Head of Payroll - Americas & EMEA

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.

Hello, g'day, mabuhay, 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

Our flagship office is in Sydney, Australia, but we've made our way from down under, to a hub in San Francisco, which is now home to our US operations. We offer flexibility in how and where you work. We trust our Canvanauts to choose the balance that empowers them and their team to achieve their goals.

What you’d be doing in this role

As Canva scales change continues to be part of our DNA. But we like to think that's all part of the fun. So this will give you the flavour of the type of things you'll be working on when you start, but this will likely evolve.

This role is a fantastic opportunity to lead and shape payroll operations across the Americas and EMEA while helping build the future of Canva’s global payroll function. The primary responsibility of the Payroll Manager will be to lead a team of payroll specialists across EMEA & Americas.

You’ll serve as the main point of contact and subject matter expert for payroll-related matters across the region, ensuring our Canvanauts are paid accurately, compliantly, and on time. You’ll partner closely with Finance, People, Legal, Systems, and external providers to support global expansion, drive operational excellence, and implement scalable payroll solutions that support Canva’s continued growth.

This role will actively support expansion initiatives across the Americas and EMEA while playing a key role in shaping payroll processes, controls, and systems for the increasing complexities of a rapidly growing global workforce. You’ll also have the opportunity to leverage automation, AI, and emerging technologies to create a world-class payroll experience for our growing global community.

What’s special about this role?

Lead payroll operations across two of Canva’s fastest-growing regions.

Influence global payroll strategy and support expansion into new markets.

Drive payroll transformation initiatives, including automation, AI, and process innovation.

Partner with leaders across Finance, People, Legal, Systems, and Equity to shape the future of payroll at Canva.

Build scalable processes and controls that support Canva’s continued hyper-growth.

Develop and mentor payroll talent while helping create a world-class global payroll function.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

Payroll Operations & Compliance

Own end-to-end payroll processing across the Americas and EMEA regions, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timeliness.

Serve as the go-to resource and subject matter expert for all payroll-related matters, including future payroll or Employer of Record (EOR) expansions.

Stay up to date with payroll legislation, tax regulations, employment requirements, and compliance obligations across multiple jurisdictions.

Ensure payroll processes remain compliant with local regulations and internal policies.

Lead the resolution of complex payroll issues and escalations, delivering an exceptional employee experience.

Leadership & Stakeholder Management

Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing payroll team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and operational excellence.

Build strong relationships with stakeholders across Finance, People, Legal, Systems, Equity, and external partners.

Act as a trusted advisor on payroll-related matters, providing guidance and recommendations to support business decisions.

Partner with regional and global teams to communicate and implement payroll-related changes, policies, and procedures.

Global Expansion & Transformation

Support payroll readiness activities for new country launches, entity setups, acquisitions, and workforce expansions across the Americas and EMEA.

Partner with cross-functional teams to assess payroll, compliance, and operational impacts of expansion initiatives.

Lead payroll-related projects, including system implementations, upgrades, integrations, and process redesign initiatives.

Continuously evaluate and implement best practices to support a scalable and efficient payroll function.

AI, Automation & Continuous Improvement

Champion the use of AI-powered tools, automation, and emerging technologies to improve payroll efficiency, accuracy, compliance monitoring, reporting, and employee support.

Identify opportunities to streamline processes, reduce manual effort, and enhance operational scalability.

Leverage payroll data and analytics to identify trends, provide insights, and support informed decision-making.

Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance payroll operations, controls, reporting capabilities, and employee experience.

Governance, Controls & Reporting

Establish and maintain robust payroll controls, governance frameworks, and audit-ready processes.

Manage relationships with payroll provid…