Social Insights & Research Lead (12 Month Fixed Term Contract)

Canva • San Francisco, CA

3d • $150,000 - $230,000 • Hybrid

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 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.

As Canva scales change continues to be part of our DNA. But we like to think that's all part of the fun. So this will give you the flavour of the type of things you'll be working on when you start, but this will likely evolve.

At the moment, this role is focused on:
Supporting elevating marketing effectiveness, supporting global initiatives & campaigns, supporting big moments & crisis mitigation and ongoing enablement & education
Running social listening analysis covering campaign performance, key moments, cultural trends, and competitor activity, informing strategies and decisions from the brand, product marketing and social teams
Designing and executing qual and quant research, including surveys, concept tests, and audience studies, in partnership with brand, product marketing, and campaigns teams
Producing rapid intelligence reports and dashboards for key launches, events, and competitive moments, stitching multiple data sources together for a more cohesive view of public chatter and sentiment.
Translating complex data into clear, stakeholder-ready insights and recommendations
Contributing to a global reporting framework, working with regional teams to ensure consistency
Supporting social content measurement & optimisation in collaboration with Social Media Managers, Growth Strategists and Country leads

The MSG Research & Insights team sits at the intersection of data, culture, and strategy. We translate signals from social media, audiences, and the market into clear recommendations that shape how Canva shows up in the world. Our work touches teams across Marketing, Brand, PMM, Campaigns, Social, and Strategy — locally and globally.

This role sits within a growing insights function with broad cross-functional reach. You'll own a mix of social listening, qualitative and quantitative research, and competitive intelligence — turning complex data into stories that drive decisions.

This isn't a pure analytics role. You'll need strong instincts for both the "what" and the "so what," and the ability to flex between a fast-turnaround Slack brief and a rigorous research study.

Requirements

• Have 8+ years in a social listening, market research, or consumer insights role
• Have hands-on experience with social listening tools (Meltwater preferred; Sprout Social or similar)
• Are comfortable running both qualitative and quantitative research, survey design, concept testing, data analysis
• Possess strong data storytelling skills and synthesizing large amounts of unstructured data. Able to simplify complexity and present confidently to varied audiences
• Are an expert understanding of social platforms and audience behaviour (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, Reddit etc)
• Are a proactive problem-solver who can manage multiple workstreams and adapt quickly
• Have experience working cross-functionally with marketing, brand, or product teams
• Are a self-starter with tenacity for execution and delivery, with ability to adapt quickly to market trends and business priorities.
• Have experience with the use of AI within workflow for both efficiencies and effectiveness

Responsibilities

• Supporting elevating marketing effectiveness, supporting global initiatives & campaigns, supporting big moments & crisis mitigation and ongoing enablement & education
• Running social listening analysis covering campaign performance, key moments, cultural trends, and competitor activity, informing strategies and decisions from the brand, product marketing and social teams
• Designing and executing qual and quant research, including surveys, concept tests, and audience studies, in partnership with brand, product marketing, and campaigns teams
• Producing rapid intelligence reports and dashboards for key launches, events, and competitive moments, stitching multiple data sources together for a more cohesive view of public chatter and sentiment.
• Translating complex data into clear, stakeholder-ready insights and recommendations
• Contributing to a global reporting framework, working with regional teams to ensure consistency
• Supporting social content measurement & optimisation in collaboration with Social Media Managers, Growth Strategists and Country leads

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed