Job Description

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design

Hey, g'day, howzit, sawubona, 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

Alongside our global campuses, we also collaborate with talented contractors and freelancers from all over the world to help us achieve our crazy big goals.

While we support flexible ways of working, for this role it would be great to have someone who can join in a hybrid capacity in our Johannesburg office, so we can best support our teams and keep collaboration flowing. We have an amazing new hub at the Rosebank for our growing team. You will work with the local team 2-3 days a week at the office and other days remotely.

Please note: This role is a 12-month fixed term employee contract (full time hours) with potential to stay beyond 12 months.

About the team

As SEO Outreach Specialist for South Africa, you'll be part of both the Organic Growth speciality and International Supergroup, working in a dual alignment model, embedded in your Country team locally while contributing to the global outreach team.

The International Supergroup 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.

About the role

Link building is evolving fast - LLMs are changing how authority signals work, and what earned placements yesterday might not work tomorrow. This role requires someone who can balance proven tactics with experimentation, adapt quickly, and think beyond just securing backlinks.

You'll build high-quality backlinks for priority landing pages in SA and eventually other SSA countries while exploring brand mention opportunities. You'll report to both your South African SEO Lead and the Global Outreach Lead, executing local strategy while contributing to global coordination.

What makes this different from typical outreach roles

You're not just executing a list handed to you. You're expected to be proactive, spotting opportunities, proposing optimizations, contributing to strategy discussions, and solving problems resourcefully. You'll operate with significant autonomy while staying aligned to your SEO Country Lead's priorities.

Success means delivering measurable authority growth that improves Canva's rankings and search visibility, helping more local users discover Canva and contributing to the country's market penetration goal.

What you’ll be doing

• Driving link building campaigns end-to-end, from planning and prospecting through to outreach, placement, and relationship management
• Partnering with Country SEO and Global Outreach leads to prioritise high-impact opportunities and deliver against backlink targets
• Building and nurturing relationships with publishers, creators, and partners to secure high-quality, editorial backlinks and brand mentions
• Identifying and executing opportunities to increase Canva’s visibility across key platforms, aligning outreach with local market nuances
• Ensuring all placements meet Canva’s quality standards, while monitoring performance, reporting on progress, and surfacing insights
• Collaborating cross-functionally with marketing, community, and product teams to amplify campaigns and unlock new growth opportunities
• Leveraging AI tools and experimentation to improve outreach effectiveness, scale workflows, and continuously optimise performance

You're probably a match if you

• Have strong English skills, and bring a deep understanding of the African digital publishing and content creator ecosystem landscape
• Have experience in link building, digital PR, content marketing, or a similar outreach-focused role, with a solid grasp of SEO fundamentals
• Are confident managing outreach and building genuine, trust-based relationships with publishers, creators, and partners
• Have the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, with the knack for tailoring your messaging to different audiences
• Take a data-informed and detail-oriented approach, staying organised while managing multiple outreach activities and tracking performance
• Are proactive and take ownership — you spot opportunities, solve problems, and drive work forward with a high level of autonomy
• Thrive in collaborative environments, partnering cross-functionally while also contributing to a global team
• Enjoy experimenting and continuously improving, whether that’s testing outreach approaches, exploring new tools, or leveraging AI to scale your impact
• Have experience with SEO tools (e.g. Ahrefs, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog) or outreach platforms (e.g. Pitchbox, BuzzStream)
• Familiarity with creating content or assets to support outreach campaigns
• Exposure to local search engines, social platforms, communities, or networks relevant to the South African market

What you’ll learn and how you’ll develop

• Master world-class link building and brand visibility tactics refined across 20+ international markets
• Become proficient in AI-powered workflows that multiply your productivity and effectiveness
• Develop strategic SEO skills across technical, content, and authority pillars—growing beyond pure execution
• Contribute to a global knowledge-sharing culture where your insights shape international outreach strategy

Other stuff to know

We make hiring decisions to engage contractors based on your experience, skills and passion. When you signify interest, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.

Please note that interviews are conducted virtually. Please complete your application in English.

We celebrate all types of skills and backgrounds at Canva so even if you don’t feel like your skills quite match what’s listed above - we still want to hear from you!

Check out lifeatcanva.com for more info.

Additional Information