Regional HR Lead

Canva

. Bridge Global and Local . Adapt and operationalise global People initiatives for the region, ensuring they're effective, locally relevant, and compliant. . Pressure-test whether global approaches will land well in S

Posted 5/25/2026full-timeRemote • Makati • 🇵🇭 PhilippinesSeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Bridge Global and Local
Adapt and operationalise global People initiatives for the region, ensuring they're effective, locally relevant, and compliant.
Pressure-test whether global approaches will land well in SEA, flag gaps early, and shape how changes are communicated and implemented on the ground.
Feed regional trends, risks, and opportunities back to HQ so our global strategy stays grounded in local reality.
HR Business Partnering
Provide targeted People Partnering support to a defined client group within the region.
Support local org design and reorgs, total rewards benchmarking, country expansion, and the rollout of people initiatives and programs.
Be the in-timezone, trusted partner for sensitive people matters and complex regional challenges.
Compliance, Risk & Local Expertise
Own regional employment compliance and people risk in partnership with Location Partners and Employment Legal.
Be the regional subject matter expert on local legislation, regulation, and cultural nuance across SEA's diverse markets.
Act as the escalation point for complex employee relations matters and lead the response to critical regional events such as natural disasters, safety incidents, or major regulatory shifts.
Deeply understand the benefit offering across each country consulting on local benefit gaps that impact talent attraction and retention where COEs may not have full visibility.
Culture & Community
Help scale Canva’s culture in a way that feels locally authentic and inclusive.
Monitor engagement and organisational health across the region, using people data and insights to improve engagement, retention, and employee experience.
Support regional connection, events, and leadership presence.
Regional People Leadership
Lead and develop a team of four across People Partnering, People Relations, and Location Partners.
Set regional priorities, ensure clear ownership across the People ecosystem, and coach your team to thrive in a matrixed, global environment.
Provide leadership and connection for the local People team, drive alignment and connection across different People functions to ensure cohesive delivery.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Proven experience as a senior HR Business Partner in a complex, global environment
Deep knowledge of the Philippines, and ideally South East Asia, employment landscape including regulatory requirements, cultural nuance, and local market dynamics
Track record of leading and developing People teams, including across dotted-line and matrixed relationships
Strong judgement in navigating ambiguity and complex, sensitive people decisions
Ability to influence without authority and build trust with senior leaders
Comfortable operating with significant autonomy while knowing when to bring others in
A pragmatic, thoughtful approach with a genuine bias for action

Benefits

Comp & perks

Equity packages — we want our success to be yours too
Inclusive parental leave policy that supports all parents & carers
An annual Vibe & Thrive allowance to support your wellbeing and personal growth
Flexible leave options to recharge and be a force for good
Exposure to global teams and cross-functional leaders as we scale toward 1 billion users

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

HR Business Partneringemployment compliancepeople risk managementorg designtotal rewards benchmarkingemployee relationsbenefit offering analysisdata analysispeople initiatives implementationcultural nuance understanding

Soft Skills

leadershipinfluence without authoritytrust buildingjudgementnavigating ambiguitypragmatic approachthoughtful decision-makingcoachingcommunicationcollaboration