Academia.edu is a venture backed, for profit business based in San Francisco. We have spent the last 13 years building the world’s largest network for sharing and finding academic research online. With over 250MM users and nearly half of the world’s academics using our platform every month, our product team develops and grows compelling products for researchers and academics at massive scale. In addition to our mission of accelerating the world’s research, we are in a unique position to disrupt the $25B academic publishing industry as well as develop highly impactful products in the education space. We are profitable, growing and hiring! Come join us and make a difference while building a successful business!

Each month, between 50MM and 100MM people find our content via search engines and visit our site. We are seeking a seasoned and dynamic VP or Director of SEO to substantially grow this organic traffic. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of successfully leading SEO at consumer companies where content drives visits from search engines at meaningful scale. We are investing substantially in our SEO efforts, and this is an opportunity to have a big impact on an already successful business, while building and growing this part of the organization from one cross functional team to several.

Key Responsibilities:

Product Roadmap:

- Evaluate our current situation and develop a product roadmap for growing organic SEO traffic

Thought Leadership:

- You will be a key thought leader on the ways in which we can maximize our content to drive growth

- You will bring a playbook from your past experiences and you will continuously add to it and improve it.

Team Leadership:

- Grow and develop a world-class team that employs deep expertise, best practices, and innovative ideas to maximize high value search traffic from our content

- Lead by example - we have a startup culture and while you will start with a great team (and grow it), leaders at Academia have a roll-up-your-sleeves approach

Impact:

- Traffic from our content is the flywheel of our business. In this role you will have the opportunity to drive significant impact. Accelerating the world’s research is a big mission, and we are very results focused.

Qualifications:

• Proven experience as a hands-on SEO leader, with a minimum of 7 years of experience in leading and driving SEO growth
• Significant experience in growing search traffic (at high scale, i.e., tens of millions of visits per month minimum) for consumer companies dependent on content
• You’ve forgotten more about how to grow organic search traffic than most people will ever know
• Strong analytical skills and a data-driven approach to decision-making.
• Proficiency in utilizing SEO tools, analytics platforms, and data visualization tools.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across cross-functional teams.
• An entrepreneurial spirit with a hands-on approach to problem-solving and strategy development.

• Mission-Driven Company: Join a company that is mission-driven but that is also financially secure and stable. 
• Impact: Work on one of the most impactful parts of a significant business, one in which we are deeply committed to over the long term.
• Leadership: Build out your organization and shape it how you see fit.
• Kind Company Culture: Work for an organization that values kindness, fostering a supportive and inclusive work culture.
• Competitive Compensation: Enjoy a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

If you possess these qualifications and are ready to take on the challenge of driving substantial organic growth for our dynamic company, we encourage you to apply and be a key player in shaping the future of our SEO initiatives.

Diversity and Inclusion

Academia is a proud equal-opportunity employer and we are committed to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.