Head of Commercial Legal
About The Position
Join the team redefining how the world experiences design. Our flagship office is in Sydney, Australia, but we've made our way from down under to a hub in San Francisco, which is now home to our US operations. We offer flexibility in how and where you work. We trust our Canvanauts to choose the balance that empowers them and their team to achieve their goals. We’re looking for a new Head of Commercial Legal to lead our incredible team. The Commercial Legal team is responsible for empowering Canva’s scalable growth through strategic legal and operational guidance. They structure, negotiate and manage Canva’s customer, partner and supplier agreements, supporting go-to-market efforts, new products and commercial initiatives. They’re trusted partners to the business, helping teams navigate deal-making at pace, with precision and smart risk management. You’ll be joining a dynamic, collaborative team that is passionate about enabling Canva's mission to empower the world to design.
Requirements
- Strong experience advising on a broad range of commercial matters, including customer, partner, supplier and technology transactions.
- Ability to navigate complex commercial issues, ask the right questions and make practical decisions.
- Experience advising technology companies.
- Understand how legal considerations intersect with product development and go-to-market strategy.
- Comfortable operating amid ambiguity and change.
- Experience improving legal processes, using technology effectively and building a function that can support a growing global company without creating unnecessary friction.
- Comfort with and fluency in AI tools.
Nice To Haves
- Experience managing a team across different timezones.
Responsibilities
- Lead and coach a high-performing global Commercial Legal team.
- Set the vision and strategy for how Commercial Legal enables Canva’s growth while managing commercial risk.
- Provide strategic guidance to Canva leadership on material commercial, customer, partner and supplier matters.
- Partner closely with Sales, Procurement, Finance, Product and other teams to support launches, new business models and strategic initiatives.
- Design scalable commercial legal processes, playbooks, templates and ways of working that help Canva move quickly and consistently.
- Foster a high-performance, collaborative culture through thoughtful work distribution, growth and development, team wellbeing and headcount and resourcing decisions.
- Drive team connection and culture through team rituals, including all-hands, cross-specialty engagement and the annual global Legal Summit.
- Champion Canva’s AI Native ways of working, actively using and encouraging the use of AI tools to streamline workflows and improve the team’s impact.
- Manage Commercial Legal budgets and outside counsel engagement.
- Monitor market developments, emerging technologies and legal trends, translating these into clear, practical recommendations for Canva.
Benefits
- Equity packages
- 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
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
Education Level
No Education Listed
