Spain Design Lead (12 month contract)

Please note Hybrid role based in Madrid and you will be required to head into the office 2-3 days/week 12 month contract with full time hours You will be paid a day rate Join the team empowering the world to design Hey, g'day, mabuhay, kia ora, こんにちは, 你好, hallo, नमस्ते, 안녕하세요, hola, salut! At Canva, our mission is to empower the world to design—and we’re growing fast across the globe. With over 250 million monthly active users in over 190 countries, we’re on a mission to make Canva the most loved brand in the world. To support this ambition, we’re building a world-class marketing team that’s deeply local, highly creative, and relentlessly performance-focused. The Spanish Design Lead plays a pivotal role in Canva’s mission to democratise design by ensuring content is truly local, culturally resonant, and of the highest design quality. Partnering closely with the 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 the Spanish market. Aligned to Canva’s 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. About the role 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 Canva’s 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 Spanish market, translating strategy into high-performing outputs that reflect local culture, behaviours, and trends. Working in close partnership with the Spanish Country Manager, Content Strategy Lead, and cross-functional stakeholders, the Spanish 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 Canva’s mission of delivering a world-class, truly local design experience. Specifically, this role 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 you will do Creative Direction Develop a compelling creative vision that delivers and executes against the Country Content Strategy Lead and Country Manager’s 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 qua…