HR Business Partner Director - International in London

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.

Thanks for stopping by. We know job hunting can be a little time consuming and you're probably keen to find out what's on offer, so we'll get straight to the point.

Where and how you can work

This role is based at our London campus and follows a hybrid way of working. You have choice in where and how you work. We trust our Canvanauts to choose the balance that empowers them and their team to achieve their goals.

The Opportunity

We're looking for a Senior Strategic HR Business Partner who will help build Canva's international organisation. You'll partner directly with the Head of International and their leadership team, working across the full breadth of International People challenges, from performance culture and org design to talent outcomes and leadership capability.

You'll be accountable for the people strategy that drives our market growth, from establishing a strong performance culture across markets, to ensuring consistency in how we develop leaders, manage talent, and execute People programs at scale. You'll bring calm, clarity, resilience and systems thinking to a fast-moving, hypergrowth environment, and you'll know when to go deep and when to go wide. You’ll be an experienced HR enabler who thinks strategically, but is also prepared to roll up your sleeves and get things done.

We want someone who has partnered with international businesses before, not just implemented global HR programs. Someone who understands that great People Partnering in complex, multi-market environments means setting direction, enabling others, and driving outcomes. You know that meeting the business where it's at, building exceptional foundations and positive relationships is the key to ensuring those high impact, highly strategic pieces of work land with positive impact at scale.

What You'll Do

• International Business Partnering
  • Serve as the senior People Partner to the Head of International and the International leadership team. Build deep business understanding, earn trust quickly, and partner on the full range of People challenges, from org design and workforce planning to talent management and culture.
  • Provide strategic, hands-on input across all key People priorities, including team effectiveness, leadership development, growth and impact frameworks, and cultivating a high-performance culture that scales across markets and time zones.
  • Partner with TA and the Head of International to drive talent density. You will stay ahead of hiring needs, identify where we need to move fast, or where we need to challenge our approach.
  • Partner with the broader People team to ensure global programs land with real impact across International markets, particularly in our newer pioneer markets. Build shared frameworks and aligned ways of working while preserving space for local nuance. Act as the connective tissue between the global International People strategy and local execution.
• Performance Culture & People Strategy
  • Own the International People strategy end-to-end. Build the frameworks, align the leadership team, and make them real.
  • Lead the embedding of a strong, consistent performance culture across all International markets. Ensure leaders have the tools, language, and support to manage performance well, and that accountability is a feature of the culture, not an afterthought.
  • Drive consistency in how talent is identified, developed, and retained across regions. Make clear what 'great' looks like, and hold that bar.
• Change & Transformation
  • As International scales, part of this role is protecting what makes Canva special. Growth is only sustainable if the culture scales with it. Partner with leaders & broader people teams to make sure new Canvanauts are set up to thrive in our culture, not just onboarded into a process. Spot early when culture is drifting in a market, name it, and work with the leaders to course-correct.
  • International growth means frequent change. New markets, new structures, new leaders, new ways of working. Guide the International organisation through ambiguity with confidence, always a few steps ahead. Lead or support change management for structural changes, ensuring leaders are equipped, people are informed, and transitions land well across culturally diverse markets.

You’re probably a match if you

• Have HR Business Partnering experience within hypergrowth and fast pace environments.
• Deep expertise across core HR disciplines: performance management, org design, leadership development, talent management, and change.
• Experience supporting international or geographically distributed businesses.
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships with senior leaders (including at the Head of function level) and act as a credible strategic thought partner.
• Track record of building and embedding performance culture, not just running performance cycles. You know the difference and can do both.
• Have strong commercial acumen. You connect People strategy directly to business outcomes and articulate the "so what" of your work with clarity.
• Are proactive by nature and thrive in ambiguity, always a few steps ahead and energised by new challenges.
• Have exceptional judgement, you know what to prioritise, when to escalate, and how to navigate competing demands across multiple markets with grace.
• High emotional intelligence and cultural adaptability. You’ll work effectively across global contexts and understand that the same approach doesn't land the same way everywhere.
• Champion innovation in people practices, continuously evolving our approach to support an exceptional workplace and culture.
• Bring energy and presence to the people around you. You are a trusted partner to all Canvanauts, not just leadership. You can walk into a room and land the same message regardless of the audience: clearly, warmly, and in a way that moves people.

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 range 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
• In house crafted on-demand library of learning programs such as AI/ML School, Canva Product Skills, Internal Coaching and much more.

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.