Chief of Staff, Content & Discovery

Where and how you can work

This role is based in our flagship campus in Sydney. But you have choice in where and how you work. That means if you want to do your thing in the office (if you're near one), at home or a bit of both, it's up to you!

About the role

As the Chief of Staff (known internally as Leadership Operations), you’ll act as a force multiplier to the lead of one of Canva’s largest (over 500+) and most impactful orgs - Content & Discovery (C&D).

The 500+ C&D team plays a key role in Canva’s mission by building the world’s most useful, relevant, diverse, and inspiring content library, and helping users discover the best content for their job to be done.

In this role, you’ll extend the reach, capacity and impact of the C&D Lead, driving clarity, prioritisation, and alignment across strategic business priorities that span product, communications, operations, and leadership engagement.

You’ll play a critical role in enabling the success of the C&D Lead, their leadership team, and the broader C&D organisation by providing strategic direction, building the right spaces for effective collaboration, and proactively solving business challenges that unlock scale and impact.

You’ll also lead C&D’s operations team, made up of Operations Business Partners and Admin Business Partners (Executive Assistant). While the Admin BPs focus on unlocking capacity for leaders through world-class support, the Ops BPs partner with teams to deliver on core operational cadences, strategic planning, and goal execution. Together, you’ll help C&D deliver on its crazy big goals.

If you thrive in ambiguity, love juggling multiple competing priorities, and enjoy connecting the dots across people and priorities, this role is for you.

What you’d be doing in this role

As Canva scales, change continues to be part of our DNA. But we like to think that's all part of the fun. We move fast here at Canva, and this role will certainly keep you on your toes.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

• Strategic partner to C&D Lead: Act as a trusted thought partner across product strategy and long term direction. Help define and sharpen major bets across content supply, discovery, ranking, and user experience. Bring structured thinking to trade-offs, sequencing, and investment decisions.

• Represent the Lead: Step into product and cross-functional forums on behalf of the C&D Lead. Ensure discussions are grounded in user impact, clear hypotheses, and defined success metrics.

• Proactively drive projects forward: Driving key projects and initiatives that are critical to C&D. This will include cross-cutting project management with stakeholders that sit in many different parts of Canva. 

• Drive planning and operational rhythm: Support key business cadences like QBRs and goal planning. Help build context and alignment across a complex org of 45+ team leads, including document creation and facilitation.

• Planning and operations: Coach the Operations team to strengthen roadmap visibility, dependency management, and performance tracking. Ensure the org has a clear view of what is driving user value and where course correction is required.

• Triage and prioritisation: Act as the first point of contact for inbound requests, founder asks, new initiatives, and escalations. Evaluate opportunities through a product and impact lens, and ensure focus remains on the highest leverage work.

• Strong people connector: Build strong and trusted relationships with key stakeholders across the business to ensure visibility, and alignment between C&D and the business.

• Own the day to day: In partnership with the Admin BP, help ensure the Lead’s time is spent where it matters most—triaging meetings, shaping agendas, and creating space for high-impact work.

• Zoom in and out: Move seamlessly between long term product vision and operational detail. Use data, user insights, and performance trends to inform decisions while keeping sight of Canva’s broader growth strategy.

You're probably a match if you have

 

• 8 + years of experience in strategy, product, general management, or business leadership roles. Experience in SaaS or product led organisations is strongly preferred. You have operated close to product and growth decisions, not just supported them. Backgrounds in consulting, investment banking, private equity, or similar analytical environments are also valued, particularly where you have moved beyond analysis into driving decisions and outcomes.

• Strong commercial instinct and product judgment. You naturally connect user impact, strategy, and business outcomes, and can articulate clear trade offs between competing bets.

• High ownership mindset. You act like a GM, think long term, and focus on impact over activity.

• Proven operational expertise, you have built or run planning cadences, OKRs, or execution frameworks across complex, multi team environments, and improved them over time.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder skills, you are comfortable influencing senior leaders, challenging thinking constructively, and driving alignment across Product, Growth, Data, and Operations.

• An ability to operate in ambiguity with a strong bias for action and instinct for when to escalate, delegate, or drive things yourself, with the ability to move complex and critical initiatives forward, often navigating the new and unknown. 

• Great visual communication and design skills, especially when simplifying complex ideas(Canva’s made that bit easy!).

• Clear and compelling communicator. You can simplify complex ideas into crisp narratives and decision briefs for senior audiences.

• Highly efficient and proactive, able to juggle priorities, manage competing demands, and stay calm under pressure.

• Data literacy and technical fluency with confidence navigating metrics, dashboards, and operational tools.

• Operational leadership experience having led or coached high-performing teams in planning, strategy, or operations.

• Self-motivation and a growth mindset, you move quickly, learn fast, and bring structure to complexity without waiting for perfect information.

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 stack 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.

Please note that interviews are conducted virtually.

Check out lifeatcanva.com for more info.