Search Engine Optimization Specialist in Marketing and Communications

UTHealth Houston’s Department of Marketing and Communications is seeking a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialist. This employee focuses on improving the visibility, performance, and discoverability of UTHealth Houston digital properties to advance the mission areas, including academic programs, healthcare services, research, and internal and external community outreach. The SEO specialist will help develop comprehensive search strategies that improve organic traffic, increase qualified conversions, build audience trust, strengthen brand authority, and support other UTHealth Houston goals. This role will contribute to the evolution of the university's information architecture, content development process, and website optimization initiatives in support of broader marketing and growth strategies.

This employee will work on a hybrid schedule with only one or two days in the office a week. We do prefer candidates who have worked in healthcare or higher education, but that is not required. A plus would be if you have worked at all on patient or student acquisition and development. You should have experience working in a CMS like WordPress, and it would also be extremely helpful to have worked with Artificial Intelligence search tools. 
 

What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas’s resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That’s where you come in.

Once you join us, you won't want to leave. It’s because we reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you’d expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:  

• 100% paid medical premiums for our full-time employees  
• Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time – all of which equate to around 37-38 days per year) 
• The longer you stay, the more vacation you’ll accrue! 
• Longevity Pay (Monthly payments after two years of service) 
• Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan! 

We take care of our employees! As a world-renowned institution, our employees’ wellbeing is important to us. We offer work/life services such as... 

• Free financial and legal counseling 
• Free mental health counseling services 
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs 
• Other employee discounts, including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc. 
• Resources for child and elder care 
• Plus many more! 

Position Key Accountabilities:

• Develops SEO, AEO, and GEO strategies and infrastructure across multiple digital properties, with the aim of improving organic traffic, engagement, and conversions across standard search engines and AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.
• Advises content creators on best practices, topic selection, and content gaps based on keyword research, search intent, and competitive analysis, ensuring subject matter aligns with search trends.
• Trains content creators to structure and edit content for extractability by AI answer engines.
• Builds off-page authority through earned citations, high-quality backlinks, and mentions in third-party authoritative sources to strengthen visibility in both traditional and AI-generated search results.
• Works with cross-functional teams, including content, design, and development, to implement optimization tactics.
• Optimizes site content and works with internal partners to offer guidance on improving site content and reducing duplication to preserve SEO value.
• Conducts keyword research, knowledge graph analysis, analysis of internal linking, and search intent evaluations.
• Monitors website performance to understand and improve SEO performance.
• Monitors and reports on key performance metrics.
• Stays current on search engine algorithm updates and emerging search technologies.
• Collaborates with web developers to ensure all new builds adhere to SEO best practices.
• Identifies and resolves backend site issues affecting crawlability, indexability, page speed, and schema markup.
• Implements and maintains structured data to support visibility in traditional search results and AI-generated answers.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education:

At least a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Communications, or a related field. May substitute required education with equivalent years of experience beyond the minimum experience requirement, so without a degree, it would be seven years of experience. 

Minimum Experience:

3 years of related experience. required

Physical Requirements:

Exerts up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds frequently and/or a negligible amount constantly to move objects.

Security Sensitive:

This position is a security-sensitive position pursuant to Texas Education Code §51.215 and Texas Government Code §411.094. To the extent that a position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Texas Business and Commerce Code §117.001(2), the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired for and to continue to be employed in that position. Personnel in such positions, and similarly situated state contractors, will be routinely reviewed to determine whether things such as criminal history or continuous connections to the government or political apparatus of a foreign adversary might prevent the applicant, employee, or contractor from being able to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure. A foreign adversary is a nation listed in 15 C.F.R. §791.4.

Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.