Japan SEO Country Lead

Japan SEO Country Lead Full-time Recruitment type: Permanent Company Description Join the team redefining how the world experiences design. Hey, g'day, namaste, 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. Job Description About the Group/Team

At Canva, we create tools that empower the world to design. Our mission is to democratize design and empower creativity for anyone and everyone, on every platform. Since launching in August 2013, Canva has grown exponentially—we're one of the world's fastest-growing startups, and the journey has only just begun. International is becoming Canva's biggest growth driver in 2026 and beyond. To reach our foundational goal of having 1 in 5 internet users use Canva every month, we're shifting from translating English successes to implementing truly local strategies that resonate with and convert local audiences. The SEO group spans the globe with keyword researchers, technical SEO specialists, content specialists, copywriters, engineers, data analysts, designers, and operations specialists. As SEO Country Lead for Japan, you'll be part of the Logged Out Experience (LOX) Group and International Supergroup, working in a dual alignment model — embedded in your Country team locally while contributing to Central SEO globally. About the Role/Specialty

You’ll lead Canva’s SEO growth in Japan— defining, executing, and scaling a strategy that reflects the unique realities of your market. This isn’t about following a global playbook; it’s about building one for your market. You’ll own the end-to-end SEO strategy across technical, content, and authority-building pillars — verifying the opportunity, prioritizing what matters, and delivering measurable growth in sessions, signups, and engagement. As the SEO Country Lead, you’ll operate at the intersection of local strategy and global systems. You’ll be embedded in your Country team as a strategic partner to your Country Manager, while also contributing to Canva’s centralized SEO engine within the Logged Out Experience (LOX) Group. You’ll be supported by a global network of experts — Regional SEO Leads, Technical SEOs, Product Managers, and Content Specialists — and have access to Canva’s proprietary SEO platforms and best-in-class third-party tools. You’ll also collaborate closely with your International SEO Strategist, who provides regional capability leadership, coaching, and alignment across markets. Success in this role means running a high-performing, locally embedded SEO operation that: Achieves measurable impact and market penetration goals. Operates autonomously while aligned to Canva’s global systems and standards. Surfaces insights, innovations, and frameworks that help scale the Truly Local SEO model across 40+ markets. You’ll thrive here if you’re both a strategist and an operator — equally comfortable running audits, leading discussions with your Country Manager, mentoring local SEOs, and proposing scalable solutions that improve how we grow internationally. What you’ll do (responsibilities) Strategic SEO Leadership Lead the end-to-end SEO strategy for Japan, spanning technical, content, and authority pillars — and lead at every level from day one. Before your team is built, you are already leading: shaping the SEO roadmap, influencing stakeholders, and driving decisions. Leadership is a behavior, not a function of headcount. Translate market insights into a focused, high-impact roadmap aligned with Canva’s international growth goals. Always communicate your local work in terms of Canva's broader International and growth priorities — not just country-level KPIs. Continuously evaluate market performance, adapt to shifts in user behavior, and prioritize the highest-ROI initiatives. Represent SEO as a strategic function — not an execution