Job Description
Job Description
Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.
Hey, g’day, mabuhay, kia ora, 你好, hallo, vítejte!
Thanks for stopping by. We know job hunting can be a little time consuming and you’re probably keen to find out what’s on offer, so we’ll get straight to the point.
Where and how you can work
This role is based at our Manila campus and follows a hybrid way of working. You have choice in where and how you work. We trust our Canvanauts to choose the balance that empowers them and their team to achieve their goals.
The Opportunity
At Canva, we’re building the world’s most empowering design platform and that starts with our people.
We’re looking for a Regional People Lead to own the people agenda across South East Asia. This role is for someone who thrives at the intersection of global strategy and local reality; someone who can translate, adapt, and embed people initiatives in a way that works for our teams on the ground, while building strong connections back to our global People function.
South East Asia is Canva’s largest region outside of ANZ, with ~900 Canvanauts across the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, representing ~20% of our global team. Each market brings its own regulatory environment, cultural nuance, and organisational dynamics. You’ll bring deep knowledge of all of that to make Canva a better place to work across the region.
You’ll lead a small, high-impact team of four across People Partnering, People Relations, and Location Partners and hold a client group of your own, keeping you grounded in the day-to-day reality of the business.
What You’ll Do
Bridge Global and Local
Adapt and operationalise global People initiatives for the region, ensuring they’re effective, locally relevant, and compliant.
Pressure-test whether global approaches will land well in SEA, flag gaps early, and shape how changes are communicated and implemented on the ground.
Feed regional trends, risks, and opportunities back to HQ so our global strategy stays grounded in local reality.
HR Business Partnering
Provide targeted People Partnering support to a defined client group within the region.
Support local org design and reorgs, total rewards benchmarking, country expansion, and the rollout of people initiatives and programs.
Be the in-timezone, trusted partner for sensitive people matters and complex regional challenges.
Compliance, Risk & Local Expertise
Own regional employment compliance and people risk in partnership with Location Partners and Employment Legal.
Be the regional subject matter expert on local legislation, regulation, and cultural nuance across SEA’s diverse markets.
Act as the escalation point for complex employee relations matters and lead the response to critical regional events such as natural disasters, safety incidents, or major regulatory shifts.
Deeply understand the benefit offering across each country consulting on local benefit gaps that impact talent attraction and retention where COEs may not have full visibility.
Culture & Community
Help scale Canva’s culture in a way that feels locally authentic and inclusive.
Monitor engagement and organisational health across the region, using people data and insights to improve engagement, retention, and employee experience.
Support regional connection, events, and leadership presence.
Regional People Leadership
Lead and develop a team of four across People Partnering, People Relations, and Location Partners.
Set regional priorities, ensure clear ownership across the People ecosystem, and coach your team to thrive in a matrixed, global environment.
Provide leadership and connection for the local People team, drive alignment and connection across different People functions to ensure cohesive delivery.
What you bring
Proven experience as a senior HR Business Partner in a complex, global environment
Deep knowledge of the Philippines, and ideally South East Asia, employment landscape including regulatory requirements, cultural nuance, and local market dynamics
Track record of leading and developing People teams, including across dotted-line and matrixed relationships
Strong judgement in navigating ambiguity and complex, sensitive people decisions
Ability to influence without authority and build trust with senior leaders
Comfortable operating with significant autonomy while knowing when to bring others in
A pragmatic, thoughtful approach with a genuine bias for action
What’s in it for you?
Achieving our crazy big goals motivates us to work hard — and we do — but you’ll also experience moments of connection, impact, and growth along the way.
- Equity packages — we want our success to be yours too
- Inclusive parental leave policy that supports all parents & carers
- An annual Vibe & Thrive allowance to support your wellbeing and personal growth
- Flexible leave options to recharge and be a force for good
- Exposure to global teams and cross-functional leaders as we scale toward 1 billion users
Other stuff to know
We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills and passion — and how you can enhance Canva and our culture. When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.
We celebrate all types of skills and backgrounds at Canva — even if you don’t feel like you meet every requirement, we’d still love to hear from you.
Please note that interviews are conducted virtually
