company to Work For in 2024, we're obsessive about the employee experience. We are among the top 20% being declared “Best” of our industry based on six critical factors that are important to employee wellbeing, like quality of pay, benefits, work life balance and more.

We are looking for a strategic and innovative Director of Organic Acquisition to lead organic search growth efforts for Cars.com. This is a highly visible role focused on driving growth via high-quality, scalable traffic and leads using forward-thinking SEO and GEO techniques, innovative content development, and data-led recommendations and experimentation - all while navigating the fast-paced and ever-changing search landscape.

The ideal candidate will bring deep SEO expertise, creative and innovative thinking, and strong leadership to help us improve discoverability, amplify brand presence, and convert organic visibility into measurable business results. We are seeking a leader who can guide the organization through the search transformation - from a traditional SEO organization to one that is positioning our brand at the forefront of user search discovery within LLMs, generative AI outputs and agentic solutions.

This role will work cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Editorial, Analytics, and more — crafting a modern SEO and GenAI program that’s consumer-centric and results-oriented. You will report to the Sr. Director of Brand and Content. This role has two direct reports and is focused on the B2C website Cars.com while also advising on the B2B site, CarsCommerce.inc, and our investor relations site, as well as partnering with our dealer SEO Services team on best practices and thought leadership.

SEO Strategy & Execution

• Own and lead organic acquisition strategy for Cars.com including all aspects of SEO from technical, to content to LLM optimization and innovation to drive transformative growth in website traffic and leads

• Partner with Product, Engineering, and UX teams to refine and execute strategy against an aligned roadmap

• Regularly audit competitors, site health and organic performance using best-in-class tools

• Partner with Editorial teams to identify new content opportunities that align with consumer search intent and business goals.

• Build innovative frameworks for content testing (e.g., modular SEO content, FAQ schemas, AI-assisted copywriting).

• Champion thought leadership and act as organization SME on the ever changing landscape around AI, LLM search and consumer search behavior to ensure SEO strategy remains relevant and impactful

• Own SEO analytics - Make decisions on vendors and tooling and report on rankings, traffic, CTR, conversions and other relevant metrics

• Lead and manage a high performing team with two direct reports to achieve SEO objectives

• Work closely with Paid Media to align organic and paid strategies for full-funnel success

• Advise on the B2B site, CarsCommerce.inc, and our investor relations site, and partner with our dealer SEO Services team on best practices and industry thought leadership

• Advocate and evangelize for SEO across the organization and educate stakeholders on its role in long-term growth and brand health

• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement
   

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience total with a majority in SEO or related field with 5+ years of people management experience

• Deep expertise in SEO strategy, technical and content SEO

• Deep technical understanding of how LLMs parse content while still able to clearly explain these concepts to someone with less technical fluency

• Preferred experience at a site with 2M+ monthly organic visits

• Experience in a media company a plus

• Proven track record of driving organic growth through innovation, experimentation, and cross-functional influence

• Highly proficient in tools like Google Search Console, GA4, SEMrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, Lumar, and related platforms

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and experience with external thought leadership speaking or writing a plus

Salary Range

$149,800.00-187,250.00

Our Comprehensive Benefits Package includes:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Healthcare Plans
• New Hire Stipend for Home Office Set-Up
• Generous PTO
• Refuel - a service based recognition program where employees receive additional paid time away to learn grow and reset
• Paid Holidays, Floating Holiday, Volunteer Day, Recharge Day

Learn more about our Benefits, Perks, & Culture on our LinkedIn Life Pages!

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. California Applicants: Click here to review our California Privacy Policy for Applicants. For current employees, please click here to review our California Privacy Policy for Employees.