CACTUS - Associate Director - Organic & AI Search

Overview :

CACTUS is a remote-first organization and we embrace an accelerate from anywhere culture. You may be required to travel to our Mumbai office based on business requirements or for company/team events.

We are a global scientific communications and technology company serving researchers, publishers, universities, and enterprises through brands like Editage, Paperpal, Researcher.Life, and RDiscovery. As we evolve into a multi-solution research ecosystem, organic growth and discovery will be central to our global expansion. We are hiring an Associate Director to lead and scale organic acquisition across our key platforms, driving visibility and growth across all major researcher discovery channels.

This is a strategic, high-ownership role responsible for end-to-end organic growth across traditional and emerging discovery surfaces. The scope spans SEO, AI-led search (GEO), app and extension ecosystems, and global/local market optimization. You will define the vision, build the roadmap, and lead the Organic & AI Search function, working closely with Product, Engineering, Content, Brand, and regional teams to embed organic growth into GTM strategy.

Responsibilities :

• Own Cactus's Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategy ensuring Editage, Paperpal, and R Discovery are consistently cited and recommended by AI engines including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Claude.
• Architect a content and citation framework that reinforces brand authority with LLMs - structured data, entity optimization, trust signals, and a deliberate presence across sources that AI systems draw from.
• Own global SEO strategy end-to-end including among others technical health, topical authority, keyword architecture, link equity, and Core Web Vitals across all Cactus Solutions and priority geographies.
• Build compounding content strategies anchored in researcher intent - topical authority maps, content gap analysis, and editorial calendars that drive sustained organic returns, not one-off traffic spikes.
• Develop localized organic strategies for Japan, Korea and China accounting for platform-specific search dynamics (Yahoo! Japan, Naver), local academic publishing cycles, and market-specific AI behaviour.
• Drive a structured experimentation culture, running A/B and multivariate tests across landing pages, content formats, metadata, and structured data to continuously improve organic conversion rates and discoverability signals, while building a shared learnings repository that compounds value across teams.
• Lead and grow a small in-house organic search team, while also managing agency partners for specific markets.
• Serve as the internal voice of organic discovery, translating complex GEO and SEO strategy into stakeholder-ready narratives that influence roadmap, budget, and cross-functional priorities.

Qualifications :

• 8+ years in organic search / SEO with at least 3 years in a people management role. Demonstrable experience in strategy, not just execution.
• Hands-on exposure to Generative Engine Optimization, AI content optimization, or prompt/citation engineering.
• Experience managing organic search across multiple markets and languages, with Asia-Pacific exposure strongly preferred.
• Track record of growing organic traffic and domain authority at scale with numbers to back it up.
• Proficiency with industry tools: Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEMrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, and at least one ASO platform.
• Background in SaaS, EdTech, publishing, or B2C/prosumer products targeting knowledge workers or professionals.
• Degree in marketing, Business, Communications, or a related field