SEO Business Director in London

With a history that dates back over 80 years, Starcom is a global communications planning and media leader. We are an agency still grounded in our founding principle that people are at the centre of all we do. Each day, we apply this belief to harness the transformative power of data and technology to inspire and move people and business forward. With more than 7,000 employees in over 100 offices around the world, we are the flagship Publicis Media agency that uses our ‘Power of One’ business model, with teams that span multiple disciplines across clients such as Aldi, P&G, Primark, Samsung, Stellantis, and Visa.

We place a huge focus on our People, and have driven flagship D&I and L&D programmes within Publicis Media; our goal is to help every individual reach their fullest potential, and we encourage everyone to make “Brave Plays” in how they approach their work and their own career development. As a result, we have an exceptionally energised and committed talent base, all of us proud of our welcoming and supportive culture, as evidenced by our recognition as one of Campaign’s Best Places to Work for five years in a row, Media Week's Agency of the Year 2025 and one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025.

We are seeking a Business Director to lead and scale our AI-driven SEO offering across key strategic accounts. This is a senior leadership position responsible for defining the commercial vision, strategic direction, and operational excellence of AI and LLM-focused search programmes. As Business Director, you will own senior client relationships at executive level, drive revenue growth, shape the agency’s AI-search proposition, and ensure best-in‑class delivery across markets. This role requires deep, demonstrable expertise in SEO, combined with a strong understanding of LLM ecosystems, generative search, and AI‑driven discovery. You will set the strategic standard that Account Directors and teams execute against.

Responsibilities

• Manage senior client relationships, serving as the primary strategic lead for AI and LLM audit programmes.
• Design, deliver, and interpret AI/LLM audits, translating complex findings into clear and actionable commercial insights.
• Develop and oversee data and KPI frameworks to track LLM performance, visibility, and brand representation.
• Lead performance reviews, roadmap planning, and provide strategic recommendations grounded in AI‑driven insights.
• Work directly with AI and SEO tools, including platforms such as AccuLLM and Brandlight, to analyse and monitor LLM outputs.
• Collaborate with SEO, data, and innovation teams to advance best practices in AI‑focused SEO.
• Support the creation of internal methodologies, playbooks, and thought leadership on the role of AI in SEO.
• Identify opportunities to expand accounts through AI‑driven strategy, innovation, and consultative upselling.

Qualifications

• Experience in designing or conducting AI, LLM, or generative search audits.
• Familiarity with prompt analysis, entity visibility, brand sentiment, and AI answer tracking.
• An interest in the future of search beyond traditional Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
• Significant experience in a senior SEO or digital strategy position, preferably within an agency setting.
• Strong understanding of Large Language Models (LLMs) and their role in surfacing, generating, and prioritising information.
• Experience in working with data frameworks and KPIs to measure performance in non‑traditional search environments.
• Confidence in using AI and SEO platforms such as AccuLLM and Brandlight, or similar tools.
• Exploring new tools coming to market, leading conversations with tool vendors to help strengthen the tool portfolio for the agency.
• Ability to clearly explain complex AI concepts to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Outstanding client management, presentation, and strategic communication skills.

Additional information

Starcom has fantastic benefits on offer to all of our employees, full details of which are shared when you join. This includes the classics like Pension, Life Assurance, Private Medical, as well as Reflection Days, Shared Parental Leave, and spans initiatives. At Starcom, 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.