German Design Lead (12 month contract)

The Country Design Lead plays a pivotal role in Canvas mission to democratise design by ensuring content is truly local culturally resonant and of the highest design quality. Partnering closely with the Country Content Strategy Lead and cross-functional stakeholders this role directs and delivers content at speed and scale that drives user engagement content adoption and revenue growth in Germany.

Aligned to Canvas international growth strategy this role ensures the creative direction production and curation of market-relevant content across templates and elements. The role bridges global vision with local market needs ensuring cultural authenticity while meeting business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Creative Direction

• Develop a compelling creative vision that delivers and executes against the Country Content Strategy Lead and Country Managers strategic priorities.

• Collaborate closely with local Marketing SEO and Community teams.

• Translate country and regional strategies into locally relevant campaigns.

• Drive AI adoption in production and content innovation supporting new product formats and emerging trends to keep creative outputs fresh and competitive.

Content Creation & Curation

• Oversee the creation of content including design kits campaign documents creator briefs and in-house production where needed.

• Work with Freelance Copywriters and/or AI Copy to ensure copy is culturally relevant and adheres to our copy best practice standards.

• Curate and editorially frame content for marketing initiatives showcases and seasonal calendars to elevate local relevance.

• Proactively identify content gaps and curate assets that reflect strategic priorities and creative excellence.

• Lead quality control of all content outputs ensuring alignment with brand guidelines and maintaining high standards of visual and messaging quality.

Market Understanding & Cultural Insights

• Build and maintain a deep knowledge of local culture consumer behaviour and design trends to inform content direction and strategy.

• Conduct foundational content research ensuring creative and editorial output aligns with strategic needs and cultural nuances.

• Provide cultural expertise to scale content ensuring authenticity and relevance to the local market across AICG partnerships and creators.

• Champion hyperlocal design perspectives in collaboration with cross-functional teams.

• Support building an editorial strategy for local content ensuring Canvas library reflects cultural relevance diversity and inclusive storytelling.

• Advocate for the integration of global and underrepresented perspectives in content development and curation upholding Canvas commitment to Diversity Equity and Inclusion.

Content Performance Monitoring & Analysis

• Conduct template and element audits to identify improvement areas and opportunities for new content.

• Perform content performance and gap analysis distilling insights into recommendations that guide future content creation and acquisition.

• Leverage data trends and local insights to shape creative direction enhance creator and in-house briefs and inform design decisions.

• Facilitate retrospectives and performance reviews to refine strategies and content effectiveness.

• Actively raise discoverability challenges or product limitations that impact content visibility or engagement.

Partnership & Stakeholder Management

• Partner closely with Country Content Strategy Lead as well as collaborate with local SEO Marketing and Country Managers to align on creative goals and content needs and confidently prioritise and negotiate trade-offs.

• Lead the rollout of local partnership content through culturally relevant creative strategies and campaigns.

• Manage creative strategy brand adherence and feedback implementation to meet partner expectations and project goals.

• Communicate initiatives and results to senior leadership ensuring visibility across stakeholders.

Competitive Analysis

• Monitor competitor activity and creative trends across the region to identify new opportunities and maintain strategic edge.

• Use findings to inform the content roadmap and differentiate Canvas creative offerings in the local market.

Project Management

• Monitor project execution mitigate risks and escalate challenges when necessary to ensure timely high-quality outcomes.

• Maintain visibility into campaign timelines and production volume goals across all creative operations.

• Maintain an agile mindset and adapt quickly to shifting priorities and dynamic day-to-day needs.

Freelance & Creator Management

• Oversee local freelance designers managing recruitment briefing output review and development.

• Build strong relationships with the Creators Production and Community teams providing hyperlocal direction through well-crafted briefs and feedback loops.

• Champion Creator-led content that resonates deeply with local audiences and reflects cultural authenticity.

Reporting & Communication

• Report on the performance and ROI of creative campaigns using analytics to guide and improve future content plans and outputs.

