Senior Employment Counsel, APAC (18-month FTC)

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
Collaborating with Employment Legal colleagues globally on cross-border matters and strategic projects
You're Probably a Match If:
You're admitted to practice in the Philippines and bring 6+ years of post-qualification experience specialising in employment law
You have strong, current knowledge of Philippine employment law and employee relations frameworks
You've advised senior stakeholders on complex employment matters and you know how to balance legal risk with real business and people considerations
You've worked in a tech company, high-growth organisation, or multinational — you understand the pace and the complexity that comes with it
You're comfortable in ambiguity — you make sound judgement calls without waiting for perfect clarity
You communicate complex legal concepts in plain language that people actually act on
About the Team
Canva's Legal team operates as genuine business partners — embedded in the company's biggest decisions and most complex challenges. The Global Employment Legal Team is a collaborative, high-trust group with deep APAC coverage, and you'll join a team that genuinely enjoys working together, shares the hard problems, and invests in each other's development.
Other stuff to know
We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills and passion, as well as how you can enhance Canva and our culture. When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.
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!
Please note that interviews are conducted virtually.