Director, Global Sales Compensation

Location: Team Finance

Team: Country San Francisco / United States

About the Role

Join Canva's Finance team as Director, Global Sales Compensation in our San Francisco office, where you'll redefine how the world experiences design by powering our sales teams with world-class compensation strategies. As Canva scales its innovative design platform to millions worldwide, you'll lead the design, implementation, and management of global sales compensation frameworks that inspire top performance while aligning perfectly with our growth objectives. This hybrid role demands a strategic visionary who thrives in our collaborative, fast-paced culture—partnering with Sales, Finance, and RevOps to create simple, motivating plans that drive revenue and foster creativity across our global teams. You'll own the end-to-end commission lifecycle, from crafting scalable frameworks and modeling scenarios to ensuring accurate payouts and ironclad compliance. In Canva's design-focused environment, expect to blend analytical precision with creative problem-solving—automating processes with cutting-edge tools, analyzing performance insights, and communicating complex mechanics in ways that empower our sales creators. This is hands-on leadership at a high-growth SaaS leader, where your work directly fuels Canva's mission to democratize design. We're seeking a roll-up-your-sleeves operator with deep SaaS compensation experience, passionate about building trust through transparency and excellence. At Canva, we celebrate diverse backgrounds and innovative thinkers who bring fairness, equity, and bold ideas to everything they do. If you're excited to transform sales compensation into a competitive advantage while enjoying our vibrant culture of connectivity, magic, and impact—join us in San Francisco and help shape the future of design.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, document, and administer scalable global sales compensation frameworks aligned with Canva's strategic growth goals
• Own the complete end-to-end commission process from calculations and validation to payouts, reporting, and dispute management
• Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Finance, and RevOps leadership on plan design, scenario modeling, and compensation forecasting
• Develop and maintain compensation governance ensuring accuracy, compliance, SOX readiness, and audit preparedness
• Analyze plan performance metrics and provide actionable insights and recommendations to Sales leadership
• Identify and implement process simplifications and automation opportunities using compensation technology
• Build trusted relationships with sales teams through transparent communication and accurate, timely payouts
• Model compensation costs under various business scenarios to support financial planning and budgeting
• Collaborate on global plan localization while maintaining consistency across Canva's international sales organizations
• Drive continuous improvement in the sales compensation experience, fostering motivation and business alignment

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in sales compensation, incentive design, or sales operations in high-growth SaaS or enterprise environments
• Proven track record of designing and scaling commission frameworks that balance sales motivation with financial discipline
• Strong analytical skills with expertise in compensation modeling and forecasting
• Experience owning end-to-end commission processes including calculations, validation, reporting, and dispute resolution
• Proficiency in sales compensation tools such as CaptivateIQ, Spiff, or Xactly
• Excellent stakeholder management experience partnering with Sales, Finance, and RevOps leadership
• Hands-on experience with Excel/Google Sheets for complex financial modeling
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Accounting, or related field

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with SOX compliance, audit processes, or IPO readiness in Finance/Revenue Accounting
• Background in design/tech SaaS companies with global sales organizations
• Familiarity with quote-to-cash processes and revenue recognition standards
• Advanced certifications in sales compensation (e.g., WorldatWork CCP)
• Experience implementing automation and tech solutions for compensation processes
• Direct leadership experience managing a sales compensation team

Required Skills

• Sales compensation design and administration
• Advanced Excel/Google Sheets modeling
• Sales compensation software (CaptivateIQ, Spiff, Xactly)
• Financial forecasting and scenario analysis
• Stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration
• Process automation and optimization
• SOX compliance and audit readiness
• Complex commission calculations and validation
• Data analysis and performance reporting
• Clear technical communication
• Strategic thinking with hands-on execution
• Global compensation framework development
• Dispute resolution and governance
• Quote-to-cash process knowledge
• Analytical problem-solving
• Sales operations partnership

Benefits

• Competitive salary range of $228,000-$347,000 based on experience and market data
• Equity packages to share in Canva's success
• Comprehensive health benefits plans supporting physical and mental wellbeing
• 401(k) retirement plan with generous company contribution
• Inclusive parental leave policy for all parents and carers
• Annual Vibe & Thrive allowance for wellbeing, social connection, and office setup
• Flexible leave options empowering personal recharge and work-life balance
• Hybrid work model in San Francisco with collaborative office experiences
• Access to Canva's global innovation culture and design-focused community

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.