Design Lead, South Korea (24-month contract)

Job description

This is a fixed-term employee position. Under Korean law, fixed-term employees are entitled to the same statutory benefits as permanent Canva employees performing the same or similar work. 기간제 직원은 한국 법령에 따라 Canva에서 동종 또는 유사한 업무를 수행하는 정규직 직원과 동일한 법정 복리후생을 받을 권리가 있습니다. Join the team redefining how the world experiences design. Hey, g'day, mabuhay, kia ora, 你好, hallo, vítejte, 안녕하세요! 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 While we support flexible, remote-friendly ways of working, for this role we’re focusing on Seoul so we can best support our teams and keep collaboration flowing. What you’d be doing in this role Creative Direction Develop a compelling creative vision that delivers and executes against the Country Content Strategy Lead and Country Manager’s strategic priorities. Collaborate closely with local Marketing, SEO, and Community teams. Translate country and regional strategies into locally relevant campaigns. Drive AI adoption in production and content innovation, supporting new product formats and emerging trends to keep creative outputs fresh and competitive. Content Creation & Curation Oversee the creation of content, including design kits, campaign documents, creator briefs, and in-house production where needed. Work with Freelance Copywriters and/or AI Copy to ensure copy is culturally relevant and adheres to our copy best practice standards. Curate and editorially frame content for marketing initiatives, showcases, and seasonal calendars to elevate local relevance. Proactively identify content gaps and curate assets that reflect strategic priorities and creative excellence. Lead quality control of all content outputs, ensuring alignment with brand guidelines and maintaining high standards of visual and messaging quality. Market Understanding & Cultural Insights Build and maintain a deep knowledge of local culture, consumer behaviour, and design trends to inform content direction and strategy. Conduct foundational content research, ensuring creative and editorial output aligns with strategic needs and cultural nuances. Provide cultural expertise to scale content, ensuring authenticity and relevance to the local market across AICG, partnerships, and creators. Champion hyperlocal design perspectives in collaboration with cross-functional teams. Support building an editorial strategy for local content, ensuring Canva’s library reflects cultural relevance, diversity, and inclusive storytelling. Advocate for the integration of global and underrepresented perspectives in content development and curation, upholding Canva’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Content Performance Monitoring & Analysis Conduct template and element audits to identify improvement areas and opportunities for new content. Perform content performance and gap analysis, distilling insights into recommendations that guide future content creation and acquisition. Leverage data, trends, and local insights to shape creative direction, enhance creator and in-house briefs, and inform design decisions. Facilitate retrospectives and performance reviews to refine strategies and content effectiveness. Actively raise discoverability challenges or product limitations that impact content visibility or engagement. Partnership & Stakeholder Management Partner closely with Country Content Strategy Lead, as well as collaborate with local SEO, Marketing, and Country Managers – to align on creative goals and content needs, and confidently prioritise and negotiate trade-offs. Lead the rollout of local partnership content through culturally relevant creative strategies and campaigns. Manage creative strategy, brand adherence, and feedback implementation to meet partner expectations and project goals. Communicate initiatives and results to senior leadership, ensuring visibility across stakeholders. Competitive Analysis Monitor competitor activity and creative trends across the region to identify new opportunities and maintain strategic edge. Use findings to inform the content roadmap and differentiate Canva's creative offerings in the local market. Project Management Monitor project execution, mitigate risks, and escalate challenges when necessary to ensure timely, high-quality outcomes. Maintain visibility into campaign timelines and production volume goals across all creative operations. Maintain an agile mindset and adapt quickly to shifting priorities and dynamic day-to-day needs. Freelance & Creator Management Oversee local freelance designers, managing recruitment, briefing, output review, and development. Build strong relationships with the Creators Production and Community teams, providing hyperlocal direction through well-crafted briefs and feedback loops. Champion Creator-led content that resonates deeply with local audiences and reflects cultural authenticity. Reporting & Communication Report on the performance and ROI of creative campaigns, using analytics to guide and improve future content plans and outputs. Keep senior management and regional stakeholders informed about key initiatives, learnings, and creative progress. Ensure alignment and transparency through consistent documentation and communication. Feedback & Quality Assurance Provide timely feedback and approvals across creative workstreams, maintaining alignment with both business goals and creative standards. Drive internal reviews and uphold quality benchmarks for all deliverables across content types. Team Building & Culture Contribute to and foster a collaborative, innovative, and high-performing regional creative team culture. Promote continuous improvement through process optimization, retrospectives, and shared best practices. Encourage creative excellence while ensuring inclusion, psychological safety, and alignment across diverse teams. Qualifications A Bachelor’s degree in Design, Marketing, Communications, or a related field Proven experience in creative leadership roles, ideally with international, regional, or market-level remit A strong portfolio showcasing exceptional design work and content campaigns that reflect cultural resonance and local user needs Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams (SEO, Growth, Marketing, Product) Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and storytelling skills A results-focused mindset, balancing creative innovation with business and user goals Experience managing freelancers and/or creators, with a focus on quality and alignment Comfort working in a fast-paced, evolving environment with an experimentation mindset The Country Design Lead will join the International Content Team, whose mission is to build the most valuable content library in the world. The team sits within the International Supergroup and partners closely with Content & Discovery, Marketing, SEO, and other in-market teams to unlock content-driven growth through high-quality, locally relevant templates and elements across graphics, photos, and video. The team is focused on delivering content that is truly local at scale – ensuring everything published meets Canva’s standards for design craft, cultural resonance, and user value, while leveraging AI and scalable systems to increase speed and impact. This role is responsible for driving the creative execution of content for the South Korea market, translating strategy into high-performing outputs that reflect local culture, behaviours, and trends. Working in close partnership with the Country Manager, Country Content Strategy Lead, and cross-functional stakeholders, the Country Design Lead plays a key role in delivering content that drives engagement, adoption, and growth. Operating as a hands-on builder and AI-native operator, this role leads the creation and curation of locally relevant content across both elements (graphics, photos, video) and templates spanning social media, presentations, websites, and print. This includes leveraging AI to accelerate production, and continuously improving quality and performance through rapid iteration. This role will also direct a team of local creatives to curate and elevate impactful, truly local content across both elements — such as graphics, photos, and videos — and templates spanning social media, presentations, websites, and print products. By fostering a culture of excellence and innovation, this role will play a vital part in achieving Canva’s mission of delivering a world-class, truly local design experience.