Search Engine Marketing Lead - Temporary (up to 31/12/2026)

About us

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. We are driving fast paced, transformational change that is allowing us to save more lives in new and innovative ways. Our lifeboat crews and lifeguards need a dedicated, professional and talented team behind them so whatever the weather they can operate to the highest standards and save lives at sea.

Working together with partners and communities, we aim to educate, influence, supervise and rescue those at risk from drowning. We see digital technologies as a crucial in helping us achieve this goal.

We are looking for a Search Engine Marketing specialist to join us until the end of 2026 who will drive the performance of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) across RNLI.org and associated digital properties, meeting established KPIs which directly contribute to the RNLI’s objective to save every one.

Some of the benefits

• Salary: £41,242 to £48,520 (dependent on experience)
• Flexible working
• 26 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Outstanding pension scheme (contributions of up to 16% of basic salary)
• Life assurance
• Health and dental cash plan

What you’ll be doing

You'll join our Digital Experience team in creating amazing digital experiences for our users across RNLI.org, sister sites, and drive performance in line with our organisational objectives. This means managing the delivery from start to finish of organic and paid search campaigns, by using an efficient process, and delivering quality & valuable outcomes. Utilising skills across industry research, creating benchmarks, quality assurance, testing, analysis & optimisation.

You’ll be proactive in identifying opportunities for improvement in line with our Digital Principles, which include; utilising voice-of-the-user feedback and analytics data, test & learn and collaborative working. A hands-on approach and a specialism for search is key – as is commercial orientation, since you’ll be looking to make a real impact on our mission to prevent drowning.

Building strong relationships across organisational teams, you’ll work closely with our content and marketing teams and the wider Digital team in particular, acting as a colleague, collaborator and catalyst for innovative work throughout. With one eye on the future, you’ll define what search means for the organisation and will work with third party partners in the execution of this strategy and vision.

The experience you'll need

• Demonstrable experience in search engine optimisation & paid search campaign management
• Understanding of the key algorithm updates and SEO implications
• Extensive understanding of best practice bid strategies for PPC and paid media to support in campaign optimisations
• Understanding of Search Engines’ best practices and industry trends
• Ability to change strategies and adopt new techniques as the search space evolves
• Proficient use of various SEO/SEM tooling including, but not limited to: Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Keyword Research Tools, SEMRush or Ahrefs, MOZ, Google Ads, Search Ads 360, Google Grant
• Strong working knowledge and experience with data reporting ad visualisation tools
• Advanced knowledge of Excel to include pivot tables, vlookups, sumifs, and charts
• Ability to communicate with stakeholders effectively and confidently through email, reporting and presentations
• Expert in AI within search, including generative engine optimisation (GEO)

We are looking for someone who is an effective collaborator with a pragmatic approach to problem solving and a calm approach to a busy and fast paced environment. You should have the ability to think both tactically about day-to-day tasks plus support our longer-term strategy. Our ideal candidate will be proactive and focused on delivering strong, measurable results. If this sounds like you – apply today!

Safeguarding

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero-tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include relevant criminal record checks being carried out dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process).

Diversity at the RNLI

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One.