Senior Employment Counsel, APAC (18-month FTC)

Job Description

Hey, g'day, mabuhay, kia ora, 你好, hallo, vítejte!

Thanks for stopping by. We know job descriptions can feel a bit formulaic sometimes, but we promise Canva is anything but. If you're drawn to what we're building and you see yourself in this role, we'd love to hear from you.

Where and How You Can Work

This role is based in Manila and operates on a hybrid model — giving you the best of both worlds. Our office is a hub for collaboration and energy, and we also believe in the kind of deep thinking that happens away from it. Work in a way that suits you and the work.

What You'd Be Doing in This Role

Canva's Global Employment Legal Team is growing, and we're looking for a Senior Employment Counsel to join our well-established APAC team. This role is primarily focused on the Philippines, with opportunities to work across Southeast Asia and APAC depending on your experience. You'll partner closely with People, business leaders, and legal colleagues across Canva's global footprint — advising on the complex, the strategic, and the day-to-day.

This isn't a maintain-the-status-quo role. Canva is scaling fast, and you'll help shape how we build employment practices that are legally sound, commercially pragmatic, and true to our values. You'll navigate ambiguity with confidence, translate complexity into plain advice, and be a genuine partner to the business — not just a risk filter.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

Providing strategic, commercially pragmatic employment law advice across Canva's Philippines operations, with scope to support broader APAC matters

Advising on the full range of employment matters — performance management, employee relations, investigations, exits, regulatory issues, and contingent workforce questions

Partnering with People, Total Rewards, Finance, and business leaders to support Canva's evolving workforce model as we scale

Developing and implementing scalable employment frameworks, policies, and guidance that work in a high-growth environment

Managing employment disputes, claims, and regulatory inquiries — including external counsel engagement where needed

Delivering practical training and guidance to People teams and leaders so they can make better decisions, earlier