THE ROLE
At Debenhams Group, we are on a journey of transformation, revitalising our brand, culture, and connection with colleagues and customers alike. In a fast-changing retail environment, effective and authentic communication is vital to building trust, aligning our teams, and amplifying the impact of our work across internal and external audiences.
The SEO team at Karen Millen plays a crucial role in driving organic traffic to the website, ensuring that our premium products and editorial content rank highly in search engine results. Because our Head of Performance Marketing is heavily focused on broader group projects and paid channels, this team operates with a high degree of independence. Collaborating closely with content, marketing, and e-commerce teams, you will act as the driving force behind our organic strategy, ensuring we stay ahead of search engine algorithms and emerging tech trends.
This role will be based out of our central London office.
WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING
You will be a proactive, highly autonomous, and motivated Senior SEO Executive. Reporting to the Head of Performance Marketing, you will take full ownership of the organic channel to drive growth, enhance search engine visibility, and optimize both on- and off-page elements.
This role is designed for a confident, head-strong decision-maker. You will be expected to push projects forward independently with only high-level oversight, removing bottlenecks and ensuring agile execution. Crucially, you will spearhead our transition into the next era of search by leading our Artificial Intelligence Optimisation (AIO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) strategies.
Key Responsibilities:
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Full Channel Ownership: Take total responsibility for increasing organic traffic and improving website performance, making confident, strategic decisions to drive the channel forward without waiting for top-down direction.
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Next-Gen Strategy (AIO & GEO): Spearhead the research, adoption, and execution of Artificial Intelligence Optimisation and Generative Engine Optimization strategies to future-proof Karen Millen’s organic visibility.
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Autonomous Project Management: Drive technical and content SEO projects from conception to completion independently, requiring only high-level oversight from the Head of Channel Growth.
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Technical SEO: Conduct regular audits of the website to identify and resolve technical issues (site speed, crawlability, etc.), and work closely with developers to implement best practices.
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Site Health: Manage XML sitemaps, robots.txt, and canonicalization strategies to ensure optimal search engine indexing. Optimize site architecture and internal linking for SEO and user experience.
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Content & Keywords: Conduct keyword research and competitor analysis to drive content strategy. Optimize meta titles, descriptions, header tags, and on-page content for search intent and relevance.
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Off-Page Strategy: Develop and execute link-building strategies to acquire high-quality, authoritative, and topically relevant backlinks.
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Reporting & Analytics: Regularly track, analyse, and report on SEO performance metrics to the wider teams using GA4 and other available tools.
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Industry Expertise: Stay up to date on trends and best practices, attending industry events where required, and educate internal teams on the evolving search landscape.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR
Your Skills, Knowledge, and Experience :
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4–5 years of SEO experience, with a previous role in premium/fashion retail highly beneficial.
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Confident Decision-Maker: You are head-strong, decisive, and comfortable taking full ownership of a channel's performance.
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Forward-Thinking Vision: A deep interest in and understanding of emerging search technologies, specifically AIO and GEO.
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Self-Starter Mentality: You do not wait for instruction; you identify what needs to be done and push projects forward independently.
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Solution-Oriented: Demonstrative solution-oriented thinking; you excel at turning obstacles into opportunities.
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Commercial Acumen: Strong numerical skills and commercial awareness enable you to prioritize work effectively, focusing on the best effort-to-return ratio.
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Proven Results: Expertise in SEO that has resulted in impressive ranking performance in competitive search landscapes.
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Content & Social Savvy: Robust content expertise. You see SEO beyond Google, having experimented with social/TikTok SEO and social listening to identify current trends.
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Technical Proficiency: Strong experience with Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets for advanced data analysis. Experience using GA4 and Google Merchant Center to optimise for Free Shopping traffic. (Python, JavaScript, PHP, or HTML experience is highly beneficial).
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Excellent Communicator: Strong presentation skills with the ability to clearly articulate SEO concepts, strategies, and requirements to non-SEO stakeholders.
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Detail-Oriented: An exceptional eye for detail; you can spot a needle in a haystack.
WORKING WITH US
At Debenhams Group we thrive on change, innovation, and pace. Every challenge is an opportunity, and every day is a chance to push boundaries. If you’re someone who embraces the unknown, thrives in a fast-moving, high-growth environment, and is ready to shape the future of retail, you’ll love it here. We want visionaries, disruptors, and doers—people who bring fresh thinking, relentless energy, and the drive to make an impact.
WHY JOIN US
Our mission is to create a workplace where everyone is respected, individual differences are valued, and people can be themselves at work — without exception.
2025 was a year of significant change for the Group. 2026 is about bold moves, real results and unstoppable momentum. If that excites you, you belong at Debenhams Group.
Our benefits include (subject to level and eligibility):
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Highly competitive bonus scheme, company pension, share schemes, private medical cover and life assurance
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Discount across all brands
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Comprehensive wellbeing package
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Ongoing learning and development with strong internal progression
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Free season ticket loan
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