Corporate Paralegal, International Governance and Subsidiaries

Canva•San Francisco, CA

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

Canva is seeking an international governance and subsidiary paralegal to support its global subsidiaries and expansion efforts. This role is crucial for managing systems, processes, and programs that underpin Canva’s international footprint. The position operates at the intersection of Legal, Finance, Tax, Equity, and Operations. The paralegal will be responsible for day-to-day subsidiary maintenance, statutory compliance, coordinating entity formations, capital injections, restructurings, and wind-downs. They will also support subsidiary board and shareholder operations, maintain corporate records, and manage entity management systems. Additionally, the role involves supporting the legal aspects of new entity formations, developing expansion playbooks, gathering information for market entry decisions, and coordinating with external counsel. The paralegal will also manage signature routing, document preparation, and filing systems for corporate records. A key aspect of the role involves process improvement, including building and improving documentation, templates, and workflows for entity and insurance operations, and identifying opportunities to automate legal workflows using AI tools. The paralegal will also assist with the annual insurance renewal process, track insurance certificates, and develop playbooks for insurance tasks. This role requires a flexible, team-player mindset, proficiency in Canva or similar design tools, clear communication skills, and a practical, risk-aware approach. Experience in high-growth tech companies and with AI tools is highly valued.

Requirements

3-5 years of paralegal experience with significant international entity management and corporate governance work
Hands-on experience with entity formations, maintenance and compliance across multiple jurisdictions
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple complex matters simultaneously
Great attention to detail and excellent judgment about when and how to escalate issues
Experience working with international counsel and navigating different legal systems
Corporate governance technology and entity database (Diligent, Blueprint, etc.) experience
A flexible, team-player mindset — comfortable picking up projects outside core remit and rolling up sleeves across different legal workstreams
Proficiency in Canva (or quick learner with design tools)
The ability to communicate clearly and translate complex corporate matters for non-legal stakeholders
The capacity to influence without formal authority and collaborate effectively
A practical, risk-aware approach that balances compliance rigor with business velocity
Experience working in or with high-growth tech companies going through rapid international expansion
Curiosity about and experience with AI tools and a mindset for finding better ways to work

Nice To Haves

Experience with global mobility and equity considerations for international employees
Familiarity with insurance placement and broker coordination
Budget management and vendor coordination experience

Responsibilities

Manage day-to-day subsidiary maintenance and statutory compliance across jurisdictions
Coordinate entity formations, capital injections, restructurings and wind-downs
Support subsidiary board and shareholder operations, including preparing resolutions, and meeting minutes and maintaining corporate records
Maintain entity management systems and ensure audit-ready documentation
Track and manage entity filing deadlines and compliance calendars
Execute legal aspects of new entity formations in coordination with Legal, People, Tax, Equity Ops and Finance
Develop and maintain expansion playbooks and self-service resources
Gather and synthesize information needed for market entry decisions
Coordinate with external counsel and local advisors across jurisdictions
Support equity aspects of employee relocations and cross-border moves
Manage signature routing and collection for entity documents, including board resolutions and corporate filings
Prepare and format legal documents, presentations and corporate governance materials
Maintain organized filing systems for closing sets, corporate records and templates
Create presentations and governance materials in Canva
Serve as liaison between Legal, People, Finance & Accounting, Tax and Operations on entity matters
Support M&A integration work by embedding acquired entities into Canva's governance framework
Coordinate with external counsel and service providers on entity work
Support e-billing for international entity counsel
Assist with annual insurance renewal process, including gathering and organising information, coordinating with brokers and ensuring submissions are accurate and on time
Help ensure appropriate entity-specific policies and coverages are in place as Canva's global footprint grows, flagging gaps and coordinating updates with brokers and internal stakeholders
Track insurance certificates and policy documentation
Develop and maintain playbooks and templates to streamline recurring insurance tasks and reduce reliance on external advisors for routine queries
Build and improve documentation, templates and workflows for entity and insurance operations
Identify and implement opportunities to automate repetitive legal workflows using AI tools and other technologies
Champion better ways of working within corporate legal, including piloting new tools and sharing learnings with the team
Maintain team resources (Confluence, internal databases, knowledge bases)