Vans: Manager, Search & AI Enablement

Vans is the original brand rooted in the authentic lifestyle of skateboarding. We are driven by our mission to inspire and empower everyone to live “Off The Wall” – embracing the youthful spirit of freedom, non-conformity, and relentless progression. Yesterday’s “Off The Wall” moment is today’s new normal, and at Vans, we believe in constantly outdoing ourselves. Together with our communities across the globe, our vision is to push culture forward because we believe that the pursuit of progression never ends. We are constantly inspired by the future generation of positive catalysts within our community.  

So, before we get to the job details, take a minute to learn a little more about us – our values and our culture. If you can see yourself working side-by-side with a team of people who think and live “Off the Wall,” Vans just may be the place for you.

To learn more about our values and our culture, visit Vans Careers or www.vans.com.

What will you do?

The Manager, Search & AI Enablement leads the strategy and execution of search visibility (SEO & GEO), product data attribution, and AI‑driven experimentation across both B2B and DTC eCommerce channels. Reporting directly to the Head of eCommerce, this role is responsible for improving discoverability, data integrity, and scalable intelligence that accelerate revenue growth and operational efficiency.

Operating at the intersection of Marketing, Product, Data, Technology, and Sales, this leader translates search and data signals into actionable insights, builds foundational data pipelines, and pilots AI‑powered capabilities that enhance decision‑making and performance.

Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more.

• Own global organic search and discoverability strategy across DTC and B2B platforms, driving technical SEO, content optimization, and regional execution to improve visibility, traffic quality, and revenue impact.
• Partner cross‑functionally to improve product discoverability, collaborating with Brand, Content, Product, and Merchandising teams to optimize product detail pages, taxonomy, metadata, and content frameworks.
• Lead product data quality and attribution enablement, strengthening data completeness, consistency, and governance across systems to connect product content, search exposure, and sales outcomes.
• Translate complex data into actionable insights, enabling commercial, marketing, and leadership teams to make informed decisions through clear reporting, attribution models, and performance narratives.
• Identify, pilot, and scale AI‑powered use cases across search optimization, product content, insights generation, and operational efficiency, serving as the business lead for experimentation and adoption.
• Measure and optimize business impact, tracking ROI, adoption, and performance of search, data, and AI initiatives; sunsetting low‑value efforts while scaling proven solutions.
• Act as a strategic cross‑functional leader and influencer, supporting global and regional teams with shared frameworks, playbooks, and best practices, and managing external partners and platforms related to search, analytics, and AI.

What do you need to succeed?

We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you’ll need to succeed and excel. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your 8+ years of experience and professional achievements. 

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• Deep understanding of SEO and organic discoverability in eCommerce environments
• Experience working with large‑scale product data and attribution frameworks
• Proven ability to lead cross‑functional initiatives in matrixed organizations
• Strong analytical and storytelling skills; ability to translate data into action
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and driving structured experimentation

There are also a few skills that are not required but preferred.

• Experience supporting both B2B and DTC commerce models
• Hands‑on experience piloting or scaling AI / machine‑learning‑enabled solutions
• Familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., GA4), SEO tools, product information systems, and experimentation frameworks
• Background in retail, apparel, footwear, or consumer brands
• People management or indirect leadership experience

Now WE have a question for YOU.

Are you in?

Hiring Range:

$116,640.00 USD - $145,800.