Creative Director, North America Advertising

Overview

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design. Canva’s flagship office is in Sydney, Australia, with a hub in San Francisco for US operations. We offer flexibility in where you work. This role focuses on helping Canva drive value, communicate plan differentiation, and grow our self-serve business, with scope evolving based on business needs and your strengths.

Reporting to the Global Executive Creative Director, this role combines strategic creative direction in our largest market, the US, with global craft leadership. It is a Creative Director level position focused on US advertising leadership and collaboration with regional teams.

What You’d Be Doing In This Role

US Advertising Creative Direction

Lead the creative direction for Canva’s advertising in the US, our largest and most strategic market

Oversee the development and execution of integrated campaigns across TV, digital, social, OOH, and performance channels

Create bold, culturally relevant campaigns that connect with audiences and drive growth

Build and manage an always-on creative capability enabling rapid testing, iteration, and optimization at scale

Embed insights, trends, and data into creative work to increase impact

Manage in-house teams and agency partners to deliver high-quality execution

Advertising Craft Leadership

Develop and maintain global creative standards and frameworks for advertising

Partner with regional creative teams to share toolkits, frameworks, and ideas

Facilitate global creative reviews and provide hands-on guidance where needed

Foster continuous learning, mentorship, and collaboration across regions to build a global culture of feedback, growth, and creative excellence

Brand and Campaign Excellence

Raise the bar on storytelling and design to help Canva stand out in a competitive market

Shape messaging and creative platforms that resonate locally and stay aligned globally

Encourage experimentation and learning from what works (and what doesn’t)

Drive innovation across formats and platforms, from traditional media to emerging channels

Agency and Production Management

Manage US creative resourcing across in-house, agency, and specialist partners

Shape and evolve our global agency partner model to enable seamless collaboration and top-tier execution

Work closely with central ops to scale creative systems while maintaining quality and speed

Team Leadership and Development

Build and lead a high-performing creative team in the US

Develop an always-on creative model that enables quick movement while maintaining craft standards

Foster a culture where people feel safe to take risks, grow, and do their best work

Provide mentorship and creative guidance to regional creative teams

Champion inclusion, collaboration, and regional empowerment across Canva’s global creative teams

Cross-functional Partnership

Collaborate closely with marketing, growth, and product leaders in the US and globally

Translate business goals into creative strategies that deliver results

Align global and regional teams to ensure consistency with local nuance

Professional Experience and Skills

12+ years in senior creative leadership roles, across both agency and in-house

Proven success leading major advertising campaigns in the US

Experience mentoring and managing creative teams across multiple markets

Strong understanding of consumer tech or direct-to-consumer brands

Expertise across brand and performance creative, across digital and traditional channels

Skills & Attributes

A standout portfolio showing excellence in storytelling and advertising craft

Strategic mindset with the ability to connect creative ideas to business impact

Empathetic mentor with a collaborative, people-first approach

Confident communicator and presenter, comfortable influencing at all levels

Thrives in fast-paced, global environments

Culturally aware and globally minded, with a passion for creating resonant work across markets

Values, Culture & Benefits

We value fairness and strive to provide competitive, market-informed compensation with internal equity. Canva supports a culture that is inclusive, collaborative, and ambitious, where creative people are encouraged to take risks and grow together. This role includes a range of benefits designed to support success in and outside of work.

What’s in it for you?

We work toward ambitious goals and include moments of magic, connectivity, and fun across Canva. Benefits include equity, comprehensive health plans, a 401(k) with company contribution, inclusive parental leave, an annual wellbeing allowance, and flexible leave options.

Additional Information

Salary ranges are market-informed and reflect location, skills and experience. Interviews are conducted virtually. When you apply, please share your pronouns and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process. We celebrate all skills and backgrounds and encourage you to apply even if you don’t feel your skills match exactly.

Check out lifeatcanva.com for more information.

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