Director, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

MKTQ125R59 Databricks is hiring a Director of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to define how our brand shows up across every surface where buyers discover, evaluate, and choose data and AI platforms—from AI-powered answer engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to Google AI Overviews and traditional search. This leader will build and scale a global GEO product function from the ground up, shaping the strategy, AI tooling and workflows, team, and operating model that turns AI and organic discovery into a durable growth engine for Databricks. This is a build-the-function role: you'll set the strategy, do the hands-on work to prove it out, define how we measure success, and grow the team behind it. You'll sit at the center of content, product marketing, web, and demand gen — translating a fast-moving discipline into pipeline. The impact you will have: Built a GEO function and operating model that reliably turns AI and organic discovery into a meaningful growth channel for Databricks, with a clear charter, roadmap, and engagement model for web, content, product marketing, and brand. Significantly increased Databricks’ visibility and share of citations across priority AI answer engines (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Google AI Overviews) so we consistently appear as a top recommended brand on high-intent product and category queries. Demonstrably grown qualified organic and AI-referred traffic, conversions, and influenced pipeline for priority product lines and audiences by aligning GEO strategy and experimentation with business goals. Stood up a robust GEO experimentation and measurement engine (tests on content structure, schema, semantic depth, technical changes) that produces a prioritized roadmap and measurable lifts in AI citation rate, sentiment, engagement, and downstream funnel performance. Improved the technical health and AI crawlability of high-value pages in partnership with Web, Engineering, and Marketing Systems, so that both traditional search engines and AI assistants can reliably access, understand, and surface Databricks content. Embedded GEO standards and playbooks across marketing and product teams , so new and refreshed content is consistently structured to be AI-citable and answer-focused, and GEO best practices show up in campaign, web, and content workflows by default. Built and led a high-performing GEO team , with clear roles, mentorship, and development paths, and established an executive-ready reporting and insights function that earns trust from the VP, CMO, and other senior stakeholders. What we look for: 10+ years in technical search, discovery, or adjacent domains, including meaningful time owning systems that drive organic or AI-powered discovery in a high-growth environment. Deep technical foundation across web architecture, crawling and indexing, structured data/schema, Core Web Vitals, and log/crawl analysis, with a track record of working directly with engineers to ship changes at scale. Proven experience designing and running experimentation programs (on content structure, schema, and technical changes) that produce prioritized roadmaps and measurable lifts in visibility, traffic, and downstream business KPIs. Demonstrated success building from zero-to-one: defining a new function’s charter, roadmap, operating model, and metrics, and then hiring, coaching, and leading a team of ICs to deliver against it. Track record of building, mentoring, and managing high-performing teams – including setting clear expectations, providing regular coaching and feedback, and developing ICs into senior, highly autonomous operators. Strong analytical skills and comfort working hands-on with data and measurement tooling to connect AI/search performance to business impact and produce clear, executive-ready insights. Experience operating in a complex, cross-functional environment (e.g., web engineering, marketing systems, data/analytics, brand, product) and driving alignment and decisions without relying on f…