Growth Partnerships Manager, Startups (7 Month Fixed Term Contract)

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.

Where And How You Can Work

Our flagship office is in Sydney, Australia, with a hub in San Francisco for US operations. We offer flexibility in how and where you work, trusting our team to choose the balance that empowers them and their team to achieve their goals. This is a hybrid role in San Francisco, so you must be able to commute to our office 1-2 times a week.

About The Team

Growth Partnerships is one of the newest pillars in Canva’s GTM Partnerships org, driving MAU and revenue growth. We work across four verticals (Startup Ecosystem, Banks & Fintechs, Telcos, and OEMs) to reach consumers, founders, and small businesses right when they’re deciding which tools to build with. We’re on the ground floor, with real momentum and plenty left to build.

About The Role

This role owns one of the broadest portfolios in the Partnerships org, running a startup program on one side and active deal-making across Banks & Fintechs, Telcos, and OEMs on the other. You won’t be walking into something with all the answers—you’ll inherit real partnerships and real pipeline, then figure out the rest as you go. That means you’re a generalist who can lead a program in the morning and close a deal in the afternoon—and scrappy enough to build the process yourself when one doesn’t exist yet.

Responsibilities

• Run Canva for Startups end-to-end across the startup ecosystem, working with accelerators and VCs.
• Own the program mechanics that get startups from sign-up to activation fast, including tiered offers, coupon administration, startup verification, cohort onboarding, and partner-specific experiences.
• Track program performance across the startup lifecycle, from portfolio penetration and offer redemption through to activation and conversion, using the data to decide where we invest next.
• Be a visible ambassador for Canva in the startup ecosystem, hosting founder events and workshops, showing up at demo days and accelerator cohorts, and building relationships with VC and Accelerator teams.
• Source, structure, negotiate, and launch distribution partnerships across Banks & Fintechs, Telcos, and OEMs, balancing near-term revenue with longer-term distribution opportunities.
• Own channel outcomes with clear targets, tracking, and an operating cadence tied to MAU and revenue.
• Ship partner launches by working cross-functionally with Product, Marketing, Legal, Finance, Growth, and Strategy teams.

Requirements

• 5+ years in partnerships, business development, growth, or ecosystem roles within a startup or consumer/B2B tech environment.
• Deep understanding of the startup ecosystem—you know how founders operate and have experience working with VCs, accelerators, startup communities, and other ecosystem partners.
• Proven deal ownership. You’ve sourced opportunities, built the partnership strategy and business case, negotiated terms, and driven distribution or strategic deals through close—not just managed established relationships.
• Strong cross-functional operator who can bring Product, Marketing, Legal, Finance, and other teams together to move partnerships forward and make decisions.
• Able to build and run programs at scale. You can set clear goals, establish an operating cadence, measure results, and manage a broad portfolio while still knowing when to jump in personally.
• Comfortable building from 0→1. You’re scrappy, self-directed, and able to move quickly without perfect information, established processes, or someone telling you what to do next.
• Bonus: You’ve been a founder, worked at a VC or accelerator, built a startup/ecosystem program from scratch, or closed consumer/SMB distribution partnerships.

Pay

The target salary range for this position is $185,000 to $245,000 USD. When calculating offers, we make salary decisions based on market data and candidates' skills and experience.