SEO Associate

About Darkroom

Darkroom is the leading next-generation growth marketing firm engineering the brands of tomorrow. Founded in 2017, we set out to redefine what a modern agency could be, by replacing the inertia of legacy advertising behemoths with a model built for speed, intelligence, and measurable impact.

At our core, Darkroom is a human services company powered by Shadow, a universal AI commerce layer that integrates executive-level strategy with proprietary agentic technology. This fusion enables our teams to deliver outsized returns by enhancing creative output, operational efficiency, and revenue generation across every stage of the customer journey.

Our track record speaks for itself: billions in attributable revenue driven across e-commerce marketplaces, media networks, DTC ecosystems, and social commerce platforms. Every engagement feeds into our proprietary data infrastructure, enabling a continuous feedback loop that accelerates growth, improves margins, and compounds results across our client portfolio.

What began as a boutique design studio has evolved into one of the fastest-growing private companies in America (Inc. 5000) and among the most effective performance media agencies of the 2020s (Varos). Our founders were recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 for advancing the intersection of technology, marketing, and advertising, cementing Darkroom’s role as a defining player in the future of media innovation.

About the Role

Darkroom is one of the fastest-growing performance agencies in the US, and we're building the organic presence to match. We're looking for an SEO Associate to own the execution of Darkroom's search strategy across both traditional SEO and AI search. Someone early in their career, but with real ownership instincts.

You'll work directly on Darkroom's own website, The Observatory blogs, and our content engine, not client accounts. The strategy will be set collaboratively, but the execution is yours.

What You'll Do

• Own the day-to-day execution of Darkroom's SEO: on-page optimization, internal linking, metadata, structured data, and content updates

• Conduct keyword research and map search intent to opportunities across the Observatory, case studies, and landing pages

• Architect topic clusters, pillar pages, and refresh cycles so the Observatory compounds in authority over time, instead of running like a publishing treadmill

• Run regular technical audits and fix issues across crawlability, site speed, broken links, and schema markup

• Own Darkroom's llms.txt and AEO strategy so the brand surfaces in AI Overviews, Perplexity, ChatGPT, and emerging answer engines

• Build content briefs that pre-load search intent, entity coverage, SERP gaps, and competitor angles before a writer ever touches a draft

• Run our co-marketing backlink program with martech, measurement, and AI partners. Own the partner content calendar and make sure reciprocal commitments actually ship

• Maintain a live read on share of voice, SERP movement, and competitor content velocity across DTC and ecommerce verticals

• Track organic performance weekly across rankings, traffic, and impressions, and turn it into a strategic point of view. Surface what to double down on, what to kill, and what to test next

• Use AI tools to scale keyword clustering, on-page optimization, and reporting. Turn manual SEO tasks into repeatable workflows wherever possible

You Should Apply If This Sounds Like You

• 1 to 3 years of SEO experience, agency, in-house, or freelance

• Working knowledge of Google Search Console, GA4, and at least one SEO tool (Ahrefs, Semrush, or similar)

• A real point of view on AEO and how AI search is reshaping organic strategy

• Strong written English. You'll be briefing writers and editing content, so clarity matters

• Organised and proactive. You track your own work, hit deadlines, and don't need to be reminded twice

• Genuinely curious about search. You follow algorithm updates, test hypotheses, and have opinions about what works

• A systems thinker. You'd rather build a workflow that fixes 50 issues than fix them one at a time

Bonus points

• Experience with Framer or similar CMS from an SEO implementation perspective

• Familiarity with the ecommerce or DTC space. You understand the brands and topics Darkroom lives in

• Exposure to content strategy or digital PR. You understand how earned links and organic content reinforce each other

• Expert in using AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Perplexity as part of your daily workflow, not as a novelty

• A track record of personal projects, side sites, or blogs you've built and grown yourself

What It's Like to Work at Darkroom

Darkroom is not a typical agency. We are looking for A players who want to build something great. We move fast, think deeply, and expect every team member to bring insight and rigor to everything they touch. We hold a high bar for performance, creativity, and ownership — but we also support each other relentlessly. No egos, no red tape — just world-class talent building something remarkable.

We believe in autonomy with accountability, truth over comfort, and outcomes over optics.

• Unlimited PTO + Local holidays (Relevant to your hub): Rebooting is part of the work. Take the time you need to stay sharp.

• Remote-First Culture: Many roles are fully remote. Employees based in or near our New York or Lisbon HQs are expected to work hybrid with weekly in-office time. Hub locations include the Brazil and Spain.

• Parental Leave: Flexible parental leave to support new parents during this important transition.

• Growth: Our interdisciplinary model gives every Darkroomer exposure far beyond their core role. Grow your skills, expand your influence, and stay at the forefront of the industry.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Darkroom is an equal opportunity workplace—we are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national orientation, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.