SEO & Content Strategy Manager

Position Overview:

MIT Open Learning is seeking an SEO & Content Strategy Manager to lead organic growth and content development across our digital ecosystem. This role addresses a critical gap in organic visibility and discoverability and is responsible for working collaboratively with on-campus stakeholders to build a scalable, future-ready SEO and content engine that supports long-term demand, credibility, and brand recognition in higher education and professional learning. This role will develop the strategy and support execution through content briefs for a distributed team of creators, and contribute directly through writing, editing and optimization.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions**):

• Develop and execute a comprehensive, content-led SEO strategy in collaboration with the Director of Marketing and in-person engagement with cross-functional partners to increase visibility and qualified organic traffic across MIT Open Learning properties.
• Integrate traditional SEO best practices with emerging Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI-driven search factors in a practical and accessible way.
• Conduct keyword research, search intent analysis, content gap assessments, and competitive benchmarking using tools such as Google Search Console, Ahrefs, and SEMrush.
• Improve existing content and lead the development of new SEO-focused content aligned with learner intent and institutional priorities, including direct writing contributions to high-impact pages, guides, and resources.
• Lead and steward the integrated organic content strategy across program pages, web content, guides, articles, newsletters, and selected social distribution.
• Translate complex academic and technical subject matter into clear, accessible, high-quality content through direct collaboration with faculty, product teams, and subject-matter experts.
• Perform technical SEO audits and partner with engineering and design teams to identify, prioritize, and help resolve issues related to crawlability, indexation, site structure, performance, and structured data.
• Optimize on-page elements including metadata, headings, internal linking, schema, and content structure, and establish shared best practices to improve relevance and rankings.
• Collaborate with Marketing Director and the broader team through regular working sessions and on-site collaboration to align organic and paid strategies in support of full-funnel performance. 
• Develop and contribute to educational and thought leadership content that strengthens MIT Open Learning’s credibility and long-term brand positioning.
• Partner with communications teams to support amplification of content through earned media and institutional channels.
• Monitor organic performance, identify trends and opportunities, and deliver clear, actionable insights to stakeholders that inform decision-making across marketing, product, and content teams.
• Define, track and interpret organic KPIs including rankings, qualified traffic, engagement, assisted conversions, and long-term contribution to enrollment.
• Use data-led hypotheses to continuously refine content strategy, intent alignment, and long-term visibility in collaboration with marketing and product partners.
• Identify emerging trends and timely opportunities through search insights to inform broader marketing and portfolio decisions.
• Help build and evolve scalable processes for content planning, editorial review, approvals, publishing, and ongoing optimization.
• Educate and support internal stakeholders on SEO and organic best practices to improve alignment and execution quality.
• The SEO & Content Manager is required to work in person, on campus, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, two – three days per week. The in-person requirement is determined by the Vice Provost, Open Learning and is subject to change based on the needs of Open Learning and MIT.

Supervision Received:

Reports to the Director of Marketing and works as part of a collaborative, on-campus marketing team.

Supervision Exercised:

May manage the work of temporary, freelance, or student workers if/when needed

Qualifications & Skills: 

MINIMUM REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, journalism, digital media, or a related field.
• Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in SEO, content strategy, or digital communications.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing a content-led SEO approach that improves organic visibility and traffic quality.
• Demonstrated ability to write and edit high-quality content, including web pages, guides, or educational materials, in addition to providing strategic direction.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional partners (e.g., marketing, product, communications, engineering, or academic stakeholders) effectively in a hybrid, on-campus environment.
• Experience using SEO and analytics tools such as Google Search Console, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and web analytics platforms.
• Strong written communication, editorial judgment, and analytical skills.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience working in higher education, professional learning, or other mission-driven organizations.
• Experience influencing decisions and driving adoption without direct authority.
• Familiarity with technical SEO concepts and collaborating with platform or engineering teams.
• Exposure to AI-driven search, structured data, or emerging content discovery approaches.

** To comply with regulations by the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), the principal duties in job descriptions must be essential to the job. To identify essential functions, focus on the purpose and the result of the duties rather than the manner in which they are performed. The following definition applies: a job function is essential if removal of that function would fundamentally change the job.