Head of SEM
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The Head of SEM plays the role of a top leader of the business’s search marketing programs. The accountability of the performance of these programs lies primarily with him and he is, therefore, responsible for leading, inspiring, and availing superior paid search marketing services in order to attract consumers repeatedly. The Head of SEM being the leader of the department exhibits a deep passion for SEM and has a drive that inspires the junior personnel to push towards achievement of the stated departmental objectives.
The Head of SEM’s role is absolutely crucial for the business because through this position, credible and trusting relationships with consumers and cross functional collaborating personnel are built all for the purpose of driving the success of SEM initiatives. The Head of SEM is, therefore, also accountable for consumer profitability, satisfaction, and resource management.
Objectives and Responsibilities of the Head of SEM
Leadership/Supervisory role: The most prominent role of the Head of SEM is that he is the leader of the SEM department and in this position, he provides the department with his leadership through the structuring and approval of effective search strategies for the purpose of driving optimal SEM campaign performance and the provision of a competitive edge for the business in the marketplace. Additionally, in his leadership position, the SEM Manager leads by example and ensures that the junior SEM personnel constantly presents actionable recommendations, communicated through reports and presentations.
The Head of SEO is also responsible for the creation and promotion of the departmental culture and, as such, he advocates for a collaborative internal environment that leads to the promotion of the professional growth of even the lowest ranking personnel. He also takes charge in creating a positive environment, where improvement and room for error is allowed while self-initiative and excellent performance is rewarded. At his leadership capacity, the Head of SEM also oversees proper following of the department’s operating processes in order to ensure that standardized procedures have been put into use and that order is maintained within the department.
At this capacity, the Head of SEM also plays a mentorship role to junior SEM personnel, specifically the SEM Manager and the Senior SEM Manager, constantly ensuring that their professional skills are improving, gradually grooming them for the occupation of his position.
Consumer Relations: The Head of SEM also plays an active role in the building of relationships with key parties and individuals on the department/business’s behalf. At this capacity, the Head of SEM persuasively drives recommendations within consumer organizations, hereby, developing and articulating the business’s case, providing risk assessment, presenting justifiable ROI, and supplementing consumers with supporting analyses in an effort to draw in traffic to the business’s pages and generate revenue for the business. Here, the Head of SEM builds strong, meaningful, and impenetrable relationships with the consumers.
Analytics: The Head of SEM also plays a major analytical role in the management of various internet marketing channels and search engines, conducting statistical analyses on each of these channels and engines in order to determine their performance and points of improvement. The Head of SEM manages optimization through the use of Google AdWords, Bing, Google Analytics and other analytical tools and platforms.
At this capacity, the Head of SEM develops, analyses, approves, and implements PPC, keyword, and bid strategies to be applied by the SEM department. He also conducts consistent researches in order to keep the business updated in the latest SEM market trends and keep the business ahead of its competition. The Head of SEM is responsible for the achievement of departmental metrics, inclusive of financial indicators, consumer satisfaction, consumer retention, and growth. The Head of SEM additionally maximizes on consumers’ ROI in an effort to promote/drive the achievement of the overall business objectives.
The Head of SEM also plays a role in establishing the business as a thought leader in the search marketing field, by demonstrating detailed industry knowledge on search engine marketing and consistently applying strategic approaches that drive unique program performance. The Head of SEM, as a representative of the business, plays an active role in industry events and is tasked with ensuring that the business has an active voice in the marketplace.
Collaboration: The Head of SEM closely works with the sales department in consistently seeking opportunities that grow service delivery to consumers with an intention of growing relationships with those consumers. In this capacity he regularly engages in sales meetings and discussions in matters related to the business’s digital presence. He provides sales support by defining project specific services, participating in contract negotiation and management, and renewing online sales opportunities.
Other Duties: The Head of SEM also performs other functions as he deems necessary for the execution of his functions and duties as assigned by the Director of Search Marketing or the Employer.
Required Qualifications of the Head of SEM
Education: A suitable candidate must have a master’s degree (Phd preferred) in a Marketing, Information Sciences, Information Technology, Business Administration, Computer Science, Economics or any other related field. An equivalent of the same in working experience is also acceptable.
Experience: The Head of SEM must have had at least 5 years working experience in an enterprise level search marketing position, preferably as a Senior SEM Manager. A suitable candidate will also have had substantial experience in project/product management. The Head of SEM will also have had a proven and successful experience managing a team in multi-faced projects under stringent timelines, preferably in the SEO or SEM fields to the completion of a project.
Analytical Skills: The Head of SEM will have exceptional analytical skills and demonstrate these skills in the analysis and interpretation of raw data and information. He is able to assess complex data, drawing conclusions and taking necessary action with minimal supervision. The Head of SEM displays strong knowledge in Google AdWords, Bing Ads and other web analytics tools and platforms. The Head of SEM will also be extremely skilled in mathematics, Ms Word, and Ms Excel skills, which will be necessary for the preparation of research analysis reports and presentations that are delivered to the Director of Search Marketing and relevant stakeholders.
Communication Skills: The Head of SEM must also be highly articulate and have excellent written skills as well. The Head of SEM needs to be able to tailor even the most technical and complex presentations to fit the audience to which it is being presented. He must also be able to defend complex SEM strategy recommendations to the Director of Search marketing and the relevant stakeholders and to clearly articulate his actionable insights in a way that resonates with this audience.
Leadership/Interpersonal Skills: A suitable candidate will portray exceptional leadership skills, portraying the ability to influence and move a team towards a common goal and vision. The candidate will possess exceptional people skills that will make him a relatable and likeable individual, enabling him to easily earn the trust of the junior SEM personnel who will in turn willingly follow in his leadership.
On top of this the candidate will posses interpersonal skills to compliment his leadership skills. The candidate will be self-confident and action oriented, have exceptional problem solving skills, portray a positive attitude that inspires other to feel the same, demonstrate calmness under stress, have an ability to work comfortably in group settings, be highly organized being able to meet even the most stringent deadlines, and have an ability to handle multiple simultaneous tasks with ease.
