Design Elements Lead - 12 month Fixed Term Contract

Location: Team Design

Team: Country Sydney / Australia

About the Role

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design at Canva! As Design Elements Lead on a 12-month fixed-term contract, you'll oversee creative direction, craft quality, and strategic vision across Canva’s vast Elements library — spanning photos, videos, fonts, copy, audio, motion, and graphics. Co-leading the Design Studio with Design Lead, Creative Education Lead, and Ops Lead, you'll drive AI-first creative systems, ensuring scalable, high-quality content that powers Canva's product and delights millions of users worldwide. Based in Sydney with hybrid flexibility, you'll champion innovation while upholding Canva's commitment to creative excellence and global relevance. In this acting leadership role, you'll set the quality bar for all element types, triage brand and partnership requests, and partner with product stakeholders to ensure Elements shine across the Canva experience. You'll guide Craft Leads in strategic planning, refine workflows for efficiency, and balance craftsmanship with AI scale — all while fostering a collaborative, inclusive studio culture. This is your chance to shape the future of design content in an AI-powered world, connecting creative vision to measurable product impact. Canva's Content Studio team curates best-in-class, Truly Local content through creative excellence, data insights, and global partnerships. We're looking for a versatile creative leader fluent across crafts, passionate about quality in an AI-first era, and energised by Canva's mission to empower everyone to design. If you thrive in dynamic, multidisciplinary environments and want to leave your mark on a platform used by 170+ million people, apply now — we celebrate diverse backgrounds and skills that enhance our innovative culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead craft quality across all element types including photos, videos, fonts, copy, audio, motion, and graphics
• Co-lead the Design Studio providing creative direction, critiques, and approvals
• Serve as central point of contact for Brand Marketing and Partnerships on Elements requests
• Champion product representation partnering with Supergroup Leads and stakeholders
• Own quality standards and review processes for AI-generated and partner-sourced content
• Improve workflows, tooling, and handoffs for efficient quality assurance
• Guide Craft Leads in developing element strategies aligned to company goals
• Standardise quality practices and workflows across Design, Creative Education, and Ops teams
• Balance creative excellence with scale through AI-powered systems
• Ensure Elements content aligns with Canva’s product, brand, and global localisation goals

Required Qualifications

• Seasoned creative leader with experience as Art Director, Creative Director, or Content Lead in tech, media, or publishing
• Broad creative literacy across photography, fonts, graphics, motion, video, copy, and audio
• Production fluency in content workflows, AI-generated content, partner acquisitions, and localised production
• Proven people leadership experience motivating multidisciplinary teams
• Strategic thinking connecting creative decisions to product metrics and business outcomes
• Experience upholding and evolving quality standards across multiple creative crafts
• Ability to co-lead cross-functional teams and manage daily creative direction and reviews

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in AI-first creative systems and quality assurance for generative content
• Background in tech or SaaS companies with in-product content experiences
• Expertise in brand partnerships and triaging marketing requests
• Familiarity with data-driven creative decision making
• Trend forecasting skills converting signals into strategic opportunities

Required Skills

• Creative direction and quality judgment
• AI-generated content workflows
• Multidisciplinary team leadership
• Strategic planning and execution
• Data-driven creative decision making
• Trend awareness and forecasting
• Production and workflow optimisation
• Brand alignment and partnership management
• Cross-functional stakeholder collaboration
• Craft literacy across visual and audio mediums
• Quality assurance and review processes
• Localisation and global content strategy
• People coaching and motivation
• Clear communication across all levels
• Product experience integration

Benefits

• Flexible hybrid work model across Sydney campus or remote options
• 12-month fixed-term contract with potential for extension
• Collaborative design culture redefining global design experiences
• Endless growth opportunities in a fast-scaling creative tech company
• Inclusive environment celebrating diverse skills and backgrounds
• Virtual interview process with reasonable adjustments available
• Access to Canva's world-class tools and creative resources
• Connection to innovative AI-driven content creation at scale

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.