About the role
Canva Global SEO Outreach Lead | SmartRecruiters Google Chrome Microsoft Edge Apple Safari Mozilla Firefox Global SEO Outreach Lead Full-time Recruitment type: Permanent Job Description Join
the team redefining how the world experiences design. Hey, g'day, mabuhay, kia ora, 你好, hallo, vítejte! 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 Our flagship campus is in Sydney. We also have a campus in Melbourne and co-working spaces in Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. But 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. What you’d be doing in this role 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. This is a senior individual contributor role that combines deep technical expertise with strategic project leadership. You'll be the craft expert for global outreach—setting quality standards, building scalable frameworks, and executing high-impact initiatives while enabling specialists and agencies through your expertise. You're the technical authority on link building and outreach strategy. Your success is measured by the quality frameworks you establish, the systems you build that others can use, and your ability to solve complex problems that impact teams across markets. You'll work at the intersection of craft mastery and systems thinking: maintaining rigorous quality standards for link building, building automation and workflows that scale globally, and identifying when emerging channels warrant exploration or investment. This role requires someone who can zoom in (executing sophisticated outreach campaigns, auditing link quality against strict criteria, debugging workflow issues) and zoom out (designing frameworks that guide decisions across markets, identifying strategic shifts in the search landscape, building tools that multiply team effectiveness). You'll collaborate extensively with Country Leads, Regional Strategists, and cross-functional partners—influencing through expertise rather than authority. You'll coordinate with agencies and contractors, setting technical standards and providing guidance. At the moment, this role is focused on: Set the strategic direction for global outreach in line with International SEO priorities and our Truly Local SEO model Partner with Country Leads to define six-month goals grounded in ROI, market opportunity, and performance data Lead and develop a high-performing team through coaching, clear expectations, and regular growth-focused 1:1s Build a culture of experimentation, learning, and ownership by teaching frameworks rather than solving problems Maintain high quality standards across markets using clear frameworks, AI-supported checks, and performance monitoring Act early on performance risks, using data and dashboards to drive timely, transparent decisions Manage agencies and contractors across multiple markets, setting clear goals, sharing best practices, and holding partners accountable Scale global outreach through strong processes, automation, and well-documented ways of working Champion the use of AI and new tools to improve efficiency while keeping human judgment at the centre Partner cross-functionally to align outreach efforts with broader initiatives and measurable business impact Explore how search and discovery are evolving beyond traditional SERPs, testing and scaling what works Stay close to industry trends and competitors, using insights to inform strategy and future investment You're probably a match if Think strategically and execute operationally, building scalable outreach systems that help others succeed Make confident, data-informed decisions, balancing metrics with context and sound judgment Bring deep, hands-on expertise in white-hat link building, including prospecting, relationship-building, messaging, and quality evaluation Hold a high bar for quality, clearly distinguishing earned placements from paid links and navigating pressure without compromising standards Develop people through coaching, frameworks, and great questions—helping contributors grow into autonomous strategic thinkers Create psychological safety where teams can surface challenges, experiment, and learn through supported failure Work seamlessly across functions, translating technical concepts into clear, compelling stakeholder language Influence without authority by building trust, aligning incentives, and making strong, well-reasoned cases Communicate clearly and confidently in written and verbal English, from documentation and updates to feedback and presentations Apply strong analytical skills to evaluate ROI, identify patterns, and separate signal from noise using SEO tools and dashboards Thrive in change and ambiguity, running experiments, adapting quickly, and helping teams navigate uncertainty calmly Bring added value through experience with automation, AI/LLMs, international SEO, agency management, technical SEO, or vendor budgets