SEO Country Lead (UK)

Location: Team Marketing

Team: Country London / United Kingdom

About the Role

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design at Canva, where innovation meets creativity in a collaborative, hyper-growth environment. Our International SEO team empowers every user worldwide to discover Canva through exceptional logged-out page experiences. As SEO Country Lead (UK), based in our buzzing London campus in Shoreditch, you'll own the UK search strategy, driving organic growth with world-class technical execution, content excellence, and local expertise. Reporting to the English SEO Lead, you'll localise global strategies while crafting unique UK initiatives, guiding our link builder, and rallying cross-functional teams toward ambitious goals in a design-focused culture that celebrates bold ideas and measurable impact. You'll lead all pillars of SEO—technical, content, and links—for the UK market, building and optimising pages directly in Canva's CMS, monitoring site health, and partnering with designers, engineers, and analysts to deliver seamless, user-centric results. In this hands-on leadership role, you'll set data-driven targets, champion experimentation, and represent UK insights globally through presentations and workshops. Thrive in our hybrid model, blending vibrant office collaboration with flexible autonomy, all while contributing to Canva's mission of democratising design. We're seeking a seasoned SEO strategist with enterprise-scale experience, profound tool proficiency (Google Analytics, Ahrefs, Search Console), and the ability to influence across functions. Embrace Canva's innovative spirit, where your leadership will amplify our creative tools' reach to millions in the UK, fostering connections in a supportive community backed by equity, wellness allowances, and inclusive benefits.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end SEO strategy and execution for the UK market, tailoring global strategies to local search behaviours and competitive dynamics
• Collaborate with core SEO teams to align international priorities and scale best practices
• Partner cross-functionally with designers, engineers, data analysts, and operations to optimise UX, site performance, and reporting
• Work with content, localisation, and outreach specialists to create high-quality, UK-relevant pages
• Direct technical SEO, content optimisation, and link authority building to grow organic visibility
• Build and launch optimised pages directly in Canva's CMS following best-in-class on-page practices
• Set performance targets, analyse data to guide priorities, and report measurable growth outcomes
• Oversee technical site health including crawl efficiency, performance, and structured data
• Lead UK link-building initiatives with advanced outreach strategies
• Represent UK insights to the global SEO team and champion localisation of international frameworks
• Mentor specialists and foster a culture of SEO experimentation and impact

Required Qualifications

• Proven success leading large-scale SEO programs for enterprise websites (500+ pages) with measurable growth outcomes
• Expert-level knowledge across technical SEO, content strategy, and authority building
• Hands-on execution ability, comfortable building, publishing, and optimising pages within a CMS environment
• Strategic and analytical mindset with ability to interpret data, identify trends, and convert insights into actionable plans
• Experience managing and mentoring SEO teams, ensuring alignment, accountability, and performance
• Proficiency with enterprise SEO tools including Google Analytics, Search Console, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, and Botify
• Strong communicator and influencer able to champion SEO priorities across marketing, engineering, and product functions

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in UK-specific SEO strategies and local search behaviours
• Background working with design-focused or creative tech companies
• Familiarity with international SEO localisation and cross-market collaboration
• Advanced skills in link-building and outreach for authority growth
• Experience with data visualisation tools like Mode or Looker

Required Skills

• Technical SEO expertise (crawl efficiency, site speed, structured data)
• Content strategy and on-page optimisation
• Link-building and authority growth strategies
• Data analysis and performance tracking
• CMS page building and publishing
• Cross-functional collaboration and influence
• Strategic planning and prioritisation
• Team leadership and mentoring
• Google Analytics and Search Console proficiency
• Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, Botify usage
• UK market and search behaviour knowledge
• Analytical mindset for trend identification
• Communication and presentation skills
• Experimentation and process improvement
• Localisation for international SEO

Benefits

• Equity packages to share in Canva's success
• Inclusive parental leave policy supporting all parents and carers
• Annual Vibe & Thrive allowance for wellbeing, social connection, and office setup
• Flexible leave options to recharge or give back
• Hybrid work model at our vibrant London campus in Shoreditch
• Delicious home-cooked meals from our Head Chef
• Collaborative workspaces and event spaces for team connection
• Opportunities for global impact in a design-first, innovative culture

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.