Head of People Partnering

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

Our flagship campus is in Sydney. We also have a campus in Melbourne and co-working spaces in Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. But 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.

About the role

As our Head of People Partnering, you’ll step into a pivotal role as a strategic leader and visionary, guiding Canva’s HR Business Partner team to new heights of clarity, alignment, and impact.

In this high-impact role, you’ll bring influential leadership and operational rigour to a rapidly growing, global environment, where your craft expertise will continue to shape the role of the People Partner and the People Operating Model that supports Canva’s evolving business needs. You’ll coach and motivate a high-performing team, empowering them to reach their full potential. With a natural talent for influence and inspiration, you’ll build cross-functional connections across the People Group, simplifying complex challenges into practical solutions, and establishing a clear, aligned vision that supports Canva’s ambitious goals.

What you’d be doing in this role

As Canva continues to scale, change remains a core part of our DNA—and we like to think that's part of why it’s so exciting to be part of Canva’s People team.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

• Leading a team of People Partners across ANZ by inspiring growth, supporting continuous development, clarifying expectations, and empowering them to deliver impactful, company-wide people programs.
• Driving the definition and alignment of the People Partner function across the organisation and People Group, ensuring clarity on expectations globally, in partnership with Canva’s Regional People Leads.
• Influencing and evolving our People Operating Model to support Canva’s growing, global people footprint by driving alignment and collaboration across the People Group and business at large.
• Strengthening partnerships within the People team (Rewards, People Experience, Talent Acquisition, to name a few) to drive alignment and unified approach across the People Group.
• Bringing an influential voice to represent the top priorities and challenges from Business Leaders through People Partners, scaling impact by establishing effective, continuous feedback loops and aligning strategic People priorities with broader business goals.
• Playing a pivotal role in managing change within the People Partner team, fostering confidence, and providing clarity on on roles in an evolving environment
• Enabling a world-class people strategy that fully embodies our philosophies around empowerment, values and goals.

What you’ll bring

• Extensive experience in the people & culture space including leading teams of experienced HR professionals (ideally HR BP teams).
• Visionary leadership for the role of the People Partner, understanding its strategic importance to help accelerate Canva’s goals
• Strong operational rigour to turn strategic vision into effective, actionable steps.
• Clarity and alignment on the role of the People Partner, by close collaboration with business leaders, People Group COEs and the People Leadership team.
• Change management expertise leading teams through change, instilling confidence, and establishing clarity within a fast-evolving environment.
• Strategic ability to navigate diverse perspectives and foster alignment across the business and People Group, promoting a unified approach.
• Ability to coach, mentor, and develop experienced People Partners to unlock their full potential and drive impact across their unique client groups.
• Ability to balance the big picture with short term focus and initiatives
• Excellent understanding of broad range of HR programs including workforce planning, performance management, leadership development, organisational design & development, talent management, and total rewards.

What's in it for you?

Achieving our crazy big goals motivates us to work hard - and we do - but you'll experience lots of moments of magic, connectivity and fun woven throughout life at Canva, too. We also offer a range of benefits to set you up for every success in and outside of work.

Here's a taste of what's on offer:

• 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, social connection, office setup & more
• Flexible leave options that empower you to be a force for good, take time to recharge and supports you personally

Check out lifeatcanva.com for more info.

Other stuff to know

We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills and passion, as well as 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 so even if you don’t feel like your skills quite match what’s listed above - we still want to hear from you!

Please note that interviews are conducted virtually.