• Keep senior management and regional stakeholders informed about key initiatives learnings and creative progress.

• Ensure alignment and transparency through consistent documentation and communication.

Feedback & Quality Assurance

• Provide timely feedback and approvals across creative workstreams maintaining alignment with both business goals and creative standards.

• Drive internal reviews and uphold quality benchmarks for all deliverables across content types.

Team Building & Culture

• Contribute to and foster a collaborative innovative and high-performing regional creative team culture.

• Promote continuous improvement through process optimization retrospectives and shared best practices.

• Encourage creative excellence while ensuring inclusion psychological safety and alignment across diverse teams.

What youll be doing

The Country Design Lead will join the International Content Team whose mission is to build the most valuable content library in the world. The team sits within the International Supergroup and partners closely with Content & Discovery Marketing SEO and other in-market teams to unlock content-driven growth through high-quality locally relevant templates and elements across graphics photos and video.

The team is focused on delivering content that is truly local at scale ensuring everything published meets Canvas standards for design craft cultural resonance and user value while leveraging AI and scalable systems to increase speed and impact.

This role is responsible for driving the creative execution of content for the German market translating strategy into high-performing outputs that reflect local culture behaviours and trends. Working in close partnership with the Country Manager Country Content Strategy Lead and cross-functional stakeholders the Country Design Lead plays a key role in delivering content that drives engagement adoption and growth.

Operating as a hands-on builder and AI-native operator this role leads the creation and curation of locally relevant content across both elements (graphics photos video) and templates spanning social media presentations websites and print. This includes leveraging AI to accelerate production and continuously improving quality and performance through rapid iteration.

This role will also direct a team of local creatives to curate and elevate impactful truly local content across both elements such as graphics photos and videos and templates spanning social media presentations websites and print products. By fostering a culture of excellence and innovation this role will play a vital part in achieving Canvas mission of delivering a world-class truly local design experience.

You will:

• Operate with high ownership and autonomy while collaborating across multiple teams functions and time zones

• Work at pace balancing speed and quality and adapting quickly to shifting priorities and evolving business needs

• Leverage AI tools and workflows to scale content production and improve efficiency

• Build and optimise repeatable systems for content creation rather than one-off outputs

• Maintain clear proactive communication with stakeholders and drive alignment across teams

• Lead creative reviews retrospectives and continuous improvement loops

• Foster a high-performance team culture grounded in inclusion psychological safety and a bias for action

What were looking for:

Were looking for a high-performing design leader who combines strong creative craft with a builder mindset. You are culturally attuned globally aware and obsessed with creating content that feels truly local and drives business results. Youll be excited to join an A-player team committed to growing Canva in in your locale.

You bring a sharp eye for design but more importantly you know how to deliver quality at speed. You operate with an AI-first mindset using tools and systems to generate iterate and scale content efficiently without compromising on craft.

You thrive in fast-moving ambiguous environments and are comfortable working with evolving tools shifting priorities and imperfect information. Youre proactive pragmatic and outcome-focusedsomeone who takes ownership moves quickly and continuously looks for better ways of working.

Youre collaborative and low ego able to partner effectively with Content Strategy Marketing SEO and Product teams translating strategic direction into content execution and driving alignment through clarity and action. Youre equally comfortable rolling up your sleeves to deliver work as you are guiding and uplifting others.

Youll have:

• A Bachelors degree in Design Marketing Communications or a related field

• Proven experience in creative leadership roles ideally with international regional or market-level remit

• A strong portfolio showcasing exceptional design work and content campaigns that reflect cultural resonance and local user needs

• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams (SEO Growth Marketing Product)

• Excellent communication stakeholder management and storytelling skills

• A results-focused mindset balancing creative innovation with business and user goals

• Experience managing freelancers and/or creators with a focus on quality and alignment

• Comfort working in a fast-paced evolving environment with an experimentation mindset

To apply please submit:

• Updated CV
• More recent portfolio

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time

Experience: years
Vacancy: 1