SEM Manager

Before you apply to any of our open positions, here are a few things that you should know about us. That is, assuming you don’t want to bomb your interview.

We are a distributed company.

Everyone works remotely: Some from home, shared offices or co-working spaces. You don’t have to worry about the time or cost of a commute, nor do you have to be tied to a specific location for work. We aim to give you a lot of freedom, which means you need to be responsible and self-motivated.

Things move quickly.

There will be times when you’re asked to work on several different accounts in a day. While we understand the value of taking time to focus, you need to be able to shift into overdrive when things get hectic. If you currently work for the government, a nonprofit, an association, a government contractor, or a college or university, we will move much faster than the pace to which you’re accustomed.

You’ll need self-discipline.

We’re not micro-managers, and no one will be looking over your shoulder to make sure you do your work. Unless you count the mini spy cameras we secretly install in everyone’s work space. (Just kidding… Or am I?) We’re all part of a team and we trust that everyone will do what is expected.

You’ll find it challenging and rewarding.

Our work isn’t easy, our industry is competitive, and our technology is constantly changing. That means we’re always learning, growing, and adapting on both personal and professional levels. Even when things get hairy, when you see the impact you have, you’ll find the reward is more than just the financial element (though that’s pretty sweet, too).

You’ll make a difference.

We strongly believe our work is about more than just the strategic or technical things we do. It’s about how we can help our clients make the world a better place. You’ll be making a difference on a large scale and influencing the growth of the team. You can even choose which projects you’ll work on.

You get unlimited vacation and sick days.

Yes, really. That means no worrying about counting available days because, as a close-knit team, everyone helps to cover for everyone else. As long as your work isn’t negatively impacted, you have free rein. Oh, and you’ll also get a full-time salary and be eligible for bonuses.

You get a great winter break.

In addition to taking off all federal holidays, we close for most of the week of Thanksgiving, and for two to three weeks over the holidays at the end of the year. On average, our employees get around six to eight weeks off per year.

As an ideal candidate, you should:

• Be comfortable working directly with clients, managing expectations, and have the ability to break down complex issues for clients to their own technical level.
• Be able to manage and maintain client relationships, coordinate with the team to ensure efforts are aligned with their objectives, and that calls and meetings are an upbeat and positive experience.
• Understand the principles of search engine marketing and how to apply them in such a way that generates tangible results.
• Have an understanding of content marketing, search engine optimization, conversion rate optimization, marketing automation, and the related elements that affect these practices.
• Perform keyword/phrase research in coordination with client business objectives to optimize existing content and uncover new opportunities.
• Create and execute/manage strategies for use across search engines, including content marketing, media buying, and more.
• Understand the role these elements – and the website as a whole – relate to each client’s organizational objectives and goals.
• Be self-motivated and take initiative. If you’re the kind of person who waits for someone to tell you what to do, this isn’t your kind of place.
• Be a problem solver, both collaboratively and on your own. Your Google-fu must be strong.
• Be well-spoken and able to take command of a room, call, or conversation.
• Be willing to give and receive feedback responsibly, have the perspective to evaluate it, and the flexibility to make adjustments.
• Be an avid learner. Half the fun of this job is learning what goes on behind the scenes in new client industries and keeping up with a constantly shifting market and our own quick paced rapidly evolving industry. You should be excited to share knowledge by educating and receiving education from others both team members and clients.
• Be passionate about your work. As an agency, we know the impact we have on the world is through the way we amplify our clients’ impact. For that reason, we work only with people with whom we’re well aligned. That goes for clients and employees.
• Pay attention to detail and have the ability to effectively multi-task in a deadline driven atmosphere.
• Bonus points awarded for experience with content management systems like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. Marketing Automation suites like Hubspot, Marketo, ParDot, Eloqua, Ontraport, Infusionsoft, etc.

OK, if you’re one of the few who has actually read this far, let’s cut to the chase – we could list a bunch of other very specific requirements to reduce the number of applicants (like X years’ experience required, formal education, or number of hoops jumped through) or try to list every single possible permutation of things you’d do in this position (i.e., you must be able to talk on phone and explain complex topics to relative simpletons while reading back channel messages on text and ignoring the feedback of their own voice feeding back into their headphones) but if you’re the kind of person that needs or wants that kind of list to work from, you’re not the person for this job.

Basically, you have to get this stuff and you have to care about it. If you already do those things, you understand the tremendous impact this can make in the world, and you’re excited to help organizations that want to build a better world do just that.

Stop for a second. Be honest with yourself… does this sound like you?

Are you sure?

Good! In exchange for these skills, you’ll be rewarded with a very flexible work schedule, medical benefits, the option to telecommute as you’d like, competitive pay and unlimited leave. You’ll also be able to participate in our annual shutdown (two, sometimes more, weeks off at the end of the year) and most federal holidays. Perhaps, most importantly, you’ll find yourself immersed in work that actually matters.

P.S. It’s worth mentioning that if you join us, you’ll participate in our pursuit to positively impact the lives of 100,000,000 people by the end of 2020. It’s no small task, but we’re already at over 37,000,000 and with someone like you on the team? Our odds just got better.

To apply, please email careers@yokoco.com. Use the subject line “Search and Destroy (in a good way)” It’s very important that you use this exact subject line, or you may be marked as spam by the robot who screens our emails. His name is Larry and he’s very strict. In your message share an example of a way you’ve bettered the world through SEO/SEM.