Technical SEO Manager Leeds

Havas Market UK

Posted 09/02/2026

What Makes This Opportunity Special

Lead technical SEO initiatives at Havas Market UK in Leeds, guiding data-driven strategies that fuse tech with human insight to unlock real commerce performance. Collaborate with the Technical SEO Director and cross-functional teams to elevate SEO, CRO, content, and localisation across client sites. Join a human-led, results-driven culture that turns data into meaningful business impact.

Job Description

Reporting To: Technical SEO Director

Office Location: Blokhaus, West Park Ring Road, Leeds, LS16 6QG, UK

About Havas Market We are Havas Market, part of the Havas Media Network. We believe in in the fusion of commerce and performance to drive limitless performance. We break down barriers between commerce and performance to build cohesive multichannel purchase experiences that powerfully combine tech and human flair.

Havas Market expertise spans four core specialist services: paid media (PPC, paid social, shopping international), owned (SEO, CRO, content, creative, localisation), commerce (Amazon, Marketplaces, Retail Media, social commerce) and earned (digital PR, social).

We Help Clients To Connect with the human behind the click – we harness human-led planning and technology to create experiences that connect more deeply and drive superior digital performance. Capture meaningful metrics that matter – we focus on meaningful results that drive business impact, not just superficial metrics, ensuring client strategy delivers real commercial success. Combine curious minds and powerful technology – we turn data into actionable insights, all powered and delivered by cutting-edge technology, giving clients a competitive edge in market.

The Role An exciting opportunity has opened for a Technical SEO Manager with proven expertise and strong client-facing skills to take ownership of a portfolio of high-value accounts. In this role, you’ll collaborate closely with the Technical SEO Director and manage a Technical SEO Executive. The team is based in both London and Leeds.

We’re looking for someone with deep experience across all areas of technical SEO, including crawl audits, international SEO, indexation challenges, internal linking, competitor analysis, keyword research, and the application of emerging technologies such as LLMs. A solid grasp of core development languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) is essential, along with the ability to integrate UX insights into your strategy. Familiarity with basic API requests will also be highly valuable.

You’ll need a strong data-driven mindset with an eye for detail. You will be analysing large datasets to connect the dots, then translating them into clear, succinct, and actionable insights for clients. Strong writing, information design, and coordination & collaboration skills are essential for success in this position.

As a client-facing leader, you’ll be responsible for driving weekly check-ins and steering larger monthly & quarterly meetings, with the support of your line manager. Confidence in presenting, excellent communication skills, and a proactive, practical, and solution-driven attitude are all essential.

Key Responsibilities Manage the day-to-day technical support and implementation across a core client set. Proficiently manage, investigate, and analyse crawl & log files in Screaming Frog, custom crawlers, client extractions. Confidence in discussing and making recommendations on new emerging areas of technical SEO such as LLM models. Comfortably able to construct forecasts based on logical assumptions and frameworks. Learn and develop a clear understanding of our agency best practices. Build and maintain a strong working relationship with your clients by gaining their full trust. Work with the SEO Executives to complete work in a timely manner and to a high standard and ensure they maintain all basic technical requirements. Develop the SEO executives in the team, contribute towards training to upskill the broader team and play a role in the development of SEO best practice. Working with your line manager, you will learn how to pull together strategic roadmaps for your clients and be able to action recommendations from these roadmaps. Work closely with the SEO Strategy and Paid Search teams to ensure alignment and support in truly incremental and integrated performance for your clients.

Desired Skills And Experience 3+ years’ experience in a SEO remit, ideally within an agency environment. Proven experience of working with enterprise level clients and large budgets. Solid experience using Google Analytics, Search Console, and other analytics platforms to isolate relevant data and derive meaningful insights Extensive experience using core SEO databases & tools including SEMrush and Ahrefs. Excellent data analysis skills and confident with spreadsheets Excellent communicator – written and verbal, with the ability to frame challenges in a useful way and present confidently. Strong time management skills and ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines, as well as experience keeping within retainer/project scopes. Strong attention to detail and a practical and problem-solving approach to challenges International SEO experience would be a bonus.

About Havas Market UK

Havas Market UK Leeds (formerly Search Laboratory) shows strong culture and high employee satisfaction, with Leeds-area Glassdoor reviews around 4.4/5 overall and Culture & Values 4.7 and Work-Life Balance 4.6. Key strengths cited include a collaborative, supportive environment and exposure to diverse, data-driven digital marketing work across paid media, SEO, and retail/marketplaces, with about 93% of reviewers willing to recommend the company. Common criticisms center on morale decline after the rebranding to Havas Market, more top-down leadership decisions, and signs of burnout or loss of the original Search Laboratory culture. CSR policies exist and sustainability initiatives are part of the approach, the Leeds office sits within a global Havas Market / Havas Media Network with thousands of experts, but the Leeds Glassdoor sample is modest (about 104 reviews), so representativeness may be limited. (glassdoor.com)

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the role involve?

You’ll lead technical SEO initiatives, collaborate with the Technical SEO Director, and drive audits, technical improvements, and strategy across client sites. Expect to work across owned channels including SEO, CRO, content, and localisation to deliver measurable performance.

How does this role fit within Havas Market's multi-specialist approach?

Havas Market blends paid, owned, commerce, and earned services. As Technical SEO Manager, you’ll coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure SEO signals align with broader campaigns and conversion goals.

What does success look like in the first 90 days?

You'll establish a baseline audit, implement quick wins, and align with the SEO Director on a roadmap. You'll create reporting dashboards, identify technical bottlenecks, and start improving crawlability, URL structures, and site speed.

What opportunities for growth and development does this role offer?

You'll mentor junior SEO specialists, attend industry training, contribute to strategy, and gain exposure to client projects across multiple markets. This role offers a clear path to senior leadership within the SEO practice and broader digital marketing leadership.