AI Search Technical SEO Lead (AEO / GEO)

AI Search Technical SEO Lead

At PNC, our people are our greatest differentiator and competitive advantage in the markets we serve. We are all united in delivering the best experience for our customers. We work together each day to foster an inclusive workplace culture where all of our employees feel respected, valued, and have an opportunity to contribute to the company's success. We are looking for an AI Search Technical SEO Lead within PNC's Marketing organization. Position Overview: Shaping the Future of Digital Discovery The landscape of information retrieval is undergoing a seismic shift. As users migrate from traditional keyword-based queries to conversational interactions with Large Language Models (LLMs), the definition of visibility is evolving. PNC Bank is seeking a forward-thinking AI Search Technical Lead to spearhead our adaptation to this new era. This pivotal role sits within the Digital Growth Marketing organization, positioned strategically adjacent to the SEO Content and SEO Strategy teams. In the rapidly emerging field of Generative Answer search, this position represents a unique opportunity to define how a major financial institution interacts with the next generation of search technologies. The successful candidate will be primarily focused on ensuring that PNC's web properties are structured, coded, and optimized for peak performance across two distinct ecosystems: traditional search engines like Google and Bing, and the emerging generative search engines including Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. This is not a traditional technical SEO role; it is a technical discipline focused on AEO (Answer Engine Optimization). We are looking for a practitioner who understands that the future of search requires more than just keywordsit requires a fundamental understanding of how machines parse, process, and retrieve data. You will bridge the gap between technical web development and digital marketing, utilizing a blend of data analysis, trending insights, and a "test and learn" aptitude to secure PNC's authority in the age of AI. The Evolution from SEO to AEO: As the digital marketplace floods with AI SEO positions, PNC distinguishes this role by focusing heavily on technical infrastructure and entity authority. The transition to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) or AEO means that our digital assets must be intelligible not just to humans, but to the complex algorithms driving LLMs. In this role, you will move beyond standard link-building and metadata optimization. You will focus on how PNC's digital footprintfrom our main site to our insights blog to our branch and ATM listingsfeeds into the knowledge graphs that power AI responses. This requires a deep understanding of how generative engines construct answers and a proactive approach to structuring data so it is cited as the primary source of truth. By joining the Digital Growth Marketing organization, you will play a critical architect role. You will ensure that when a user asks an AI agent about financial advice, banking products, or market insights, PNC provides the authoritative answer. This position demands a professional who can navigate the ambiguity of a nascent field while delivering concrete, measurable improvements in visibility. Key Responsibilities and Strategic Impact: The AI Search Technical Lead will be responsible for a comprehensive scope of work that touches every aspect of our technical search strategy. You will be tasked with translating complex technical requirements into actionable marketing strategies. 1. Advanced AEO Platform Management To succeed in modern AEO, one must master the tools that track visibility in a fragmentation search landscape. You will maintain and optimize tracking in core AEO platforms, specifically acting as the primary owner for Profound, Conductor, and Semrush. Your role goes beyond mere usage; you will collaborate with these platforms as consultant partners, pushing for feature enhancements that benefit PNC and utilizing their advanced capabilities to monitor our share of voice in AI-generated responses. 2. Technical Architecture and Schema Implementation A critical component of this role involves creating and implementing Schema code across PNC.com and other PNC web properties. Structured data is the language of LLMs. You will design robust JSON-LD implementations that maximize visibility in Large Language Models (LLMs) by explicitly defining entities, relationships, and context for search crawlers. This ensures that our financial products, articles, and corporate information are machine-readable and primed for rich result inclusion. 3. Cross-Functional Collaboration for AI Visibility AI visibility is not solely a technical challenge; it is a reputational one. You will collaborate closely with Affiliate and Content partnersincluding the SEO team, External Communications, and PRto ensure content is deployed in optimal spaces for maximum AI visibility. This includes advising on off-page strategies that influence how LLMs associate the PNC brand with specific financial topics, ensuring our citations appear in the high-authority sources that feed training data. 4. Executive Reporting and Strategy The impact of AI search is a high-priority topic for leadership. You will report and present progress on AI search visibility to executive stakeholders and partners. This requires the ability to distill complex technical conceptssuch as token usage, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) optimization, and semantic searchinto clear business metrics that demonstrate ROI. 5. Continuous Improvement and Testing The algorithms powering Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity change rapidly. You will ensure ongoing collaboration with internal and external teams to drive continuous improvement in AI-driven search and content strategies. This involves setting up controlled experiments to test how different content structures affect citation rates in generative responses. Technical Qualifications and Required Expertise This is a technical leadership role. While it sits within marketing, the successful candidate must have 5+ years of experience in technical SEO and possess a strong understanding of technical SEO and web development. We are looking for someone who can look "under the hood" of a website to understand how its construction affects its discoverability. Core Technical Competencies: Web Development Fundamentals: Familiarity with basic web design and HTML, JavaScript, and CSS is essential. You must understand how these languages intersect to createor hinderthe optimal discoverability of a website. You should be able to audit code for rendering issues that might prevent AI crawlers from accessing content. Data Analysis: The ability to analyze large datasets to identify trending topics and performance anomalies is critical. You must be comfortable with data visualization and interpretation to guide strategy. Test and Learn Aptitude: Given the nascent nature of AI search, there are no established playbooks. You must possess the curiosity and scientific rigor to formulate hypotheses, run tests, and operationalize the results. Recommended Technology Familiarity To hit the ground running, candidates should have hands-on experience with the following enterprise-grade tools: CMS Platforms: Experience with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) or similar enterprise Content Management Systems is highly recommended, as you will need to understand the constraints and capabilities of our publishing environment. Technical Auditing: Proficiency with the ScreamingFrog SEO crawler to perform deep technical audits of site architecture and response codes. Search Intelligence: Expertise in Conductor Web Intelligence for enterprise-level visibility tracking. Performance Analytics: Deep knowledge of Google Search Console for search performance data, as well as Google or Adobe Analytics for user behavior tracking. Server-Side Analysis: Familiarity with Log File analysis tools to understand exactly how search and LLM bots are crawling the site, allowing you to optimize crawl budgets and identify accessibility barriers. This position is primarily based in a location within PNC's footprint. PNC will not provide sponsorship for employment visas or participate in STEM OPT for this position.